Aberystwyth - the Bishop speaks

I am genuinely pleased to be able to post the pastoral letter from the Bishop of Menevia, Thomas Burns, on the topic of the Church of St Winefride's.

Quick recall - the Bish wants to sell the old church which is in need of major remedial works, and with the cash defray some rather eye watering Diocesan debts and build a new (nu?) Church but some way out of town.

I think that is a pretty even handed analysis of the situation although some might disagree.

And lest I am accused of hypocrisy, let me say that my sympathies are with those who wish to keep the Church in the town and, I believe that to be the majority of parishioners.

But I do believe in fair play and so I am pleased to feature the Bishop's letter (or, whoever it was who wrote it), here.................given to be read at the three Aberystwyth 'parishes' at Masses on 12th and 13th October.....and my thanks to my Menevian friends who alerted me to the letter......

OK, a good letter, whichever side of the fence you sit on.

But, it lacks one most important element; there is no mention of the Parish Priest, surely a lynch pin in all discussions and debates.

It would have been the decent thing to do for the Bishop to pay tribute to Fr Neil Evans without, in any way, favouring either party.

But, of course, I am never satisfied!

"Monumental arrogance by (the) Vatican"

Yes, it's another round in the Battle of Aberystwyth where the Bishop wants to sell off the old church and build a new one some way out of town - there's an analogy lurking there somewhere.

As I seem to come under sniping fire from some who uphold the Bishop's plans I am posting this extract from The Cambrian News verbatim, sans comments from me:-

This is monumental arrogance by Vatican

"HAVE A GUESS. A set of historic buildings in the Aberystwyth conservation area. A long-running row over whether they should be preserved or demolished. The claimed final decision - to pull them down – revealed to have been taken by someone who neither owns them, nor has ever seen them, nor is ever likely to. A decision taken by one Raymond Leo Burke, a 65-year-old American resident in Rome. True or false?
False, you hope? Sorry. It’s true. Add to that an unsettling irony. That the decision to smash up a piece of Aberystwyth’s history was taken, of all places, within the walls of a World Heritage Site.
I refer to the Palazzo della Cancelleria, a Medieval palace, part of the Vatican. And our Raymond Burke, who works for the Vatican, from his office within this well-conserved edifice, never for a moment, we may conclude, considering Aberystwyth’s heritage - before striking from his map the church of Our Lady of the Angels and St Winefride and its presbytery annexe.
This the 1870s complex in Queen’s Road - the first Catholic church to be built in Ceredigion since the Reformation – which should be preserved not only as a venerated place of worship and because of its place in history, but because its pleasing unpretentiousness, its green setting, and as it is an important part of Aberystwyth’s Victorian and Edwardian heritage. The diocesan bishop, Tom Burns, wants the site sold to developers because, he claims, it would cost too much to renovate the church, while parishioners insist restoration is entirely affordable.
That Raymond Burke has got involved may seem odd. But not when you remember that the Vatican always knows best. Even when it doesn’t. A wisdom previously thought to be confined to matters religious. Now revealed to extend beyond telling people where they should go to Mass – in a proposed new church in Penparcau – to approving the destruction of a historic Catholic church integral to the Aberystwyth conservation area. This is monumental arrogance.
Such weighty decision-making must of course be easier if you’ve got a weighty title. Like Raymond’s, which the Vatican thinks entitles him to make decisions affecting people and places he doesn’t know and never will. Burke is Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura. Note all those capital letters. Formerly Archbishop of St Louis, Missouri, before that a bishop in Wisconsin. Having shinned further up the ecclesiastical ladder, he is now a cardinal and the most senior official of the highest judicial authority of the Roman Catholic Church. One quakes.
No wonder Tom Burns, embracing the authoritarianism (sorry, solemnity) of Cardinal Burke’s edict, thought he’d include a bit of Latin in his letter telling parishioners of Rome’s sanctioning of demolition. “Roma locuta est. Causa finita est”, he thundered. Adding, sotto voce: “Rome has spoken. The case is finished”.
Burns is wrong. The case is not closed. He must agree to the reasonable request by opponents of demolition for their surveyors, and his, to discuss the condition of the buildings and restoration costs.
He must tell us why Aberystwyth’s parish priest, Neil Evans, wasn’t informed about a meeting between Burns and pro-demolition parishioners. Evans has now quit the diocesan board of trustees, saying he does not believe that “secret meetings (are) the best way forward.” He’s right.
Why is Tom Burns afraid of an open debate?"

My thanks to a Swansea friend for forwarding the extract.

3:10 to Southwark.....plus, some good news

                                     Time is running out for the prayer room lobby

Yes, just 24 hours to go before the letter goes to Archbishop Peter Smith asking him to investigate Muslim Prayer Rooms that have become established in some Catholic Madrassas Schools within his Archdiocese.

We do have a goodly number of signatures but, more are always welcome.

If you feel that it is wrong to provide such resources and would like to add your name to the letter, please leave your name in the comment box or email me on r.collinsassoc@btinternet.com 

So far, 63 people have stepped up to the mark for the Faith.

And the good news.....from Wales, no less.

Some may recall the brouhaha over Bishop Burns' plans to flatten an old(ish) church in the centre of the University town of Aberystwyth and sell off the site to some decent, kind hearted developers who will give him shedloads of cash as a result.

With some of the proceeds, the Bish aims to build a new (nu?) church some way outside the town centre, inconvenient for the old and also for the many Catholic students in this University town.

A group of parishioners oppose the plan whilst some, are in favour.

The planning application went before the Town Council a few days ago and they came out firmly in favour of restoring the old church of St Winefride rather than building a new round one looking like a 1950s spaceship somewhere in the bogs of Ceredigionshire.

Now, this is only the Town Council I am talking about, the decision really rests with the County Council but, I am sure they will listen with interest to what their colleagues have to say.

I am not a crystal ball gazer (how could I be?) but I wouldn't mind putting my beer money on a victory for those who prefer a central location and a church with character and ambience.....and a touch of the hermeneutic of continuity.

Please pray for all concerned, including the Bishop.

A church torn apart

This is another post on the parish church in Aberystwyth.

Bishop Tom Burns wants to flog off the site and build a new church (probably round and concrete) out of town, just too far for elderly and infirm parishioners and anyway, shouldn't the church be at the heart of the parish?

Those who oppose claim that the old church is basically sound and certainly salvageable, but of course, it needs a bit of cash thrown at it to get it up and working again.

The Bish would say, that those in opposition have added to the cost of re-building by inflicting delays upon proceedings, and, he is probably right.

But, my friend informs me that two thirds of the parish are opposed to the move and, if Bishop Tom runs a listening church in his diocese of Menevia, he must be a little hard of hearing.

There are claims and counter claims, surveyor's reports for and against.
I don't pretend to have an intimate knowledge of all the rights and wrongs but, a commentator has left some information which I post verbatim.

Only to say, if you wish to make an official comment to the authorities, you only have until 5th June:


St Winefride's Church: Diocese of Menevia application to demolish the church. Objections to be sent by 5 June, 2013. Quote planning application number (A130337 & A130338CA): Contact Mr Owain Davies Neuadd Cyngor Ceredigion Penmorfa Aberaeron Ceredigion UK SA46 0PA Reasons for objections could be:- • Destruction of a historical church within the conservation area in Aberystwyth. • Evidence as given in SAVE report and Barratt reports show that church is structurally sound. • No one has seen the purported Insurance reports mentioned by the diocese that condemn the church. • Serious neglect of the building is the reason for recent fall of roof masonry. • That majority of parishioners want the church to remain central to Aberystwyth and not moved to the outskirts of the town. • A feasible option to develop and refurbish the church and Queen’s Rd site has not been explored fully by the diocese. 

No Sunday Mass for 3 years

Sorry, but if you are a member of the Parish of St Winefride in Aberystwyth, Welsh gateway to the North, it looks as if you will just have to go without a Sunday Mass until some time in 2016, or possibly, 2015 if providence smiles on you.

The Bishop of Menevia, Thomas Burns, has closed the parish church deeming it unsafe and unsound.

As far as I can ascertain, from speaking to a leading parishioner, no information has been imparted to them other than the fact that the church is closed as of last Sunday.

No more Masses and, apparently, no Diocesan contingency plan.

No pastoral guidance to parishioners as to how and where they may fulfil their Sunday obligation and attend Holy Mass.
Nothing. Zilch. Dim.

The poor parish priest has been confined to barracks in Swansea some 70 or so miles distant and he is only allowed to be in Aber on Sundays, but no one knows if there will be a Mass in a hall, a community centre or under a hedge somewhere.

With the best will in the world that appears to me as being pretty dismal leadership.

Bluster and threat and asking parishioners to tell those opposing the new church to politely back down smacks of insecurity and incompetency.

Certainly, it is not Christ like behaviour.

Say a prayer please for the Bishop and his priests and the outcast parishioners of St Winefride's.

That time of year thou may'st in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold;
Bare ruin'd choirs where late the sweet birds sang.

Paris comes to Aberystwyth

In a move reminiscent of Paris in the 90s when traditional French Catholics 'took over' a well known church to stage a six week sit in, parishioners of St Winefride's have occupied their parish church in an attempt to block the Bishop from proceeding with plans to demolish and rebuild.

This protest is only designed to last until the Feast of All Souls but, according to BBC reports, the protestors are also considering taking their cause direct to Rome.

Bishop Burns, meanwhile, has appealed for prayer in an attempt to resolve this issue.
Trouble is, it looks very much as if someone has been a shade terminologically inexact and that these plans to demolish and rebuild out of town, have been on the agenda for a long time and, if that is true, then any subsequent process of consultation with parishioners has been a sham and a cynical exercise.

Battle of Aberystwyth round three

     This note is from those who oppose the Bishop's plans to demolish, develop and re-build                        

                        WHY SHOULD WE SAVE ST WINEFRIDES?


If planning consent is given to demolish St Winefride’s and property development goes ahead on the Queen’s Road site, the parish will have lost a historic and valuable asset. The love and sacrifice lavished by generations past on St Winefride’s will be gone and lost for ever to future generations.

Arguments against demolition and relocation of Catholic community to an out of town site:

 Plans for a church, presbytery and hall can be realised on the Queen’s Rd site. The church was registered at the Land Registry on 29 April, 2005, preparing it for sale a long time before any ‘consultation’ with the parish had been undertaken. This is proof that the diocese of Menevia has, from the beginning, pursued one option only and have never entered into a meaningful dialogue with parishioners. Ref. to parish priest’s letter of resignation.

 An independent survey shows a feasible, affordable option to refurbish the Church at the Queen’s Road site, for far less than the £2.6 million quoted on the plan sent to the parish by Menevia diocese..On the application to Ceredigion Planning, October 2012, the cost is quoted as ‘cost likely to exceed £2 million’ also ‘project (of new build) likely to be neutral . This vague representation of costs does not inspire confidence.

 Parishioners have not seen a report by insurers, nor is there evidence that the building has been surveyed by the insurance company. In September 2012, Ceredigion Council Buildings Officer confirmed that the church poses no health and safety risks Why does the amended application state that St Winefride’s church will remain open for 18 months if planning permission is granted?

 Location, location…Irrespective of how new a building, nor how modern the design, it will inevitably become a white elephant if not accessible to the community. The church location on the Queen’s Road site is central to the community, convenient for public transport links, relatively near to the University and the hospital, and easy for visitors to Aberystwyth to find. It is also a short and convenient walk for parishioners to the town from the church. St Winefride’s is not just a building it is central to the Catholic community in Aberystwyth.

 Development for the 21st century would include environmental arguments against demolition. Demolition of old buildings is hugely environmentally damaging, as well as costly. Demolition would create a situation whereby people are dependent on cars or minibuses to attend church mass; the diocesan plans take no account of the cost to the environment and rising fuel-costs. Furthermore, plans to lay on a mini-bus are not practical as those parishioners who are elderly and disabled will still need to get to the pick-up point.

 Space behind the Queen’s Road site is earmarked by the Council for parking. A local business has also approached the diocese to help solve the parking issue by offering to develop a parking area.

Write to oppose the demolition of St Winefride’s and redevelopment of the Queen’s Road site . Letters should arrive before 2 November, 2012.
Planning Application A120276
Mr Owain Davies, Planning Officer,
Neuadd Cyngor Ceredigion, Penmorfa, Aberaeron SA46 OPA

At present I am not able to receive comments in my combox, they are being forwarded to me as emails.
I hope to resolve this issue shortly but feel, in the interests of fairplay that, as I have received the following comment I should publish it:

Those who are  infirm are unable to get into this church as there is no disabled access, and as this is a mainly rural parish ( Aberystwyth parish encompasses many villages ).The vast majority of the rest of us drive to church, giving lifts to those who need it, so the position of the church buildings is hardly crucial ! The church gets bitterly cold in the Winter - not good for old or infirm - and there are no toilets either. Vast sums of money have kept the church open thus far - starting when the building was only 50 years old, and we just can't afford it any more. 

Sue Smith

And another comment from one (Dixit Dominus) who is for the status quo:-

One crucial point that seems to be overlooked is that if / when the church moves to Penparcau it will spell the end for daily Mass and informal visits to worship the Blessed Sacrament.  It will not be possible to leave the church open during the day because of the certainty of vandalism in this most run down part of Aberystwyth. Also the church is so far away from the university , offices and everything else that people will not be able to pop in for 5 minutes during their busy days as they do now.  Many of the people who are in favour of this project are 'Sunday Catholics' ; we never see them any other time so maybe this isn't important to them compared to better heating and toilets.

A Priest stands up to his Bishop

More on the Aberystwyth Church of St Winefride, the one that the Bishop of Menevia, Thomas Burns, is keen to demolish so that the land may be sold for big money.
To be fair to the Bishop, he plans to spend £2.6 million on providing a new church, trouble is, it's well out of town and that does not appear to be so sensible.

But, the newly appointed Parish Priest, Fr Neil Evans, is having none of it.

He has resigned from his post on the Bishop's board of trustees.

Here is how The Cambrian News reported the matter:-




A CATHOLIC priest has resigned from the diocese board of trustees just days after taking command at St Winefride’s Church in Aberystwyth, writes Antony Gedge.
Father Neil Evans stood down as a Diocese of Menevia trustee because he opposes controversial plans to demolish the church, replace it with a housing development and build a new church in Penparcau.
It was also revealed this week that Father Neil has been homeless since taking over at St Winefride’s because the presbytery used by outgoing priest Father Ross Patterson has now been closed on health and safety grounds.
Church bosses say insurers won’t allow it to be occupied. And it is feared that the church will close at the end of the month for the same reason.
Church bosses say the buildings are too costly to repair but objectors have produced a surveyor’s report which suggests they can be easily repaired.In a letter sent to Bishop Tom Burns and copied for parishioners, Father Neil launched a scathing criticism of how the church authority has dismissed the possibility of renovating the church.
He said: “As you know, I have been unhappy about the failure of the trustees to adequately address, with conviction and resolution, other possible solutions to the problems facing us in Aberystwyth. Unfortunately the perception exists that the trustees have from the beginning pursued with conviction and resolution only the last option.
“Of course, it may well be that, in the end, this last option proves to be the only option left to us (even if not the best option), and so there will be no choice but to knock down the present church and presbytery and build new in Penparcau.

Fr Neil is a humble and holy man and also, obviously, a brave one. It takes real courage to face up to Bishop Burns. Please remember him (and the Bishop) in your prayers.

NB The full text of Fr Neil's letter will be posted tomorrow, Saturday 20th October.....here!

St Winefride's closure - the fight goes on

It's not often that you will see me featuring extracts from reportage in The T****t on this blog but they have commented on the struggle between Bishop Burns of Menevia and parishioners of St Winefride's Church in Aberystwyth.

In short, Bishop wishes to sell off this rather traditional church to property developers and build a new one some 1.5 miles out of town. I am told that only 8 or so parishioners are in favour of this plan, the rest, are firmly opposed.

Here is The Tablet's take on things:-

The Bishop of Menevia has hit back at complaints that a diocesan decision to demolish a parish church in Aberystwyth will injure the town's Catholic population.

Parishioners have lobbied Aberystwyth Town Council to oppose the demolition of Our Lady of the Angels and St Winefride's Church and have written to the Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols.

But Bishop Tom Burns has told The Tablet that the building, which is still in use, is in such a state of disrepair that it is a danger to churchgoers and that the estimated cost of repair work would leave the parish with a debt in excess of £1m. The bishop said that the sale of the existing site would completely finance the construction of a new church, presbytery and hall on a different site in a neighbouring town.

Pithy, wouldn't you say?

The Victorian Society (I imagine gents in spats and toppers with heavy beards) is a little more wordy and it is interesting that they see something in this consecrated building that many others have overlooked:-

"The Victorian Society is concerned to hear that an application has been made for planning permission to demolish the Roman Catholic church of Our Lady of the Angels and St Winefride in Aberystwyth.

The church of Our Lady and St Winefride is handsome without ostentation, solidly built in local stone with a polychromatic slate roof. It is picturesquely matched to the next-door church house, the two buildings together making a dignified and high-quality contribution to the streetscape. Inside, the church features fine fixtures: a carved stone reredos by Boulton of Cheltenham, a stone pulpit and a drum font, in addition to stained glass.

Quite apart from its aesthetic merits, this church is of historical significance as (we understand) the first Catholic church built in Ceredigion since the Reformation. It also represents an important phase in the development of Aberystwyth, built as part of the town’s expansion as a seaside resort in the late nineteenth century. Its demolition would be a sad blow to Aberystwyth’s Victorian heritage.

That the church has not been accepted for listing by CADW is not an argument for its demolition. The criteria for listing are rigorous, intended to sift the very best examples of particular building types, and applied especially strictly to buildings erected after 1840. We would not try to claim that this church is one of the very finest in Wales; nevertheless, we have no hesitation in declaring it to be one of the finer buildings in Aberystwyth. It was built with a craftsmanship, and of materials, that one would be unlikely to meet with today; we find it difficult to believe that the housing development proposed to replace it will be of comparable quality. A new use can and should be found for this fine building. The application to demolish it should be refused".

I think that the Victorians put it rather well, don't you? As to the bit about "a new use" well, it could become a match for New Brighton in neighbouring Shrewsbury Diocese....but, I wouldn't count on it.