Holy Ghost and St Michael
Welcome to our Parish:
Father Sujith John Pallassery MSFS and Father Jose MSFS would like to welcome you to our Parish. We very much look forward to meeting you after Mass or on our weekly coffee mornings. Please tell one of the Priests if you know of anyone who has gone into hospital or is sick. We regularly visit those in need, in care homes and in the nearby hospital. We are also happy to come and visit you at home if you are unable to get to Church.
Donating: If you are a tax payer and are able gift your donation, please complete Section A on the left hand side of this form and return it to the Parish Office - please ensure it is signed Gift Aid Declaration 2024
If you wish to donate via standing order, please complete the right hand side of this form and return it to the Parish Office - alternatively, you may wish to setup a standing order via online banking, or your banking app. If you do, please set the transaction for the 6th of each month YEOVIL SO and Gift Aid Declaration 24
History of our Parish:
When the Reformation took its full effect on England in the 16th century, the parish church of St John the Baptist in the centre of Yeovil was closed down and the furniture and decoration sold or covered up. The system of fines and punishments worked as intended, and within a few generations Yeovil had become Protestant.
A list of recusants compiled between 1592 and 1606 gives the names of just 7 people (five of them named Hawker) living in or near Yeovil. By 1887 there were six Catholic families in Yeovil. From time to time they had unsuccessfully petitioned Bishop Clifford to send them a priest, and if they wished to hear Mass or receive the Sacraments they had to travel to Marnhull, Wincanton, or Sherborne over in Dorset, which is of course in a different diocese.
The first Mass to be celebrated in Yeovil in the 350 years since the Reformation thus took place on Sunday, 13 November 1887 and was attended by a congregation of 16 people, 12 from Yeovil and the other 4 specially invited from the church in Sherborne. The celebrant was Fr Badger from the Carmelite mission at Wincanton, and the server was Edmund Talbot, later to become Viscount Adair of Derwent. By a great stroke of God’s timing, the Gospel for the day contained the parables of the mustard-seed and of the leaven, and the Bishop expressed in his address the hope “that the little seed planted that day would grow, in due time, into a large tree, and that the leaven of Divine Grace would gradually, in God’s own way, transform and sanctify that place.”
So great was the initial interest that within a year the expanding congregation had outgrown Mr Gatty’s drawing room, and 14 people had been converted to the Catholic faith. Mr Gatty solved this new problem by renting the Chantry, close to St John’s church in the middle of Yeovil. This pre-Reformation chapel had been converted into a school-house in 1573, and had then been moved from its original site close to the tower of St John’s to its current position in around 1854; in 1888 it ceased to be used as a school, and was left unused. Charles Gatty was given permission to rent the Chantry from 24 June of that year, and the Bishop of Clifton celebrated Mass there at 8.30am, on the feast of St John the Baptist: “The chapel and the altar had been decorated with exquisite flowers. In front of Our Lady’s statue was burning a small terracotta lamp found amongst Roman remains in the island of Cyprus, probably from an early Christian shrine, and not later in date than the second or third century. Behind this stood a small vase of dried flowers which had grown in the cave on the island of Patmos, fixed by tradition as the prison in which St John wrote the Book of the Apocalypse.”
This momentous event for the Catholic parish of Yeovil created quite a stir in the town. There was great interest in the Mass, with people being unable to attend because the chapel was too crowded. Most of these people were not Catholic, but in the first year that the Chantry was being used, another 12 people joined the Church. There was also, however, opposition, and on the first anniversary of the opening of the Chantry a “great and bitter” anti-Catholic demonstration took place at the Town Hall. This led to an increase of religious animosity, and the Carmelite Fathers were subjected to a great deal of unpleasantness; “the rough element considered itself encouraged and started breaking the windows of the Chantry”. After a year of debate through the local newspaper, Charles Gatty compiled a pamphlet in which he “explained what the Church really is and what she teaches; he answered some objections and concluded by appealing to the common sense and spirit of fair play of his fellow townsmen”; the fact that this pamphlet was some 50 pages long may have lessened its immediate effect on some readers! This was forcefully answered by his main opponents, but they then refused to take part in an open debate to be chaired by the Mayor, and after a while the hostility died down, helped by the tolerant attitude of influential local people.
In 1891 the head of the Carmelite Fathers told his members who had served the Mission in Yeovil that they had to return to their community and resume the normal life of their order. Fr Badger had been praying about this, as he did not want to leave his small but blossoming flock without a pastor so soon after being re-established , and he was inspired to mention the matter to his friend Fr Scoles, then serving the parish in Bridgwater. Fr Scoles in turn was led to offer himself to the Bishop for the fledgling parish in Yeovil, and the Bishop agreed thankfully. On 26 September 1891, “the little Yeovil Mission bade farewell to its first Pastor and welcomed its new Shepherd.” It was Fr Scoles, later Canon, who was to consolidate the initial growth of the Mission parish in Yeovil, and provide it with the premises, inspiration and leadership that enabled it to begin its development to what we know and love today.
Quotations taken from: “The Catholic Church of the Holy Ghost, Yeovil” (1928)by Fr Joseph Antonioz, MSFS, BA
Duplication of notes made by Father Denis J Breen MSFS 19/4/1970 made from sermon notes from Father Morrin for his Centenary celebration sermon
Later History of the Missionaries in England:
In his centenary sermon, Father Morrin told of the Congregation’s beginning in this country. He was concerned on that occasion with the pioneer work of the Fathers at Devizes, Malmesbury and Chippenham. This section of notes is not intended as a continuation of that fine sermon; but to use Father Morrin’s own words, it is intended to give a bird’s eye view of how the Congregation has grown in time, at the beginning of the twentieth century. There are five Missionaries of Saint Francis de Sales working in England, who have received warning that they cannot expect any help from France or India, should they suffer any loss in their ranks. This was due to two factors, a) the persecution and expulsion of Religious from France at the beginning of the century and b) the first World War. (In France Priests are conscripted into the army).
The next Mission to be entrusted to the Missionaries was at Yeovil, Somerset, also in the Clifton Diocese, in 1903. The Mission had already been started in 1887. On November 11th of that Year, Mass was offered in Yeovil for the first time since the so-called Reformation. The celebrant was Father Badger from the Carmelite Priory at Wincanton. The Mass was offered in the house of Mr Charles Gatty, situated on Hendford Hill. There were 16 people present, four of them from Sherborne in Dorset.
On 24th June 1888 Mr Gatty rented the Pre-Reformation chantry chapel, which stands opposite the Parish Church of St John the Baptist. The building was blessed by Bishop Clifford of Clifton.
In 1891 the Carmelites withdrew from Yeovil, and on the 26th September the Mission was entrusted to a diocesan Priest, who was a most remarkable man, Father Alexander Joseph Cory Scoles. By the year 1899 Canon Scoles had built a fine church and presbytery, which were free from all debt. The church, dedicated to the Holy Ghost was consecrated by Bishop Brownlow of Clifton on May 17th 1899. Just a little over two years later, May 30th 1901, Canon Scoles left Yeovil. He was followed by three diocesan Priests, who arrived and departed in rather quick succession.
The on September 16th 1903, Bishop Burton, who had now succeeded to the See of Clifton, invited the Missionaries of Saint Francis de Sales to take charge of the Yeovil Mission. Father Louis Valluet was the first Missionary to take charge of the new Parish. He was succeeded in 1907 by Father Anthonioz and thereafter by a succession of Missions to the present day.
In his sermon, Father Morrin spoke of the persecution and expulsion of Religious from France at the beginning of the present century. One result of this expulsion was that from September 1906 until November 1909, Yeovil was the Novitiate House of the MSFS and on September 15th 1907, Thomas Morrin was raised to the Priesthood in the church at Yeovil.
The Yeovil Mission has grown over the years. In 1934 a new Mass centre was opened at South Petherton, and in 1961, during the time of the late Father Cutlack’s office as Parish Priest, a permanent church was opened at South Petherton by Bishop Rudderham. South Petherton remains part of the Yeovil Parish.
Another Mass centre was opened in 1948 at Larkhill on the western edge of Yeovil. The first Mass was offered in the chapel dedicated to St Francis de Sales, on the Feast of Pentecost. The following Sunday the Regional Superior of the Missionaries in England, Father Dunstan Cross, was the celebrant at a Missa Cantsta. Present were the Mayor and Mayoress of Yeovil and many of the Town Council. What a pleasant change of climate from those far off pioneer days, about which Father Morrin spoke.
Confirmation Group:
We are always very pleased to welcome young people of Secondary School age into this group, since our aim is to continue their Catholic education.
We cover all aspects of our Faith and encourage the young people to take part in prayer and discussion, and to ask questions. The current Confirmation Classes for 2026 have now been completed by the Candidates. The next provisional Confirmation date will be in 2028. Please check here for further details or check in the Weekly Bulletin.
When we have a date for the classes to re-commence the on-line Registration Form will appear here.
Readers:
If you are a Catholic, then you are very welcome to apply to become a Reader. There are just one or two points, though, to bear in mind. Although there is a microphone, you will need to have a clear voice and to be able to convey the true meaning of the readings to the congregation, so enabling them to develop in their hearts a warm and living love for sacred Scripture. That is why it’s advisable to read the mass texts and take a look at the readings in the Missal beforehand to familiarise yourself with their content and context.
At both the 10.30 am and 6.00pm Sunday masses, there is a rota of readers. If you would like to learn more about the role of the reader, please see contact details:
Ernie Jerzykowski, 01935 706493. (10.30 am Mass).
RCIA:
RCIA stands for the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. It is a course which explores all the key aspects of the Christian faith in order to allow individuals to learn more about Catholicism to help them discern whether they wish to become Catholic. The ultimate aim is to prepare catechumens and candidates to receive the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Communion). As this program provides ongoing formation, it may be of great benefit to Catholics who wish to gain a greater understanding of the fundamental beliefs of the Church. The sessions are informal in nature to give you the opportunity to ask any questions that come to your mind throughout the preceding week.
We tackle key areas of Church teaching, or doctrine, piece by piece. We intend to visit the broad areas of Sacred Scripture, bioethics, Sacraments, prayer, and Christian living. We provide an opportunity for group and individual discussion about the Catholic faith. Challenging questions and struggles are welcome, as a group we are open to help people with their faith journey wherever they may be.
For more information, please speak to the Parish Priest.
Altar Servers:
Altar Servers assist at mass/other liturgical functions to aid the priest. At Holy Mass they may carry candles, incense, books, cruets, the processional Cross and other items, which they use as requested by the Priest.
The ‘Altar Servers’ Mass’ is celebrated on the feast of St Stephen and is always well attended by servers and parishioners. The gathering in the Marian Hall afterwards is a good time of fellowship for all present.
(www.guildofststephen.all-catholic.net).
If you are interested in helping as an altar server, please speak to the Parish Priest.
Finance Committee:
Our Finance Committee is made up of:
Colin Young (Chair)
Andrew Batchelder (Treasurer)
Marlene Harrison
Father Sujith John Pallassery