200th anniversary celebration for Sedgley church

A bicentenary party is planned at St Chad and All Saints Roman Catholic Church in High Holborn, Sedgley, on Sunday, August 20.

The first Mass was held there by Father Thomas Tysan on Sunday, August 24, 1823.

Father Tysan was known affectionately by his congregation as the ‘Apostle of Sedgley’, largely because of the efforts and sacrifices that he personally made and the problems he endured to get the church built.

At a time when tolerance of Catholic worship was still evolving, a Catholic Mission for Sedgley was originally established by Father John Placidus Perry at a small chapel at the rear of cottages at Sandyfields in 1786. By 1819, this chapel, dedicated to St George, had become too small to accommodate the growing Catholic congregation in the area, who were able to worship legally after the Catholic Relief Act of 1791, which partially relaxed some of the penal laws that had existed for 200 years.

Father Tysan’s plan to develop the Catholic faith in the area was to abandon the ‘policy of retiring exclusiveness’ that characterised Catholic efforts in those days. Instead, he purchased AN acre of land at the corner of High Holborn and, what is now, Catholic Lane to build the new church.

It is thought to have been the first post-Reformation Catholic church built on a major road, that had a prominent and distinctive tower. It was Father Tysan’s intention for the tower to house bells but laws still prohibited Catholic churches or chapels from having bells until the full emancipation of the Catholic faith in 1829.

The celebration party will run from 12 noon until 4pm, where food and drink will be served and entertainment will be provided.

A Mass will be held by the current priest, Father Paul Edwards, on Thursday, August 24 at 7pm to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the first service.

Those with connections to the parish are invited to attend both events.

Anyone interested in gaining or providing more information on the history of the parish and church, can contact Paul Abbiss at paul.abbiss@blueyonder.co.uk