Parish History
The history of All Souls Church and Parish, Peterborough
A list of publications and photocopies of articles available.
Most of the following can be obtained from Peterborough Central Library, or from Mr Peter Waszak, Church archivist (contact via the parish office)
All of the following are taken from the Peterborough Local History Society Magazine.
William Wilkinson Wardell and the Roman Catholic Chapel in Queen St, Peterborough.' - Oct 1992 Issue number 2.
‘One Hundred Up: Catholic Schools in Peterborough’ Issue No 3 March 1993
‘Henry Hammond (1849-1910) Peterborough Builder and Contractor’ Issue No 4 October 1993.
‘The Elwes Hall the early years Part 1 Issue No 5 March 1994, Part 2 Issue No 6 October 1994, ‘The Elwes Hall: a return visit’ Issue No 7 March 1995.
‘The Roman Catholic Church of St. Oswald, King & Martyr, Walton’ Part 1 Issue No 7 March 1995, Part 2 Issue No 8 October 1995, Part 3 Issue No 9 March 1996.
‘All Souls Centenary’ Issue No 10 March 1996.
‘Catholic Men’s Club’ Part 1 Issue No 12 October 1998, Part 2 Issue No 13 March 1999, Part 3 Issue No 14 October 1999.
‘All Souls Church Bell’ Issue No 15 March 1999.
‘Cary Elwes Concerts’ Issue No 16 October 1999.
‘Kings Cliffe: The Catholic Connection’ Special Millennium Edition 2000.
‘The Catholic Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul.’ Issue No 18 December 2000.
‘The Abbeyfields Project: Proposals for Catholic Secondary Education in Peterborough in the early 1950s’ Part 1,Issue No 19 March 2001, Part 2 Issue No 20 October 2001.
‘German POW Adolph Schragle’ Part 1, Issue No 22 October 2002, ‘Memories of a German POW: In conclusion’ Part 2, No 23 March 2003.
‘All Souls Roman Catholic Church Subsidence Problems 1896-2010’.Part One. Issue No 39 March 2011, Part 2, Issue No 40 October 2011.
‘Migrants in Peterborough: St Peter and All Souls RC Church Parish Developments since 1945’.Part 1’ Issue No 41 March 2012, Part 2, No 42 October 2012, Part 3, No 43 March 2013, Part 4, Issue No 44 October 2013, Part 5, Issue No 45 March 2014.
‘An Italian in the Peterborough Brickyards in the 1950s’ Issue No 46 October 2014.
By Peter Waszak:
- 'Roman Catholic Schools in Peterborough: a history' Peterborough Arts Council 1984 (out of print)
- 'The Revival of the Roman Catholic Church in Peterborough c1793-1910', published in 'Peterborough's Past', volume 3, the Journal of the Peterborough Museum Society 1988
- 'The Parish Archives of All Souls Church Peterborough' Catholic Archives No 11 1991
- 'King's Cliffe - the Catholic Connection', published in 'Northamptonshire Past and Present' (no 53) 2000
- 'The Golden Ball Chapel at King's Cliffe, Northamptonshire.' Midland Catholic History (no 8) 2001
- 'St Peter and All Souls Catholic Church - The First 100 Years 1896-1996' 1996 Available from All Souls Church £3.00
Publications by other authors, which contain information about the Catholic church in Peterborough:
- 'Catholic Devotion in Victorian England' by Mary Heimann - pub: Clarendon Press Oxford 1995
- 'Held in Trust' A history of Catholic Parishes in England & Wales 1900 - 1950 by June Rockett -Salut Austin Press. 2001 £9.95
- Margaret Osborne ‘An Enduring Legacy’: The Apostolic ministry of the Cary-Elwes of Great Billing 1865-1965. This has sections on Peterborough in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. Available from The Presbytery, Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, 1 Elews Way, Great Billing, Northampton, NN3 9EA Price £5.00.
News
The Month of November
It is during the month of November that the Church meditates on the Communion of Saints, which is the link with the faithful who have already reached heaven (the Church Triumphant), the faithful departed who are still expiating their sins in Purgatory (the Church Suffering) and of the pilgrim faithful still here on earth (the Church Militant). As Pope St. Paul VI describes it in his Credo of the People of God:
We believe in the communion of all the faithful of Christ, those who are pilgrims on earth, the dead who are being purified, and the blessed in heaven, all together forming one Church; and we believe that in this communion, the merciful love of God and his saints is always [attentive] to our prayers (CCC, 962). On the first of November the Church celebrates the Solemnity of All Saints, a Holy Day of Obligation, honouring all those faithful in heaven, the known and unknown saints. The feast began the traditional Octave of All Saints, November 1-8. November 2nd is the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, also known as All Souls Day, a day set aside to pray for all the dead. All Souls Day shifts the Church's focus on praying for the Faithful Departed throughout November. The need and duty of prayer for the dead has been acknowledged by the Church. It is recommended in the Scriptures of the Old Testament: "It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins" (2 Macc. 12: 46). This duty is expressed in public and private prayers but especially in the offering of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for the repose of souls.
The prayers are particularly directed for the souls who are being purified in Purgatory, waiting for the day when they will join the saints in heaven. The celebration of Mass is the highest means the Church can provide for charity for the dead, but we can also relieve their sufferings through our prayers, sufferings and penances. We can particularly help the Poor Souls by doing acts and prayers that have indulgences attached to them.
Indulgenced Acts for the Faithful Departed - There are many indulgences, applicable only to the Souls in Purgatory, that can be obtained during the month of November. From the fourth edition of the Enchiridion of Indulgences, 1999:
A plenary indulgence, applicable only to the souls in purgatory, is granted to the faithful who,
on any and each day from November 1 to 8, devoutly visit a cemetery and pray, if only mentally, for the departed;
on All Souls' Day (or, according to the judgment of the ordinary, on the Sunday preceding or following it, or on the solemnity of All Saints), devoutly visit a church or an oratory and recite an Our Father and the Creed.
A partial indulgence, applicable only to the souls in purgatory, is granted to the faithful who,
devoutly visit a cemetery and at least mentally pray for the dead;
devoutly recite lauds or vespers from the Office of the Dead or the prayer Requiem aeternam (Eternal rest).
Incorporating Indulgences Acts Through November and the Year
A partial indulgence can be obtained by devoutly visiting a cemetery and praying for the departed. The "Eternal Rest" prayer gains a partial indulgence and can be prayed all year. Passing a cemetery and praying the "Eternal Rest" can help out the souls in need.
Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
Library : Praying for the Dead and Gaining Indulgences During November | Catholic Culture
Contact us:
Email: Parish Priest || Parish office || Web Editor
© 2023 www.stpeterandallsouls.org.uk
website by: Jill Johnson www.whippet-on-the-web.co.uk