Parish Priest
Father Douglas Bull
Background
Before coming to Rainham Fr. Douglas Bull had spent most of his years
in the priesthood working with young people: first as Diocesan Youth Officer
and then as Chaplain to Christ the King Sixth Form College. Fr. Doug was
inducted on September 28th 1997; and at the age of 41 was our youngest
parish priest to date.
Achievements
The cost of renovations and repairs carried out on the hall just before
Fr. Doug’s arrival had once again raised the parish debt to an amount
in excess of £70,000. Unlike the position when Fr. John came to
the parish, the parish finances were now on a sound footing, and once
Fr. Doug had taken steps to minimise interest charges, he began to plan
the how and when to put desirable and even necessary works in hand.
Fr. Doug turned his attention first to the refurbishment of St. Thomas’ Church, where apart from essential repairs to the flat roofs no maintenance had been carried out from the time it was built. Decoration of the exterior was imaginatively and beautifully carried out in colours picked out from those of the St. Thomas of Canterbury mural above the main door. The interior walls being of brick, there was little to be done by way of redecoration; but the fresh white paint on the low ceilings on either side brightened the building considerably. On the advice of Sister Concordia the dark red velvet curtain behind the altar was taken down; and once again her services were employed to re-tint the ‘Christ in Glory’ group above the altar. The dark red carpeting in the sanctuary and the aisles was replaced with carpeting of a warm but muted pink, again adding in the brightness of the church and making it appear more spacious. The statue of St. Thomas of Canterbury was removed from its position in front of the organ gallery, where it had passed almost unnoticed and resited, fittingly, in the corner of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel from where it can be seen, in all its gilded glory, from almost every part of the church. These changes took place over some time, but were complete by the year 2000.
The refurbishment of St. Peter’s took place during the year 2000. Here the ceiling tiles were painted white and the predominating blue of the wall behind the altar and the doors vanished under magnolia and white. The sanctuary was reduced in depth and the marble altar, lectern and font aligned; showing them to greater advantage than before. The sanctuary floor was carpeted in a softly toned mottled brown, while a self-coloured deeper brown carpeting was laid throughout the church, coffee room and entrance. The pews were once again resited, allowing for easy movement about the church. Spare pews were placed in the coffee room so that mothers with crying or difficult children might find a place of refuge.
‘A Book of Remembrance’ giving the names of all parishioners who have died since 1958, together with dates of death, has been placed in each church.
Excitement about the approaching Millennium was gathering pace when Fr. Doug arrived in Rainham in the autumn of 1997: but amid all the preparations in the parish for the Millennium and the celebration of the Millennium year itself, the groups and activities in the parish continued much as usual, although there were some changes.
‘The Mass with the Sacrament of he Anointing of the Sick’ has been replaced with a specially devised liturgy called “A Service of Healing”. While those who are sick receive the Sacrament, others present are invited to be anointed with the Oil of Gladness, so that everyone present is given the opportunity to take part in the ceremony and to feel included.
The R.C.I.A. Group “Sharing Our Faith” which had been started by Fr. John when he was new to the parish suddenly foundered after running successfully for twelve years or so: but in the autumn of 2000 another R.C.I.A. Group entitled “On The Way” was started and is led by Fr. Doug.
Also in the autumn of 2000, Rainham had the honour to be chosen to pilot a scheme the aim of which is to include people with extra needs in active roles in the life and Mission of the Church. The reason for this honour probably lay in the fact that the activities of the Rainham ‘Faith and Light’ Group came to the notice of others in the Diocese; or, perhaps, it was that so many people with extra needs may be seen taking part in the liturgy and social life of our parish. Christina Gangemi the Project Worker, and a cousin of Fr. Gerard Bradley, spoke about the scheme at all Masses on October 15th; and on December 3rd the whole parish was invited to take part in the Advent Activity Day, “Follow the Star” which was held in the Parish Centre.
Almost as soon as Fr. Doug came to Rainham he began to share with us his specific interest in Ahotokurom, which for him began while he was Chaplain at Christ the King Sixth Form College. Ahotokurom, a name which means “Place of Serenity”, is a small village in the Cape Coast region of Ghana where the Padre Pio Rehabilitation Centre, run by the Daughters of Mary and Joseph, supports people with leprosy; children with special educational needs, and orphaned and abandoned children.
Fr. Doug was so successful in passing on this interest that the U.C.M. made Ahotokurom their charity appeal for 1998 and raised a magnificent £3,000 for the village.
Fr. Doug has made three visits to Ahotokurom since coming to Rainham, returning from one in January 2000 with malaria: but undeterred, he went out again in June 2000, this time accompanied by Denise Ellery and Mary Hamblin.
A more fundamental change came about as Fr. Doug considered that the usually poorly attended ‘Parish in Council’ meetings were an unsatisfactory way of gauging opinion in the parish and introduced instead a questionnaire system; which on the question of whether there should be a separate Diocese of Kent produced 415 responses. On other occasions the Parish Chairman addresses the congregation either during or after Sunday Masses. The Parish A.G.M. continues to be held where everyone may express opinions and vote on matters concerning the parish: and the Finance Group and the Liturgy Committee continue to function.
It was at a Liturgy Committee meeting that the subject of the frequency and timing of Sunday Masses was first raised. The fall in Mass attendance had continued and the Mass count for 1999 stood at 635, hardly a sufficient number to warrant six Masses. Also, if a priest happened to be on his own over a weekend it was very difficult (and very tiring) to say four Masses on a Sunday morning. After several months given for notice and consultation a decision was taken at the A.G.M. in March 2000 that Sunday morning Masses would be 9.30 a.m. for St. Thomas’ and 11.00 a.m. for St. Peter’s. These times were introduced on April 2nd 2000.
When the reduction in the number of Masses was under discussion it had not been foreseen that their introduction would become a virtual necessity. Fr. Robert Sugg left Rainham when appointed to the Catholic Missionary Society (C.M.S.) in the summer of 1999 and was replaced by a newly ordained priest, Fr. Duncan Lourensz who served in the parish only until February 2000 when he left to take up an appointment some weeks later at St. Luke’s in Sevenoaks. This has left us temporarily with one priest: a temporary state that seems set to continue for some time.
Until another assistant priest is appointed, 63 London Road is being used as an office and meeting place: its use for which having been greatly improved by the removal of the partition wall between the two downstairs rooms. This much enlarged room comes into its own not only for large meetings, but for entertaining, as when the deanery clergy lunch together, and for the monthly coffee mornings.
THE MILLENNIUM
In ‘Parish in Council’ meetings during the first few months Fr. Doug was with us, we were asked to put forward our suggestions for events during the Millennium year in which we would like to participate; or for things we would like to see happen; and from the many suggestions made a final selection was drawn up. These were a Mission to be given by the Catholic Missionary Society (C.M.S.); a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady in Europe in Gibraltar; a parish dinner; discos for the young people; a parish exhibition and a history of the parish.
Preliminary work for the Mission began after Fr. John McLaughlin, a missioner from the C.M.S. spoke at the A.G.M. in March 1999. Groups were set up to organise the liturgies; publicity; leafleting and visiting and other preparations necessary for a mission to be successful. Faith Sharing Groups, in which many parishioners enjoyed taking part, were also set up as a preparation for the Mission.
It was also realised that the Mission and many other events proposed for the Millennium would require financing, and fund-raisers for this purpose included a Concert given by the Rainham Ladies Choir and mugs, specially designed for the parish, that went on sale in December 1999.
Ahotokurom was the choice made by parishioners for the Parish Millennium Appeal Fund, and during the year, culminating with a Concert given by the Rainham Ladies Choir on December 2nd which made a profit of £500, the total raised for Ahotokurom was over £4,200.
Also in the summer of the Millennium year the Knights of St Columba (K.S.C.) financed two young ladies to go out to Ahotokurom for two months; sending with them a generous donation for the Centre.
CELEBRATION OF THE MILLENNIUM YEAR IN THE PARISH
It was always the intention that the celebration of the Millennium would go on in the parish throughout the year 2000, and it was seen in as customary in the parish, with a party in the Parish Centre. The first Masses of the Millennium were the regular 10.00 a.m. Saturday morning Mass at St. Peter’s where refreshments were served afterwards: and a Mass at noon at St. Thomas’ where the congregation was as large as that for a Sunday morning Mass.
It was also our intention that the Millennium would have special and good memories for the children, and at all Masses on January 2nd each child present received a gift.
On the following Sunday, January 9th, it was the staff and pupils of our parish school of St. Thomas of Canterbury who presented the 10.30 a.m. Mass. St. Thomas’ Church was filled to overflowing with people standing at the back and the sides. After the Mass each pupil and member of staff was presented with a glass paperweight, decorated with the school logo, as a memento of the occasion.
The emphasis continued to focus on young people with discos given for them in the Parish Centre on Tuesday January 25th for 7-10 year olds; and on Friday February 4th for 12-16 year olds.
Mr. Pat Carroll was the organiser and M.C. for our Parish Millennium Celebration Dinner which was held at the Golf Club at Upchurch on April 28th, the 42nd anniversary of the opening of St. Thomas of Canterbury Church. Well over 100 parishioners and guests attended this wonderful social occasion at which the toast of “The Catholic Parish of Rainham” was proposed by Fr. Wilfrid McGreal and the response made by Fr. Doug. Dorothy Morris responded for the guests. While we enjoyed ourselves inside, the rain, so much a feature of the year 2000 lashed down unremittingly outside.
Twenty or so Rainham parishioners went with Fr. Doug on the Gibraltar Pilgrimage which took place between May 29th-June 2nd. The pilgrimage was an experience shared with Fr. Chris Keen and parishioners from Walderslade. Apart from the pilgrimage aspect and Mass said at the ‘Shrine of Our Lady of Europe’, the party visited an Augustinian Convent in Medina Sidonia and the famous Cathedral Cave of St. Michael deep within the Rock of Gibraltar itself. Mass was also celebrated by Fr. Doug at the Church of ‘Our Lady of Sorrows’ in Catalan Bay.
A great deal of work had gone into preparations for our parish Mission, “A Festival of Faith”; but just before it began there was a renewed flurry of activity. The missioners, Fr. John Breen and Fr Richard Carter celebrated early morning Masses throughout the week; after which there would be breakfast served in the newly enlarged meeting room in 63 London Road before commuters left for work. Apart from the mid-morning Masses, there were services held every evening, each with a special theme; and on the Friday evening questions were invited. The missioners also went to St. Thomas’ School every day where they met with both pupils and parents. The week culminated with a Barn Dance organised by the U.C.M. on Saturday evening and on Sunday September 24th, the last day of the Mission, there was a barbecue held at lunchtime at St. Thomas Church. It rained yet again; but the fact that everyone had to crowd into the Parish Centre added to the sense of fun and companionship. The KSC braved the elements, and continued cooking for all.
The ‘Parish Exhibition’ was held in the Parish Hall over two very wet weekends the 21st/22nd and 28th/29th October, and told the story of the parish, mostly in photographs. Some of these photographs and some of the exhibits shown had come to light while researching for this booklet, “The Catholic Parish of Rainham 1921-2000”. The U.C.M. and K.S.C., both mounted stands and there were photographs shown of the Mission, the Pilgrimage to Gibraltar and Ahotokurom: but undoubtedly the greatest draw were the records and the many photographs shown of the pupils and staff of St. Thomas’ School from the time of its opening in 1967.
On Sunday, December 31st the Parish Chairman, Mr Peter O’Brien, addressed every congregation after Mass suggesting a New Year’s Resolution that would be easy for everyone of us to make and simple to keep. This was to make a Banker’s Order, for an amount each month so small that we would not notice it, in favour of a scholarship scheme to help the young people of Ahotokurom to continue their studies. The magnificent sum of £6,000 a year was pledged.
