St Etheldreda's Church, Ely facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Etheldreda's |
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| Shrine and Parish Church of St Etheldreda, Ely | |
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| 52°24′06″N 0°15′41″E / 52.401725°N 0.261408°E | |
| Location | 19 Egremont Street, Ely, Cambs, CB6 1AE |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | https://elyrcchurch.com |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Years built | 1903 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Diocese of East Anglia |
St Etheldreda's Church is a Roman Catholic church located in Ely, England. It is part of the Diocese of East Anglia. This church is special because it holds the national shrine and relics of St Etheldreda.
St Etheldreda was an Anglo-Saxon queen and abbess (the head of a group of nuns). She passed away on June 23, AD 679. She became one of the most popular saints in England during the Middle Ages. Many people even call her one of the most important English saints ever.
Contents
The Church's Story: How it Began
By the mid-1800s, about 30 to 40 Catholic people lived in Ely. However, there was no priest living there to lead services. A priest named Canon Thomas Quinlivan, based in Cambridge, would sometimes travel to Ely. He would hold masses in a private house in the town. This became easier after a railway line opened in 1845.
Starting the Parish in Ely
The St Etheldreda parish officially started in 1890. That's when Father John Francis Freeland came to Ely. He created the first worship space by dividing his own room to make a small chapel. In 1891, Ely had about 8,000 people, but only 16 Catholics attended the first services.
As more people joined, Father Freeland bought some land. In 1892, he opened a small chapel made of corrugated iron on part of the land where the current church now stands. This original iron church was later moved to Thorney Toll. It was used as a chapel until around 1973, then sold and used as a garage.
When the first church opened in 1892, here were the services offered:
- Sunday mass at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.
- Catechism (religious teaching) at 3 p.m.
- Rosary, instruction, and benediction at 6:30 p.m.
- Daily mass at 8 a.m.
- Mass on special holy days at 9 a.m.
The number of people in the parish slowly grew. By the early 1930s, there were about 100 members. During and after World War II, many Italian and German prisoners of war were held in the Fens area. Some of them were in a camp near Ely and attended services at St Etheldreda's.
Church Design and Features
The church you see today opened on October 17, 1903. This date is special because it's the feast day when St Etheldreda's relics were moved. The church wasn't officially blessed until May 22, 1987, because of money reasons.
The church was designed by Simon Croot and built by Messrs Howard. It cost about £2,600 to build the church itself. The house for the priest, called the Presbytery, cost another £900. The church was dedicated to St Etheldreda because she died in Ely.
Inside the Church
The church is built in a style called Decorated Gothic. It has a raised area for the altar and two side aisles. Inside, you can see many beautiful stained glass windows. These windows show different saints and religious scenes, including:
- St Peter
- St Pius X
- St Margaret Clitheroe
- St John Houghton
- St Francis
- St John the Evangelist
- The Good Shepherd (Jesus as a shepherd)
- Jesus as a Priest
The main window behind the altar shows St Wilfrid, Our Lady, and St Etheldreda. This window is a copy of a similar one found in York Minster. The original stained glass was made by Jones & Willis. The church's first organ was made by the Positive Organ Company.
Parish Priests and Leaders
Many priests have served the St Etheldreda parish over the years. Here is a list of the main priests who have led the church:
| Parish Priest | Dates at St Etheldreda's |
|---|---|
| Rev. John Francis Freeland | 1890-1906 |
| Rev. Henry Long | 1906-1908 |
| Rev. George Frederick Stokes | 1908-1928 |
| Rev. Henry George Hughes | 1928-1933 |
| Rev. Constantine Ketterer | 1933-1940 |
| Rev. Christopher McGregor | 1941-1943 |
| Rev. Charles Alexander Grant | 1943-1945 |
| Rev. Albert E Whyatt | 1945-1946 |
| Mgr Canon James Bernard Marshall | 1946-1947 |
| Rev. Guy Pritchard | 1947-1970 |
| Rev. Brendan Peters | 1970-1980 |
| Rev. Gerard Quigley | 1980-1980 |
| Canon Paul Taylor | 1980-1993 |
| Rt Rev. Mgr Michael Cassidy | 1994-1995 |
| Rev. Laurie Locke | 1995-1999 |
| Rev. Anthony Shryane | 1999-2019 |
| Rev. David Finegan | 2019- |
Parish Numbers Over Time
This table shows how the parish has grown and changed over the years. It includes the number of baptisms (babies joining the church), receptions (adults joining), marriages, and how many people attended Sunday Mass.
| Year | Baptisms | Receptions | Marriages | Estimated Catholic Population | Mass Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 19 | 4 | 12 | 750 | 223 |
| 1990 | 14 | 1 | 5 | 1000 | 240 |
| 1995 | 18 | 4 | 4 | 500 | 230 |
| 2000 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 1000 | 224 |
| 2005 | 23 | 3 | 2 | 1000 | 250 |
| 2010 | 17 | 0 | 8 | 1000 | 270 |
The Shrine of St Etheldreda
The main modern shrine of St Etheldreda is inside St Etheldreda's Church in Ely. In the Middle Ages, the most important shrine to St Etheldreda was at the Abbey of Ely. St Etheldreda was one of the most popular Anglo-Saxon saints. Her shrine was one of the top five most visited places for pilgrims in medieval England. People continued to visit her shrine a lot until the 1520s.
A key reason for St Etheldreda's fame was that her body was found to be incorrupt. This means it remained whole and lifelike in her grave, instead of decaying. This was written down by a historian named Bede very early on. This helped her story and fame spread widely.
Relics and Their History
During the Middle Ages, many churches and cathedrals claimed to have relics (small parts of her body) of St Etheldreda. These included places like Durham, Glastonbury, and York. We can't be sure if these were real relics. However, a discovery in the 1800s suggests that parts of St Etheldreda's body might have been spread out.
Besides her main body, people also believed in objects linked to St Etheldreda. Records show that people used cloths for sore throats, a comb for headaches, and a ring for help during childbirth, all supposedly connected to the saint.
During the English Reformation in the 1500s, the shrine of St Etheldreda was destroyed. The religious practices linked to her ended. Some pieces of the original shrine are thought to have survived in Ely. For example, painted panels showing scenes from her life were found being used as a cupboard door in an Ely house in the 1780s. A small carved stone piece from the 700s, found in a barn, is also believed to be from the shrine.
The exact date the medieval shrine was destroyed isn't known. It likely happened after a bishop named Thomas Goodrich ordered all "images, relics, and shrines" to be taken down in 1541. Records show that a lot of gold and silver from the shrine was taken into the royal treasury.
The Modern Relic
The modern relic of St Etheldreda is her left hand. It was found preserved in a special container in a priest's hiding spot in Sussex around 1811. It was given to the Duke of Norfolk and later passed to a group of nuns called the Dominican Sisters. The hand was found with an engraved silver plate that said 'Manus Sanctae Etheldredae DCLXXIII' (Hand of St Etheldreda 673). This plate was from the 900s, suggesting the hand was separated from her body around that time. When found, the hand was "perfectly entire and quite white." But over time, exposure to air made it dark brown.
A small piece of St Etheldreda's hand was returned to the Ely parish in 1950. It came from St Etheldreda's Church in London, where it had been honored. The main relic, however, stayed with the Dominican sisters at Stone. They donated it to the Ely parish in June 1953, and it has been there ever since.
The modern shrine is quite simple. It displays St Etheldreda's hand in a glass container. Until the late 1960s, there was a small altar dedicated to St Etheldreda right in front of the relics. But after some church changes, this altar was removed. In 1975, the church's baptism font was moved to this spot.
People still visit the shrine of St Etheldreda at this small Roman Catholic church. Many combine their visit with a trip to Ely Cathedral, which is where the original medieval shrine was located before the Reformation.
