St Thomas Aquinas Church, Ham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Thomas Aquinas Church, Ham |
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| 51°26′8.58″N 0°18′38.01″W / 51.4357167°N 0.3105583°W | |
| Location | Ham Street, Ham, Richmond TW10 7HT |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | https://stthomasaquinasham.org/ |
| History | |
| Former name(s) | St. Andrew's School (or just Ham School) |
| Status | Church |
| Founded | 1968 |
| Consecrated | 28 January 1987 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Completed | 1890 |
| Specifications | |
| Number of spires | 1 |
| Materials | brick and slate |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Ham |
| Deanery | Mortlake |
| Episcopal area | South West Pastoral Area |
| Diocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark |
| Province | Southwark |
St Thomas Aquinas Church in Ham is a Roman Catholic church located on Ham Street, near Ham Common. What makes this church special is that it used to be a school building! It was bought in 1968 and changed into a place for people to worship and for the community to use.
Contents
What Happens at the Church?
The church holds regular services called Mass. These happen on Saturday evenings and Sunday mornings. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the church even held Mass online using Zoom and YouTube. People also joined in daily prayers called rosaries from home.
There's also a special Mass held in German on Sunday mornings. This is for the many German-speaking people who live nearby. The German School London is close by in Petersham. A German priest from another church in London comes to lead this service. The German-speaking church members also meet with German-speaking Lutheran Christians at St Andrew's Church, Ham. This is part of an effort called Ecumenism, which means different Christian groups working together.
A Look Back: The Church's History
From School to Church
The building where the church now stands was built in the late 1880s. It was first known as Ham School. Before this, there was an older village school. Boys went to school in St Andrew's Church, and girls learned in a converted building nearby.
However, new rules for schools came out in 1870 with the Elementary Education Act 1870. The old school wasn't good enough anymore. So, local people decided to build a new school. They raised money from charities and donations. The new building opened in 1890 as St Andrew's School. It was big enough for over 300 students! The school stayed open until 1966. After that, a larger school, St Richard's with St Andrew's Primary School, took its place. For a few years, the old school building was used for different community events.
How the Church Began
For a long time, from the 1500s until 1856, there was no place for Catholics to worship in Ham. Then, a small chapel called St Mary's was set up in the grounds of a house nearby.
Later, in 1952, a small piece of land was bought. A temporary chapel, a "tin hut" (a building made of corrugated iron), was built there. The first Mass was held in this chapel in 1953. It was dedicated to St Thomas Aquinas soon after. This temporary chapel was used until the old Ham School building was bought in 1968.
The northern part of the old school became the church. The southern part became the church hall, which is still used by many community groups today. The very first Mass in the new church building was on October 14, 1968. In 1985, a flat was built for the priest to live in. St Thomas's officially became its own parish (a church district) around this time. The church was formally consecrated (made sacred) on January 28, 1987.
A beautiful stained glass window was added to the church in 1990. It was made by an artist named Paul Quail and shows a scene called "Heavenly Jerusalem".
Images for kids
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From Ham Street
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Exterior from Ham Common
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Interior view of the church
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Stained-glass window by Paul Quail
