A Brief History
1996 saw the 120th anniversary of the dedication of the Church of S James the Great, the
parish itself having been created in 1872 under the patronage of the Crown. The heart of
the parish is the small industrial suburb of Albert Hill, by the main railway line from
London to Edinburgh and which grew up around the great forges, wire mills and other heavy
industry which sprung up in the wake of the railways.
Then as now, one of the great strengths of the parish is that its boundaries are those of
a natural social community and not mere arbitrary lines drawn on a map, as is sadly the
case with so many urban parishes. The forge and wire mills have long since gone, but the
parish retains its industrial character and there are still parishioners who live only a
few minutes walk away from their workplace. A recent development has been the opening of
several old people’s homes, to which, as to the local primary school, the church has
an active and increasing ministry.
Some
earlier Priests
From the outset, the parish has been distinctively AngloCatholic in its life and witness,
to an extent unique not only in Darlington but in much of the South-Western part of the
diocese. Outstanding among the six vicars who have served the parish prior to the present
incumbent was Fr. Theodore Gobart (1901-1930). As uncompromising in his Catholic faith and
practice as in his Christian socialism, at a time when neither was fashionable (and in
certain official quarters, not even tolerated) he achieved a reputation far outside the
boundaries of the parish, or indeed the diocese. He was also a noted Shakespearean scholar
and popular lecturer.
In more recent years the fiery zeal of the diminutive Fr Arthur Cross is still remembered
in the parish. He was also unique in having been incumbent twice, initially in 1950 - 59
and then again (after the benefice had been united with that of the town centre parish of
S. Hilda) from 1963 - 68.
His successor was Fr Denis Smith, a much loved pastor in whose time the united benefice
was severed and S. James again stood alone. During the final years of his ministry he had
the assistance of a non-stipendiary curate, Fr. Michael Wilson, but the latter’s
commitments in his secular profession meant that the help which he could give with
visiting and other pastoral work was severely limited.
Our Present Incumbent
In April 1989 Fr lan Grieves was instituted as parish priest. In contrast to his recent
predecessors for both of whom S. James was the final appointment at the end of a long
career, Fr Grieves is in his first incumbency and his vigorous and energetic enthusiasm
has transformed the parish from something of a back-water into one of the leading
AngloCatholic parishes in the Northern Province.
Since his appointment, Sunday congregations have increased five fold, with a corresponding
increase in support for the daily mass on weekdays, the Sunday School has been revived
after a lapse of many years and a Youth Group and choir have been established. The
clerical staff has been increased to four by the addition of two retired but still fully
active priests, Fr Geoffrey Sowerby and Canon David Hinge.
Forward in Faith
The Parish was one of the first to reject the decision of General Synod in November 1992
which purported to authorise the ordination of women to the priesthood, as being wholly
contrary to Catholic faith and practice and the historic formularies of the Church of
England, and is now under the alternative episcopal oversight of John, Bishop of Beverley,
the Provincial Episcopal Visitor for the Northern Province, who was assisted initially by
Gordon, Bishop of Whitby.
S. James has from the outset been prominent in the Forward in Faith movement, amongst the congregation are Mrs Anne Williams - National Vice Chairman.
S. James servers and altar boys have served at several major festivals at venues including York Minster, Durham Cathedral and Hexham Abbey.
The parish clergy are all members of the Chapter of Our Lady and S. Cuthbert, which provides a forum for like minded clergy in Durham Diocese and of which Fr. Grieves is Chapter Dean.
Our Congregation
Predictably, S. James’ distinctive and uncompromising churchmanship attracts an
eclectic congregation from Darlington itself and even further afield, which has brought to
the life and worship of the Church talents which it would be unrealistic to expect to find
in the local working-class community.
However, the Church is also very firmly rooted in the social fabric of the local community as their Church and many who are not themselves churchgoers are active in their support for it both in cash and in kind. As might be expected, good ecumenical relations are enjoyed with the nearby Roman catholic congregation, who are the only other worshipping community in the parish, and in 1995 we were pleased to welcome Bishop Ambrose of Hexham and Newcastle as the preacher at our May Devotion.
The Beauty Within
Prominent on the southern flank of Albert Hill overlooking the main road to Stockton, the
exterior of the Church is bleak and austere, giving no hint of the splendours which lie
within. The blaze of colour and wealth of decoration which greet the visitors have an
overwhelming impact, combining with the liturgy to produce that “glimpse of heaven on
earth” which the Catholic Church has ever sought to give its worshippers.
Improvements to the fabric and furnishings of the Church in the years since Fr
Grieves’ institution have included the installation of a magnificent Copeman-Hart
organ, with a volume and quality of tone equal to the finest pipe organs, with the
consequential re-ordering of the sacristy and Requiem Chapel, including the creation of
new shrine to house the image and relic of S. James. In the opposite transept, the Lady
Chapel has also been re-ordered and the Shrine of Our Lady of
Walsingham refurbished. Following a series of burglaries, a modern security alarm
system has been installed and much work has also been done to enhance the churchyard.
The motto or slogan of S. James is “It’s the Mass that matters” and the
daily offering of the Holy Mass lies at the heart of church life, all other activities
being based on and flowing from it. Apart from the full liturgical observance of the major
festivals of the `Universal Church’, and in particular the Triduum Sacrum of Holy
Week, the highlights of the year are the May Festival in honour of Our Lady and the
Patronal Festival of S. James on 25th July, the latter now being an annual fixture in the
diary of the Bishop of Beverley and on both occasions “standing room only” is
the order of the day for latecomers.
This enhanced activity has been reflected in the acquisition of a number of new vestments,
including a Festival Cope, richly decorated with motifs associated with S James, and
matching humeral veil and also some new liturgical vessels.
Devotion to Our Lady is expressed not only in the annual May Festival, but also in an active branch of the Society of Our Lady of Walsingham, which meets monthly at the Church’s own Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham and whose annual pilgrimage to the Shrine at Walsingham has traditionally been one of the highlights of the parish year.
n addition to the busy liturgical life of the Church, there is a full programme of
social events many of which also help alleviate the
inevitable burden of fundraising.
The Future
More than 120 years on from its dedication, S. James’ faces the future with
enthusiastic confidence. Much remains to be done, a major programme of refurbishment of
the Church fabric and re-ordering of the remainder of the interior is planned for the
medium to long term future.
Much also remains to be done to further the aims of the Decade of Evangelisation -
confident that “We have a Gospel to Proclaim”, the people of S. James are
determined not to hide their light under a bushel but that ”The Church on the
Hill” shall be a beacon to guide and attract in ever-growing numbers those who see
the riches of the full faith, and who will have no compromise with those who reject the
traditional Catholic faith and order on which, until 11th November 1992 the Church of
England was based. Far from feeling rejected or marginalised, they have an ever growing
confidence that it is they who are the guardians of the true inheritance of the Church of
England, an inheritance that they are resolved to cherish and foster in the belief that
"On this Rock I will build my Church".
Ancient & Modern?
Ancient - No! Modern - Yes! When our predecessors built S. James’ the fastest
communication available to them was the speed of the train. Today we talk about
cyber-space, the internet and all that. Increasingly people communicate with each other
via this modern medium. Ever forward thinking S. James has its own ‘home page’
on the internet. Here you can view weekly updates of all that is going on, and at the same
time connect into other interesting and related ‘sites’. Our temporary internet
address is:
website.lineone.net/~janus_tng_serv
