St Norbert’s Celebrate 150 Years!

An Italian man, who had anglicised his name from Girolamo Vaccari to James Walker, and who worked at the local gasworks, approached a benefactor to seek support for the establishment of a mission and the building of a church.  Thomas Young, who lived in Market Rasen came from a Catholic family and was known to support the building of churches in North Lincolnshire.  Due to difficulties such as remoteness and a scattered population the Diocese could not support the location, so Thomas Young invited the Canons Regular of Premontre (Premonstratensians or Norbertines) from Antwerp to establish and manage a community in Crowle, the first to be established in England.  The foundation stone was laid in July 1871 and on 15 October 1872 the first Mass was said by the Abbot of Mount St Bernard Abbey.  To mark this association, the church was dedicated to St Norbert.  The building was small, made up of the nave only with the Sacristy and Sanctuary being added in 1874.

Over the years, the church has gone through a number of alterations with the most recent being in 2019/20 which saw the removal of wood panelling which had been added in the late Victorian era,  the removal necessitated due to extensive woodworm infestation.  The removal exposed the original wall decoration which was found to closely resemble the decoration of other churches in Europe which had close links to the Norbertines. Instead of replacing the panelling, approval was given by the Diocese for the acceptance of the recommendations of church historians and conservators, towards the restoration of the original internal decoration.  

Preparing To Mark The Anniversary

Well ahead of the date, many conversations were being held wondering how to mark what was felt to be an auspicious occasion, so as is normal with such events, a group was formed to raise funds and plan the celebration.  2019 saw the first of what was to be many coffee mornings, raffles, and meetings to decide on what could be included on and around the day.  Planning and fundraising were going well until March 2020 when all was disrupted by the impact of covid related restrictions.  Whilst this meant a necessary change to some of the more creative ideas it nonetheless focussed minds on what could be possible in the remaining limited time available.  With military precision, the format of the day was agreed, rotas created for cleaning, flowers, catering, car parking and a multitude of other things, fulfilled by a group of hardworking but willing volunteers.

The Day of Celebration

On 15th October 2022, with the church spruced and filled with beautiful flowers, Mass was celebrated again to mark the 150th Anniversary of events in 1872. Presided over by Rt. Rev. Patrick McKinney, Bishop of Nottingham, a number of clergy who had served the Parish over the years were welcomed in concelebrating with Bishop Patrick in this happiest of occasions, including the Rt. Rev. Hugh Allan, O.Praem, Abbot of the current Norbertine Order.  Many parishioners attended, including members of families who had grown up in Crowle but moved away over time.

Following what was a beautiful Mass, everyone decamped to the school hall to enjoy a delicious lunch provided by a local hostelry.  This gave the opportunity for friends old and new to meet and chat, exchanging stories of days past, including memories of attending the school and comments on how it had changed since their time and for many, their children’s and even grandchildren’s attendance.  

The day was deemed a success and a fitting commemoration to what the efforts of James Walker and Thomas Young had provided to the Catholic community of Crowle and surrounding villages. Thanks were extended to all involved in the preparation and execution of the day, by both Bishop Patrick and our current Parish Priest, Father Matthew Jakes.

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