A Brief History of Our Lady of Compassion Church
Our parish has its roots in the immigration of Catholic Irish families in the late 1700s. After the Second Catholic Relief Act of 1791, priests in Stratford began ministering to the local Catholic community in East Ham, Forest Gate, Plaistow, and Upton Park. In 1869, Cardinal Henry Manning, Archbishop of Westminster, purchased the eight acres Boleyn Castle Estate in Upton Park for £12,000 in order to build a school, named St Edward’s Reformatory, to educate Catholic boys and train them for a trade. As the Catholic population in Newham increased, churches were built in Canning Town (1859), Forest Gate (1884), Silvertown (1887) and Custom House (1896); all of which were some distance away. In 1901, a temporary iron chapel was built on the school grounds. The following year, a new Catholic mixed elementary school was built on Castle Street to accommodate 300 pupils. And in 1904, West Ham United Football Club moved to Upton Park, next to the school.
Many priests served as chaplains at St Edward’s school, but it was Fr Zsilkay (chaplain for 22 years) who began to minister to the local Catholic population. On 30 April 1909, Fr Frederick Gahagan was appointed Parish Priest in Upton Park and served for 37 years. He quickly set about raising funds for a permanent church and presbytery. The church was completed in 1911 and the new High Altar was blessed by Cardinal Bourne on 11 December 1913. Our church also has two side altars, one dedicated to Our Lady of Compassion and the other to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Another historic event, which took place during World War I, was the establishment of the Diocese of Brentwood on 20 July 1917. Our parish was officially erected on 8 August 1918 and solemnly consecrated by Bishop Doubleday on 24 October 1929. Relics of two early Christian martyrs, Saints Januarius (+305) and Venustus (+303), were inserted into the High Altar. Finally, the Presbytery was built in 1927.
Our present parish boundary was established in 1928, when St Michael’s church in East Ham was built. The western boundary comes down Barking Road as far as Gillett Avenue, then across Barking Road to Katherine Road, taking all the roads to the east. The boundary between the Upton Park and East Ham parishes runs from the Northern Outfall Sewer (Greenway) via the footpath to Lonsdale Avenue (south of Brampton Park) and then across Lonsdale Avenue via the eastern boundary of Brampton Park and the western boundary of the Jewish Cemetery. From there it passes along Buxton Road, Geoffrey Gardens, Central Park Road and Gillett Avenue to the Barking Road, and from there to Katherine Road to the railway line.
As can be imagined, World War II (1939-45) had an adverse effect on the church and its surroundings with houses destroyed and lives lost during German bombing raids; the crucifix in St John’s room was fashioned from pieces of shrapnel.
After the war, many more immigrants settled in our area from all over the world, resulting in our parish being a microcosm of the Catholic Church with parishioners from over 80 countries. We have been blessed with good Parish Priests ministering the Sacraments to us, preaching the Gospel, and helping us to follow Jesus Christ in order to reach our goals and fulfil our God-given mission. Please pray for our priests, that they persevere in their vocation, and for more vocations to the priesthood.
Edmund Burke once said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Therefore, you are invited to join us in our vision of becoming a joyful and welcoming family following Jesus Christ and united in building the kingdom of God through the power of his love. As a faith community, sustained by hope and love, we do this by helping one another to grow in Christian virtues and to engage in works of mercy, so that we can love God and others as Christ loves us.
This may seem like a mission impossible, but we believe that with Christ all things are possible. Now is not the time to sit on our laurels but to get up and witness our faith through selfless acts of charity. Jesus said that whatever we do to the least of our brethren, we do until Him. He calls us to shine His light of love into the spiritual darkness in our secular society. Our nation needs to see the love of Christ alive in our hearts so that seeing our good works, they too can give glory to God. Through the Sacraments, prayer, and worship we receive the graces necessary to witness our faith and evangelise our neighbours. Thus, please join us in our communal prayers and Masses. Thank you for responding to this call and joining our parish family. You are vital to the continued growth and life of our parish. May the Lord bless you and give you peace!