Baldachim Appeal

Corpus Christi Church in London's Covent Garden area is appealing for funds to buy a Baldachim (Canopy) which the parish hopes to use for its Corpus Christi procession next year.

Parish Priest Father Alan Robinson writes, "Next year we will be reopening the church following the restoration work and His Eminence, Vincent Cardinal Nichols will be offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on our Titular Feast – Corpus Christi. After Mass, there will be a procession of the Blessed Sacrament around Covent Garden, for which we will require a canopy (and for many years to come)."

"We are quite taken with the Italian canopy pictured above – the flowers particularly apt for Covent Garden."

"It does, however, cost €4,000 (with poles about £5,000 in total) and so we are looking for donations towards this. If you would like to donate towards this project, please use the PayPal button on our site here, or one of the following methods at the bottom of that page. UK tax payers can GiftAid their donations by filling out this form and sending it to the Parish Office."

"Thank you for your support!"

Parish History

According to the Parish Website, "The Parish of Maiden Lane is situated in the Westminster Deanery. It was founded in 1873 and consecrated on the 18th of October, 1956. Often referred to as the 'hidden gem' of the West End, the then Archbishop Cardinal Henry Manning said during his homily at the opening mass that 'a sanctuary has been opened to be specifically devoted to the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament'."

"This was the first church dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament after the Reformation. The famous hymns Sweet Sacrament Divine and O Sacred Heart were written by the parish priest Fr Francis Stanfield (1835-1914). It is also known as “the actors’ church” and is the home of the Catholic Association of the Performing Arts (formerly, the Catholic Stage Guild)."

"A very famous priest visitor to the parish over many years was Monsignor Ronald Knox. He first preached his Forty Hours Sermon in 1926, at the invitation of Father Kearney. This became a regular feature in Mgr Knox’s diary from 1926 until 1956. These sermons were published by Burns and Oates in 1956 under the title 'The Window in the Wall', and the charming and touching dedication of this book is, 'To the memory of Father Kearney and to his successors'."

"For decades the Latin Mass Society has also celebrated Mass here. A young adults’ prayer group meets here weekly and this is a vibrant place of worship and an oasis of prayer and calm – open all day long for visitors, tourists, those who work and live nearby and shoppers to pause and pray."