Fr
Jean-Patrice Coulon who moved to The Holy Ghost Church in Yeovil last year, where
he was previously a curate, is celebrating a regular Latin Mass every Friday at
6:00pm.
The Holy
Ghost Church was built between 1894 and 1899 as
the original parish Church of St John the Baptists was closed down
during the Reformation and the people became mainly Protestant. During the Reformation there were only a
handful of recusants living in the town and they had to travel to Wincanton or
Sherborne to receive the Sacraments.
In 1887, Charles
Gatty, the editor of the Western
Chronicle, a convert to the
Catholic faith who had recently moved to
the town, persuaded the Bishop to allow Mass to be said and this took place in
his own drawing room, which was converted into a Chapel. The Masses were celebrated by the Carmelite
Fathers of Wincanton. The congregation
soon expanded and the Chapel became too small so in 1888 Charles Gatty rented
the Chantry, close to St John's Church. The
Bishop of Clifton celebrated Mass there on the feast of St John the Baptist and
this greatly increased the amount of interest shown by the people of Yeovil in
the Mass.
By 1896
Yeovil had a Parish Priest Fr Scoles, (later Canon) who was also an architect
and he was instrumental in the development of the new Church.
The Holy
Ghost Church was built in the Early English style in rock-faced limestone under
a red clay roof. The Church still
retains its original altar rails on the main altar but they were not correctly
positioned.
The Mass
takes place in the Lady Chapel, if you are in the area or visiting please do go
along and support this Parish Mass.
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