Welcome to St Joseph's Carterton
History
Parish Priests
The Parish has always struggled financially ...
LOCAL ENVIRONMENT:
ORGANISATIONS WITHIN THE PARISH
LITURGY AND WORSHIP:
Parish Deacon
PARISH ACTIVITIES:
EVANGELISATION:
PARISH SOCIAL CENTRE:
STATISTICS:
Finance
THE FUTURE:
CONCLUSION:
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THE PARISH PROFILE
Carterton is a growing town with interdenominational community, especially with the RAF in Brize Norton. Many young and old started attending the Church and with Ranial closing many more families will be moving to Carterton and hopefully we as a parish will be able to bring Christ to them through our examples and love. |
The area now known as Carterton ...
...was farmland belonging to the Blenheim estate but as time went by it was gradually sold off. In 1898 a Mr Arkell, a well known brewer from Fairford sold Rock Farm to Mr Carter. As the land was not particularly productive he divided it up and sold it as small holdings. Mr Henry Yates, a Catholic, purchased 46 acres in 1900 and later rented further plots of land. He had a house built and in September 1904 he brought his bride Ethel Louise to live there. They had two sons, Melvin born in 1905 and Allen born in 1907. Their daughter Mary was born in Oxford but came to Carterton at the age of 9 days and lived there for the rest of her life where she was a well known parishioner of St Joseph’s until her death.
In 1913 Mr Yates gave a plot of land on which the first Catholic Church was built. It stood where the road to Hillview is now standing. While it was being built Mr Carter gave permission for Masses to be held in a house which he owned across the road from the Church site rent free for a year. Mrs Louise Yates held a garden party which raised £50 towards the interior fittings etc. It was dedicated to St Joseph and the first Mass was celebrated in August 1914 by Father Sammons from St Gregory and St Augustine’s Church in Oxford. The priest cycled from Oxford to Carterton to say Mass - later the priest had a motor bike. The Servite fathers from Begbroke also said Mass.
The Connolly family came to Carterton from Ireland in 1907 by way of New York USA and Birkenhead. There were 9 children in the family 6 boys, 3 of whom became priests and 3 girls. The family was very much involved with the founding of the Parish. Relations in Ireland raised money for the new Church and the Connolly family took an active part in the Parish for well half a century.
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The disused Cotswold barn at Home Farm ...
...was purchased and converted into the present parish Church. It is now a listed building. The ladies of the parish saved up their sugar rations and made jam from the fruit in the hedgerows and in their gardens which was sold to raised the necessary money to equip the new church. The first Mass was said on 4th February 1940.
In 1948 Father Heenan, later Cardinal Heenan, conducted a Mission to West Oxfordshire.
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