History of the Parish
Church History – Llandudno
A Short History of the Catholic Church in Llandudno
SECTION 1
Introduction
Background History
The Welsh Mission
Father James Jenkins
SECTION 2
The Vision of Father Mulligan
Laying the Foundation Stone
The Opening of the New Church
The Death of Dean Mulligan
SECTION 3
The Next Hundred Years
Postscripts
SECTION 1
Introduction
This abridged history of the church and parish is mostly taken from the booklet published by Monsignor Kelly, the parish priest in Llandudno at that time, to celebrate the centenary of the present church of ‘Our Lady Star of the Sea’ in 1993.
The booklet and the historical research on which it was based was largely the work of Mrs. Margaret Amiel and Sister Madeline Dunphy and it records a remarkable story of faith and continuity.
Background History
Saint Tudno and Blessed William Davies
Records of Catholic history in North Wales prior to the Reformation show that the faith was always strong in Wales. Many towns and villages derive their names from local Saints and everywhere there are Parishes named Llanfair from the dedication of the Parish Church to Saint Mary.
In the 5th Century there are records of Monastic Schools being founded and Seminaries established throughout the land. A great development of monastic life took place.
One such seminary was that of SS Dunawd & Deiniol at Bangor Iscoed on the banks of the River Dee near Chester. It was here that Saint Tudno was trained for mission. Saint Tudno established the Church on Cyngreawdr (the great rock – the Great Orme). The Ogof Llech (a small cave on the headland, difficult of access, but with a clear spring of water) was Saint Tudno’s cell.
Saint Tudno’s ancient church with its modern cemetery is built on the north facing side of the Great Orme over two miles from the modern resort. It has been heavily restored many times until nothing remains from Saint Tudno’s day. The church, built and rebuilt by Catholics over many centuries, achieved its final form in the 15th century, before the onset of the reformation.
The roof blew off in 1839 and it was not restored until 1855. It has a few ancient features, the font dates from the 12th century, there are early sepulchral stones, there is a beam in the chancel wall bearing a carved serpent, and there is a remarkable medieval carved wooden emblem under the roof high above the chancel step depicting the ’stigmata’ or five wounds of Christ.
Such an emblem surviving in Wales is almost unique, only one other is known and it is in the neighbouring parish of Llanrhos. Otherwise the furnishings are modern.
Since the Reformation there have been few records of Catholic households and the Priests who served them. English influence was very strong in the area, especially along the road to Holyhead, the main route to and from Ireland. Here the law was rigorously enforced which made it difficult for a Priest to minister to his people. Priests had to move secretly from one Catholic household to another and the penalties for discovery were cruel torture for the Priests themselves and also for the households who gave them food and shelter. Consequently many of the landed families drifted away from the practice of their religion, anxious to show their loyalty to the Crown, and safeguard their estates, by conforming to the latest wishes of the Queen.
It was here in Llandudno that Blessed William Davies worked and it is a happy circumstance that we share the centenary of this Parish with the 400th anniversary of his martyrdom in 1593. William Davies was born in Croes yn Eirias, which is now part of Colwyn Bay. In those days it was a small hamlet included in the parish of Llandrillo yn Rhos. He was educated at St Edmund’s Hall, Oxford and took his degree in 1582, was ordained Priest at Rheims in April, 1585 and was sent almost immediately, at his own request, to serve in the mission in North Wales where he knew the need for Priests was very great and where he was well aware of the dangers he faced.
He had many friends in this area, people who had known him since boyhood, but, of course, the very secrecy of his movements means that few records are available of the families he served. However, it is known that he was a friend of Robert Pugh of Penrhyn and that they were linked together in an interesting and important event on the Little Orme.
From May 1586 life became even more difficult for Catholics. The Queen was incensed to learn that laws against ‘recusants and obstinate persons in religion’ had not been enforced.
The local Magistrates were accused of negligence and ordered to condemn forthwith the unlawful assembly of Catholics. This was an order that could not be ignored, even by Magistrates sympathetic to Catholics, but a friendly warning was given to Robert Pugh and William Davies and they were able to escape, taking refuge, along with several others, in a cave on the Little Orme. They remained there in comparative safety for about nine months and even managed to produce a small book on a printing press they had hidden there.
The book was ‘Y Drych Gristianogawl’ – ‘The Christian Mirror’ and its importance lies in the fact that it was possibly the first book ever printed in Wales. In April 1587, the cave was discovered and the local Magistrate, Sir Thomas Mostyn, informed. He went to the cave with a large band of people but did not enter – preferring (so it was said) to wait until the following day. He left several of his own men on guard, but when morning came – it was found that all the cave dwellers had managed to escape!
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Nothing more was known of Robert Pugh and William Davies until five years later, in March 1592, when they were arrested in Holyhead, Angelsey. They had gone there to assist four student Priests on their journey to Valladolid in Spain, but all six persons were arrested – Robert Pugh being the only one to escape. The others were thrown into Beaumaris Castle dungeons where Father Davies regularly said Mass. Beaumaris rapidly became a centre for all the Catholics of Angelsey.
William Davies was convicted at the next Beaumaris Assizes of being a Priest, but popular feeling was so strong in his favour that he was removed to Ludlow, where attempts were made to represent him as having conformed. When these attempts failed, he was sent to several other prisons, before eventually being returned to Beaumaris to be tried again. At the Assizes he was sentenced to death and put in the ‘Black Alley’ in Beaumaris Castle. When the day of his execution came, the deed had to be postponed until men from Chester could be hired to carry out the sentence. Not one person in Angelsey would have anything to do with it! William Davies was butchered on July 27th 1593, and parts of his body were affixed to the castle gateways of Beaumaris, Conwy and Caernarfon.
By the 17th Century the Creuddyn Peninsula (site of present day Llandudno) was almost the last refuge for Catholics in Caernarfonshire, but in spite of great bravery, fierce determination and great devotion to the Faith, Catholic families were simply not able to continue to support each other and their Priests in the face of such terrible oppression, and so the restoration of Catholicism in North Wales lapsed; for the time being it slumbered, awaiting the advent of more tolerant days when Priests and laity might once more openly celebrate their Faith.
Early Days – The Welsh Mission
Father James Jenkins
Between 1688 and 1840 this area was part of the Western District administered by Vicars Apostolic with the rank of Bishop. In 1840 the Western District was divided into two and Herefordshire, Monmouthshire and Wales became the Welsh District with Bishop Brown OSB as Vicar Apostolic. In 1850 the Diocese of Newport and Menevia (with Bishop Brown as its first Bishop) was created as a sufragan See of the Diocese of Westminster.In 1867 Bishop Brown of Menevia sent Father James Jenkins to Llandudno to set up a Mission for the very few Catholics in the area. His parish was very large; from Rhyl in the East, along the coast to Bangor and as far South as Dolgellau, including the dozens of hamlets up the valleys and in the mountains.
The early days of the Mission in Llandudno are vividly described in the following extract from the notes of Dean Mulligan, (Father Jenkins’ successor) kindly handed by his nephew, Father Reilly, to the Llandudno Advertiser and published on May 12th 1906.
“In May 1867 a two-storied building, situated in Ty Gwyn Road, which had formerly been used for the purpose of Turkish Baths, was purchased from Mr. Thomas Williams, Chemist, for £350, and the upper storey adapted to the purpose of a Chapel and the lower one so altered as to do service for the Priest’s residence. While the necessary alterations to the building were being made, Mass was celebrated in the house of Michael Costellor in Cwlach Street, for two or three Sundays. The Chapel was opened for Divine Service in June 1867 and dedicated to Our Blessed Lady under her title of “Star of the Sea”. The Rev. James Jenkins came to reside in the dwelling rooms under the Chapel as Priest of the Mission. The number of Catholics then in Llandudno and neighbourhood was very small, the number attending Mass on Sundays being under 20 and these few were chiefly servants in the lodging houses of the town.
“Father Jenkins, who was in feeble health when he came to Llandudno, died in the Mission Chapel house on 20th. March, 1869 and is buried in the cemetery of the monastery Pantasaph, Holywell, and he was succeeded by the Rev. Patrick Mulligan, who was charged with closing down the Mission.”
It was obviously not in Father Mulligan’s mind to close down the Mission. He belonged the same breed of determined Priests as his predecessors of the 16th and 17th Centuries who fought against all odds to keep the Faith alive. To Father Mulligan is credited the first establishment of the Parish, although at first this progress was agonisingly slow. There were so few Catholics. The Baptismal Register records an average of only four baptisms per year for the first ten years of his ministry.
An 1877 Handbook to Llandudno, Edited by Richard Greene, has the following comment:
” Wales is not favourable to the progress of Romanism, consequently there are very few
residents of that persuasion. They have a Chapel, situated in Ty Gwyn Road, which was
formally the Turkish Baths Establishment. Mass is performed every Sunday at 8am and
10am and evening service is at 6pm. Mass on weekdays is at 8:30am. Resident Priest is
Father P. Mulligan.”
The Vision of Father Mulligan
Llandudno was expanding very rapidly at this time. Its popularity as a holiday resort, the growing fashion of taking a yearly holiday at the seaside, the easier access to the town from the Industrial Lancashire towns by means of the Railway. All these contributed to a great increase in the number of visitors, and consequently to the number of residents in the town. It became necessary to build an addition to the Chapel and in 1882 a new wing was added, capable of holding 40 more persons. This also served as a Sunday School, with a corresponding addition to the dwelling rooms underneath. There was no provision for a day school. As the town continued to grow and the numbers of Catholics also grew and it soon became obvious that the new wing was not large enough and that a new church would have to be built.
This posed an urgent problem, for whilst the summer visitors swelled the congregation for three or four months of the year, at the end of each summer season the church once again became dependent on its small resident population. In 1891, the Advertiser reported a Church and Chapel Census of the town.
Sunday – November 22nd. 1891
Total number of inhabitants in Llandudno 7333
Attendance at English Services 1092 (from 8 places of worship)
Attendance at Welsh speaking Service 879 (from 11 places of worship)
Attendance at Roman Catholic Chapel 79
With great determination, Father Mulligan set about the task of finding a suitable site for the church. After many setbacks, an excellent site of approximately half an acre was purchased from Lord Mostyn for the sum of £1210 – plus other charges that were already attendant on that piece of land. In 4 years, by much hard work and many fund-raising efforts on the part of the parishioners who were very well supported by the townspeople, the sum of £3000 was raised, and with this in hand a start could be made on a new and handsome church to accommodate 500 worshippers. What extraordinary vision Father Mulligan had – to build a church out of all proportion to the size of his congregation, to foresee the future needs of the Catholic Community and visitors to the town!
The church was to be built from the designs of Mr. Edmund Kirby of Liverpool, by Mr. J. D. Williams of Knighton, Radnorshire. It was to cost £5000 and the whole of the main building was to be completed in ten months! The Weekly News of September 17th 1891 gives a very full description of the proposed church:
“The design is to be Gothic with Yorkshire stone facings and dressings of Runcorn stone. The church will include two aisles, nave, baptistery, two side chapels and sanctuary, with columns of Runcorn stone along each side. The roof will be of pitch pine, as will be the floor, the latter being laid with encaustic tiles in the nave and aisles. There will be a fine traceried window at the East end of the church. It is also intended to erect a presbytery at the end of the church as soon as funds allow. The inside measurements of the church are 83ft by 24ft., of the sanctuary 20ft by 11 ft 3in., of the side chapels 11 ft 3ins., by 10ft., and of the baptistery 12ft by 10ft. The main entrance will be from Deganwy Street and the church will be crowned with a fine tower, which however, will at present be left in abeyance.”
Laying the Foundation Stone
On the morning of Thursday September 10th 1891 (a beautiful day of brilliant sunshine from a cloudless blue sky) the Right Reverend Dr. Knight, Lord Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Shrewsbury, laid the foundation stone of the new church in the presence of a very large number of people, both within the enclosure and crowding round the outside of the palisade.
Shortly after 12:30pm, the Right Reverend Dr. Knight accompanied by a number of priests, walked up the carpeted path to the raised platform where the foundation stone was ready. In the course of a most impressive service he blessed the stone – a square slab of marble with a cross cut deeply at each corner and tied round with blue ribbon – and placed it in its foundation, blessing the stone again and sprinkling it with holy water. Dr. Knight then walked round the foundations of the church, blessing and sprinkling them also.
In a short address after the laying of the stone, the Bishop referred to the fact that a Welsh Bishop was present at the council of Sardis in 347AD, where the Creed of Athanasius was proclaimed, and that today, more than 1500 years later, it was in the spirit of that same faith that the foundations of the new church were being laid. He gave thanks that today people were able to gather in peace, which had most certainly not always been the case, and he hoped that when the church was built those not of the Catholic Faith would be tolerant and judge for themselves, rather than listen to the rumours and the falsehoods spoken about the Catholic Church.
His Lordship appealed to all who wished to contribute to the funds to do so at the close of the service, after which he pronounced the Solemn Blessing. Many people passed by the raised platform, placing their gifts on the foundation stone, and the considerable sum of £200 was collected.
In the afternoon, the Bishop presided over a reception at the Imperial Hotel with many fine toasts and speeches. Father Mulligan said how grateful he was to all who had made the day possible. He knew that the new church would prove a welcome addition to the town and would promote the interests of Llandudno. (In the past it had been felt that many Catholics had not visited the town owing to the lack of adequate Church accommodation). He also said that he would always value the kindness and support shown to him and the very great assistance given by many people in the town. The proceedings ended with the Chairman of the Town Commissioners proposing the health of Father Mulligan “than whom” he said “no man was more highly regarded in Llandudno”. Indeed Father Mulligan must have been an extraordinary man to make such an impact on the rather close communities (at that time) of Chapel and Church of England.
The Opening of the New Church
It was in August 1893 that the visit occurred of the Lord Mayor of London for the opening of the new Catholic Church, the realisation of Father Mulligan’s long cherished dream. Tuesday August 15th. 1893 saw Llandudno buzzing with excitement at the arrival, by special train at 6 o’clock, of Sir Stuart Knill, Bart, Lord Mayor of London. He was met at the station by several of the town’s dignitaries, Rev. Father Mulligan and several Catholic laity, and ensconced in grand style to the Marine Hotel, through the streets of a town festooned in his honour with flags and bunting bearing inscriptions of ‘Welcome – A Thousand Greetings’. The bells of the Holy Trinity Church rang a peal of welcome.
Sir Stuart spent two days in the town and on the Wednesday a great procession was organised which made its way along the Promenade to the Happy Valley where Sir Stuart was presented with an illuminated address. Mr. Riviere’s orchestra entertained the vast crowds before the procession re-formed, to return to town via the Marine Drive, round the Great Orme to Abbey Road where the brass band waited to lead the procession back down Mostyn Street to the Marine Hotel. The banquet given that evening was a sumptuous affair and the celebrations ended with the floodlighting of most of the Hotels, The illumination of the Great Orme and a magnificent display of fireworks.
The following day, Thursday 17th August 1893, was declared a Public Holiday and Sir Stuart joined other distinguished guests at the opening of the new Catholic Church, dedicated to Our Lady Star of the Sea.
The completion of the building had been considerably delayed by the difficulties encountered in securing the foundations. Because of the nature of the soil in the area, a thick bed of concrete had to be laid to ensure the safety of the building. The resulting church was a most handsome building and a fitting stage for a most impressive ceremony.
The Most Rev. Archbishop Scarisbrick, OSB, was the officiating prelate, assisted by the Rt. Rev. Dr. Riddell, Bishop of Northampton, and the Rt. Rev. Dr. Knight, Bishop of Shrewsbury. His Eminence Cardinal Vaughan, Archbishop of Westminster, was received at the main entrance of the church by a large group of clergy and was conducted up the nave to the accompaniment of the Choir of St. Werburgh’s (Chester) singing ‘Ecce Sacerdos Magnus’. The choir was under the leadership of Mr. Oakes and was augmented by the Llandudno Pier Orchestra, conducted by Mr. Arthur Payne. The sermon was preached by His Eminence the Cardinal.
The ceremony was followed by a luncheon at the Marine Hotel, hosted by Father Mulligan. On the following Sunday, His Eminence Cardinal Vaughan celebrated Mass both in the new church and in the old chapel in Ty Gwyn Road, where the Lord Mayor also attended.
When the church was opened it was used only during the summer months. In the winter the resident congregation continued to worship in the old Chapel in Ty Gwyn Road. In those early days the church was not complete – there was no Sacristy, just a lean-to hut which served the purpose, nor was the Presbytery built until a year or two later. A harmonium was used instead of an organ.
The Death of Dean Mulligan
13 years later, on Friday May 10th 1906, Father Mulligan died. He had been in Llandudno for 37 years and was very much respected in the town for all his charitable works and for his interest in anything appertaining to the welfare of the town. The whole town mourned the loss of this highly esteemed Priest.
Born in Columblilli, County Longford, Ireland, in the year 1835, he was educated in Carlow College and afterwards at All Hallows, Drumcondra, Dublin, where, in 1858, he was ordained Priest. He came to Shrewsbury Diocese, serving at Bangor for some time before transferring to Bollington. After seven years ministry there he had to return to Ireland because of ill health.
In 1869 he came to Llandudno and began his mission here with only half-a-crown in his pocket! When he had been in Llandudno for some time he was made a Canon of the Shrewsbury Diocese and when that Diocese was divided into two he was made a Dean in the Menevia Diocese.
His funeral took place on Tuesday May 14th.1906. The Solemn Requiem was held at 12 o’clock and the celebrant was the Rt. Rev. Francis Mostyn, D.D., Bishop of Menevia. The Church was full and a large crowd gathered outside the Church. Every shop and office in Llandudno was closed and every cab and horse-drawn vehicle hired. Fourteen carriages and pairs followed the coffin as the cortege went from the Church up to Saint Tudno’s Cemetery on the Great Orme. It was a very wet day, but the dense crowds of mourners seemed impervious to the rain as they lined the streets of the town to pay their last respects to the Priest they had loved and who had been such a faithful friend of the town.
A Tribute to The Very Reverend Dean Mulligan
(Printed In the Caernarfonshire and Denbigh Herald, May 11th. 1906)
“Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright;
for the end of that man is peace.” (Psalm 37- 37).
My words are all too weak to tell his worth,
But in a language far more eloquent,
His deeds speak of this man, whose life on earth
Throughout its span, in doing good was spent.
He needs no trumpeter – with louder voice
His charity unfailing rings out clear
To help the poor – to serve them was his choice
And lives were brighter for his presence here.
He lived the faith he preached – I have no stone
To cast at him, this self-denying priest;
And were our right to heaven good works alone,
‘Midst its bright throng he would not stand the least .
I know no door to shut him out – though Rome
Some say is antichrist, “the man of sin”,
But if love gain admittance, he’s at home,
Though “sects” – as such – can never enter in.
My being a Protestant can help me naught
Nor could a thousand creeds gain paradise,
My freedom of your city Christ hath bought
And none but “Christians” ever reach the skies.
And this man was an Israelite indeed,
A thorough Christian – patient and kind to all;
One who could see a flower in every weed
And good in all men – even in those that fall.
“De mortuis nil nisi bonum” -Well? -
I speak that I do know, in alI I say;
As far as human knowledge goes, I tell
The simple truth of him now passed away.
Though dead, he liveth in the hearts he won,
This man I called my friend for twenty years;
His greatest merit is the work he’s done;
His finest epitaph – his people’s tears.
John.
The history of Llandudno Catholic Church is continued in section 3.