Parish Timeline

Successfully bids for house in 13 St Mary’s Street – loan of £900 from Mrs Catto & then soldier donates £900 in memory of fiancée killed in air raid. Used for weekday mass but not large enough for Sundays so Vicar of Thornbury allows use of Church Institute next door (now Ronnie’s Restaurant) for Sunday masses; mass centre at Sharpness opens

Priests living in council house at 5 Boverton Road, Filton before moving to St Marys Street

Responsible for Hortham, Almondsbury & Berkeley Hospitals, Charfield, Kingswood and Wotton

Wotton served from Thornbury; parish took over chaplaincy of Leyhill Prison

The number of parishioners grows to approximately 300

Masses in Wotton held in Boys Club in Bear Street

The parishioner count has grown to approximately 450

Chapel built at rear of 13 St Mary Street

Chapel opened by Bishop; Fr Paul Keyte parish priest Thornbury

Responsibility for Sharpness & Almondsbury

Fr Vincent Hart parish priest Thornbury; bought building in Wotton for church (£610) – financed largely by Miss Ward. Holy Cross Church opened 21 September.

Miss Wells donates Stations of Cross to Holy Cross

The number of parishioners grows to approximately 700

Negotiations re purchase of Porch House; Fr Bernard Ruddy parish priest Thornbury

The number of parishioners grows to approximately 850

Ladies Guild formed

Porch House purchased £5250 for use as temporary church and accommodation. Responsibility for Leyhill Prison, Wotton-under-Edge, Berkeley Power Station

The number of parishioners grows to approximately 950; Foundation stone laid for CTK church

House at 13 The Old Town, Wotton bought by diocese for priest serving Holy Cross

Responsibility for Leyhill Prison

Christ The King church built (£20k) and opened 16 March; Stations of the Cross donated by workers at Oldbury Power Station. Wooden hut purchased (£150) for mass in Berkeley; Fr Clement Mercer parish priest Thornbury

First outdoor Christ the King Corpus Christi procession; extension built for CTK Social Club; pipe organ installed in CTK from convent of Sisters of Mercy in Bristol

Mass centre at Sharpness closed; total offertory collections for year £2875

Fr Cyril Field priest in charge

The number of parishioners grows to approximately 1500; formation of first parish council for CTK – existing groups: Social Club, Ladies Guild, St Stephen’s Guild; launch of stewardship campaign (forerunner of weekly envelopes); Social Club provided new floor in hall

Fr Gerard Tuohey priest in charge

Foundation stone laid for school – parish to meet half the cost; responsibility for Eastwood Park Detention Centre; gift-aid scheme launched; Boys Club formed

Fr Richard Dunne priest in charge

CTK School opened; Social Club extended Fr Clement organises a gymkhana at Mundy Playing Fields in aid of school fund & said he’d asked Val Doonican to open it but he had a prior engagement – profit of £150; Fr Clement Mercer dies after sudden illness soon after school opens; processional cross purchased in memory of Fr Mercer; masses change from Latin to English

Fr Edmund Lanning parish priest Thornbury; average mass attendance 623 with 50 children making First Communion; Social Club lounge opened

Mass attendance approx. 344 and 45 baptisms, 65 confirmations; PP authorised as registrar for marriages; parish amateur dramatic society formed and named “Octopus”

Mass attendance approx. 60

Sunday masses begin at Berkeley Castle after moving from hut in Lynch Road; repairs to Porch House roof; new church benches; Fr Lanning decides to resign as parish priest

Fr Stephen Leggett parish priest, Thornbury; average mass attendance 507

Fr George Malecki ordained in CTK in 1976

Fr Danny Burns parish priest Thornbury; Joan Brown appointed as housekeeper; Lucky Numbers Scheme launched

Fr Cyril Field priest in charge

First meeting of Parish Advisory Committee; reference to Covenant Scheme active; Sr Winifred of Sisters of The Cross; Ladies Guild formed

Average mass attendance 428

Fr Aelred Dobson priest in charge; responsibility for Leyhill Prison; Buy a Brick Scheme launched at 30p per brick; Sr Marie-John takes over from Sr Winifred

Major work at CTK – re-ordering of sanctuary, church extended and new entrance; stained glass windows installed commemorating three priests: Alphonsus, Bernard & Clement; dedication of renovated church 25 Feb

Major work at Holy Cross Church – remodelled moving church to ground floor and meeting room upstairs – new church would seat 86; Sr Provincial of Sisters of The Cross will provide new pews

Renovation work on Porch House; Salvatorian Sisters Paula and Teresa arrive

Fr Louis Preston parish priest Thornbury

Fr Alex McAllister ordained in CTK 23 June

Salvatorian Sisters leave; average mass attendance 420

Sr Margaret arrives

Sisters of Christian Schools (also known as Sisters of St Marie Madeleine Postel) arrive – Sister Mary Joseph and Sister Mary Clare (later replaced by Sr Mary Kieran) living at 12 Orchard Avenue; Fr Frank Waters parish priest Thornbury

Sr Margaret leaves

Average mass attendance 450

Christ the King Golden Jubilee; Ladies Guild closes

Parish pilgrimage to Rome; Jan Myers retired as parish secretary and Julie Hooper appointed; Sr Mary Joseph left

Fr Noel Keane parish priest Thornbury; Sr Josephine O’Malley SDS arrives

100/200 Club launched

Refurbishment work on Porch House; average mass attendance 438

Refurbishment work on Porch House

Average Sunday mass attendance 174

Fr Alex McAllister parish priest Thornbury 26 Castle Street purchased for use as presbytery Parish pilgrimage to Fatima and Santiago de Compostela

Parish pilgrimage to Israel; launched parish website

Covenant scheme replaced by diocesan Gift Aid Scheme

Christ the King Diamond Jubilee celebrations inc parish mission; parish pilgrimage to Rome; decision to refurbish Porch House

Ladies Guild closes

Parish pilgrimage to Poland

Average Sunday mass attendance 98

Average mass attendance 336

Lawrence McCarthy & Kingsley Fulbrook ordained in Clifton Cathedral as Deacons

Parish pilgrimage to Turkey Major refurbishment of Porch House begins Joan Brown finishes as housekeeper

Parish website starts

Christ the King Prayer Garden Labyrinth created; refurbishment of Porch House completed at cost to parish of £28k thanks to major grants

Parish website closes

Mass at Berkeley moves from Castle to Town Hall; Mass times change because of reduction in priests: Berkeley Sunday 09:00, Christ the King Saturday 18:00 and Sunday 08:30 & 11:00 Salvatorian Novitiate House opened at 25 Church Road, Thornbury

Mass times change because of reduction in priests: Holy Cross Sunday 10:30; Fr Aelred died, and Holy Cross served from Christ the King

Masses at Berkeley finish Major refurbishment programme begins – repairs to church roof

Average mass attendance 67

Salvatorian Novitiate House closes Fr Lazarus Msimbe parish priest Thornbury Refurbishment of church internally – carpet flooring, launch of Warmer Church Appeal

Carpark resurfaced, external painting of Porch House; fans installed in church

Average mass attendance 180

Average mass attendance 52

Fr George Malecki parish priest Thornbury; death-watch beetle infestation remedial work in Porch House

Upgrade of central heating in church

Church services stop 20 March for several months because of Covid virus. Then restarts but with limit of 30 at Christ the King Repairs to Porch House roof and attic

Church services stop 20 March for several months because of Covid virus. Then restarts but with limit of 12 at Holy Cross

Reduction in Sunday masses – 9.30 and 10.30 in Christ the King Social Club closes

Reduction in Sunday masses –17.00 Saturday Holy Cross

Mass times in Christ the King change to 9.00 and 10.30 Combined Pastoral Council for both churches created

Combined Pastoral Council for both churches created