St. Aldhelm's Roman Catholic Church
Malmesbury, England.

Church Details

The three stained glass windows on the South side of the church are of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Cor Jesus), St. Mary (Sancta Maria) and St. Aldhelm (Sanctus Aldhelmus). These were originally in the pro-cathedral at Clifton and were given to the parish by a former bishop.
In the sanctuary there are smaller windows, some of which were donated by parishioners.
At the front end of the side aisle on the North side of the church is a window depicting St. Joseph, reminding us that the parish was formerly served by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Annecy.

As well as the statues of Our Lord and Our Lady at the entrance to the sanctuary there are statues of St. Joseph and St. Francis de Sales within the body of the church. St. Joseph has already been mentioned in connection with the Sisters. The statue of St. Francis de Sales is particularly appropriate here as the parish has been served since its foundation by priests of the Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales. St. Francis was born near Annecy in 1567 and died at Lyons in 1622. His first mission as a priest was to the people of his native Chablais country who had become Calvinists, and later he became Bishop of Geneva where, again, he worked as a missionary for the Catholic faith. His religious writings were translated and are still widely read, especially "Introduction to the Devout Life" and "The Love of God".

The large oil painting on the North wall is of Our Lady of Guadeloupe, and depicts a miraculous appearance of Our Lady to some Mexican Indians in 1532. The painting dates from before 1700 and was for many years in the farmhouse which stands near the site of the now vanished Abbey of Bradenstoke. It seems likely that it was brought there by Germanicus Shepherd, a Catholic who owned the house at Bradenstoke for some twenty years during the first half of the eighteenth century. It was still there when, in 1921, Mr. Storey of Burton Hill bought the house. He gave the picture to the Bishop Burton of Clifton who presented it to St. Aldhelm's Parish.

At the rear end of the side aisle is the small Lady Chapel, and standing on a pedestal is the statue of Our Lady of La Salette which Father Larive brought from France in 1866. This depicts Our Lady who is shedding a tear for the sins of mankind, surrounded by light, dressed in white and gold, and wearing on her breast a golden crucifix bearing the pincers and hammer of the Passion, as described by the visionary children. It remains with us as a perpetual reminder of Father Larive's work in founding the Parish.

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