The Sacred Heart parish in Wimbledon was handed by the Jesuits to the Archdiocese of Southwark on the 80th anniversary of the death of the church’s founder Edith Arendrup.
The hill-top church was packed, with many people standing, on Friday 10 January when over 30 priests and bishops concelebrated with Archbishop of Southwark Peter Smith.
At the same time the new parish priest Monsignor Nick Hudson was welcomed. As a child he was baptised in the church, attended school next door and was ordained in the Sacred Heart. He comes back to be parish priest from Rome where until last year he was rector of the English College.
Edith Arendrup was a member of the Courtauld family who in 1877 invited the Jesuits to start a Mass centre in her nearby house. Later she provided the funds for the magnificent church seen from the railway.
There are pictures on the diocesan website.
The Sacred Heart Wimbledon describes itself as “an inclusive, welcoming and open Catholic parish serving the wider community” and “a church for tomorrow”.