St Mary's Church 1871

The Aims of the Magazine Clergy & Officers Services Sacraments The question of the windows 21st Anniversary of St Mary's

The present Church building was consecrated on Thursday, October 12, 1871

but the first issue of the Parish Magazine appeared over nine months earlier on 2nd January 1871.

The magazine opened with a message to the congregation:

"Fellow Parishioners,

The want of some public means of information with regard to the general affairs of this Parish having been felt, the defect is now attempted to be supplied by the publication and circulation of this Monthly Magazine.

If adequately supported by the parishioners it will contain (from time to time) short notices of Current Events, the Antiquities of the Parish and other matters of interest to the inhabitants.

Any information intended for insertion in this magazine will be thankfully received by the Editors if addressed to them at the Church Institute on or before 20th of each month."

Clergy and Officers of the church were listed as follows:

Clergy Rev. T. Nevin, M.A. Vicar The Vicarage, Mirfield

Rev. T. Dunn, M.A. Curate The Rectory, Mirfield

Churchwardens Messrs. J. M. Johnson and P. Thornton

Choirmaster Mr. R. W. Rowe

Organist Mr. S. Oxley

Sexton Mr T. Westwood, Towngate

Services were listed as:

Sunday morning 10.30; Afternoon 3.0

Morning Prayer on Wednesdays and Fridays, and on Saints' Days, at 11.0

Sacraments:

Holy Baptism All Sundays in the Month (except the first), after Morning Service

Holy Communion Every First Sunday in the month, and on the greater Festivals

Marriages solemnized any day, between the hours of 8 and 12 A.M.

N.B. It is particularly requested that persons intending to be married give timely notice to the

Clergy or Sexton; and that they be punctual in attendance at the hour fixed upon.

Funerals On any day in Winter, at 4 P.M.; in Summer, at 5 P.M.

The magazine closed with a list of those persons who had "kindly consented to receive orders for this Periodical" and a statement that "All Members of the Church Institute are requested to aid in the circulation of the MAGAZINE".

Thus began the Mirfield Parish Magazine.

In the second issue of the magazine the message to the parishioners announced the establishment of a weekly offertory! The first target was to fund the carved oak pulpit, a testimonial to Reverend Ralph Maude. The Rev. R. Maude was instituted to the Vicarage of Mirfield in 1827 and resigned the appointment, through failing health and strength in 1869.

The Offertory from the first Sunday of each month was for the sick and the poor, that from the other Sundays initially went towards the pulpit, which cost £200. The design was prepared under the direction of G. Gilbert Scott, Esq.

Detail from Pulpit

The February 1871 magazine also included a message to OUR READERS regarding the aims of the MAGAZINE. How many of these aims are still relevant and in evidence in today's Magazines? How many of them are still being strived for?

TO OUR READERS

We had not time, in the hurried preparation of our first number, to give our readers even a slight sketch of the object of this MAGAZINE and the plan which we proposed. We will do our best to explain these now. The object is to give our Clergy a channel of communication with their Parishioners, through which they may speak of matters not befitting the pulpit - to enable them to explain and announce any changes or plans in a way less liable to be misunderstood than notices in Church, and which will reach Outsiders as well as Churchgoers. It is hoped that it will prove a bond of union connecting the Churchmen of the whole parish together. It may tempt some to read wholesome and religious matter, who would do so in our own MAGAZINE, while they would not give much heed to a general magazine. We hope to be able to give our subscribers a monthly notice of all the services, meetings, lectures, classes, &c. The advantage of this is, that persons can see on which day there are parish engagements, and need not fix private matters on the same day; also, they see at a glance when and where they may meet with their clergyman. Moreover, some clergy will appreciate not having to refuse invitations for those evenings on which they are parochially engaged, inasmuch as to plead their parochial duties is often accounted an empty excuse, or an affectation of being busier than their neighbours, - a charge from which the clergy of this parish would be thoroughly exempt, if we only look at the amount of work announced in our first number.

In statements of offertories, collections, school funds, clothing clubs, it is almost impossible to exaggerate the importance of the clergy rendering the most explicit account of all moneys committed to their stewardship. Even where gross ignorance or misrepresentation does not demand this, it will be found that the rendering of such an account will be a stimulus in maintaining the liberality of the congregation. Much interest will be evinced in the extracts from the parish registers; and where a short notice of some deceased old parishioner can be inserted, no doubt it will be well received.

We hope to keep up the interest of the MAGAZINE by sketches of the "History of Mirfield," with extracts from rare works, and even unpublished manuscripts; and are glad to be able to state that a gentle man who possesses such works, has kindly placed them at our service, and has voluntarily offered to prepare extracts from time to time.

We hope to see our clergy adopting the MAGAZINE as a means of making known the "Address to their Parishioners," which most clergy issue now-a-days at intervals; and certainly of any requests they may wish to make to their people: for what can be better than to give the people the opportunity of helping their clergy, as well as to encourage the great duty that members of the Church should have "the same care for one another?" For instance - how often might our clergy ask for flowers, and assistance for Church decoration? for some persons fond of Churchyard gardening? for materials to employ the girls of day schools in sewing? for contributions in kind for soup kitchens? and a multitude of other things.

Letters from former parishioners who have removed, will always find a welcome.

Would not this MAGAZINE be useful if the members of Sunday Schools and congregations generally, could be induced to answer questions which we might from time to time propose? The best answers to be published, and perhaps - if means could be obtained - prizes offered. At the end of the year, the 48 pages of local matter might be bound together at the end of the volume, and would form an interesting record of the work and progress, the short and simple annals, of the parish for the twelve months past. It shall be our earnest endeavour to make the MAGAZINE all this; and we trust that our subscribers will see the necessity not only of assisting with their subscriptions, but with their written contributions whenever they are able.

The new building had still not been consecrated by August of 1871. Not one to miss an opportunity, the Vicar wrote in the magazine:

" As our Parish Church draws towards completion the question of memorial windows will have begun to occupy people's minds, it may be advisable to refer our readers to a beautiful window recently placed in St James' Chapel-of-Ease, Brighouse, to the memory of John Brooke Craven who died at the age of seven years, by falling from his pony. The subject which occupies the centre and great part of the sidelights, is "The Crucifixion" (designed by E. Burne Jones), treated as a subject absorbing the interest of earth and heaven. On the right of the Cross are figures of the three Marys, and on the left those of three Disciples, John the Apostle, Nicodemus, and Joseph of Arimathea. The faces of the numerous angels in the tracery betoken strong emotions, but different from those immediately surrounding the Cross. The kneeling angels in the quatrefoils are offering incense, to mark the sacrifice; the figure over the three Marys being designed by G. Dante Rosetti. In the base of the two sidelights are two familiar subjects - "The Calling of Samuel," by Madot Brown, and "Our Saviour's Invitation to Children," beautifully treated by E. Burne Jones. ." These are intended to symbolise the return of the child (to whose memory the window is erected) to God. The work has been executed by the firm of Morris and Co., Queens Square, Bloomsbury, London. Mr Morris is a poet, and author of "The Earthly Paradise," &c. "

In 1886 after 15 years the windows were just about completed!