The Stained Glass by Richard Jones
Photographs by Angela Marshall
- St. Meinrad (immediately inside the church, entering from the porch)
This window commemorates the ministry of the second parish priest of St Benet’s, Father Meinrad Fulton. He oversaw the opening of the nave of St. Benet’s in 1901 and work in progress towards the completion of the church. Appropriately, this window is placed above the foundation stone. Francis Fulton was born in India in 1860, the son of Lieut.-General John Fulton. He was educated at Downside. It is normal for men and women who enter the religious life as monks, friars, or nuns to be given a new name as they commit themselves to their communities. Francis became Dom Meinrad, his patron being the 9th century German Benedictine, St. Meinrad. (Benedictine monks are given the honorific title ‘Dom’, short for ‘Dominus’ (Master); less formally, Benedictine priests are addressed as Father).
Following a period as secretary to the Bishop of Clifton in Bristol, Dom Meinrad became an indefatigable missioner, highly regarded as both a zealous priest and a good businessman. He served successively at Little Malvern, Swansea, Beccles (1894-1905), and Dulwich, where he died at the comparatively young age of 52. The parish of St. Benet’s grew markedly during Fr Meinrad’s time, but not without controversy. On one occasion Dom Meinrad attended a packed anti-Catholic lecture incognito; during a lull in proceedings he stood on a chair, calmly announced his presence, asked to correct the speaker (who had come from London), offered to speak in any chapel, and quietly left!
While at Dulwich, he undertook a tour with a companion of more than 60 monasteries and religious houses in central Europe, covering some 3400 miles, begging funds for the Dulwich mission. Dom Meinrad returned to St Benet’s in 1908 for the consecration of the completed church. The ceremonial, led by the Bishop of Northampton, involved local clergy as well as those from further afield, Fr Meinrad acting as cantor.
St Meinrad (c.797-861) was born into the family of the Counts of Hohenzollern and was educated at the Benedictine school of Reichenau on an island in Lake Constance. He became a monk there and was ordained priest. After moving to a dependent abbey he decided to lead the life of a hermit, inspired by the Desert Fathers. Many people sought him out. He was killed by two robbers who believed that pilgrims had left treasure with him (he always passed gifts to the poor). The identity of the robbers was disclosed when they were attacked by Meinrad’s two pet ravens (the ravens can be seen in the window). Meinrad is known as the Martyr of Hospitality (note that his halo here is red). He was buried at Reichenau, but reinterred at Einsiedeln in 1029 when that magnificent Swiss abbey had been built on the site of Meinrad’s hermitage. St Meinrad Archabbey in Indiana was founded in 1854 by monks from Einsiedeln.
The Latin text that St Meinrad is reading is an appropriate quotation from the Book of Psalms, given Fr Meinrad’s role in the building of St. Benet’s: Domine dilexi decorum domus tuae et locum habitationis gloriae tuae. (Lord, I have loved the beauty of your house and the place where your glory dwells). Ps.25(26):8. In the smaller panel the text is: Sancte Meinrade ora pro nobis (St Meinrad pray for us). (A horizontal stroke over a few letters in the text indicates an abbreviation).
- St Edmund of Abingdon (above the font, together with St Hugh of Lincoln)
This window includes the images of two saints – and a priest! Hugh Francis Ford was born in Bristol 1851, the son of a prosperous businessman. He was baptised at the Pro-Cathedral in Clifton, and educated at Downside. Upon entering the monastic life Hugh became Dom Edmund, his patron being St Edmund of Abingdon. Dom Edmund was a prominent member of Downside at a time when the future direction of the order was hotly debated. Since the early 17th century, English Benedictines had been resolute missioners, whether working from the continent at the risk of their lives, or – in easier times – based in this country. Their work was centralised, directed by abbots who held the office of Provincial of York (for the north) and Provincial of Canterbury (for the south). Dom Edmund believed it was time for the monks to concentrate instead on monastic life. He was elected Prior
of Downside in 1885 after Dom Aidan Gasquet (English Benedictine communities were priories at this time), but his re-election was not accepted by the Order’s General Chapter. However, the scheme for a new Priory at Beccles was in the air. The Bishop of Northampton had granted permission to the Provincial of Canterbury (Abbot Moore) to start a mission in Beccles. Dom Edmund was appointed to Beccles in 1889, and worked with great dedication to establish the parish of St. Benet’s. He gave notable lectures in and around Beccles and was highly respected by all.
But change was afoot in the life of the English Benedictines; the tide was turning in favour of the monastic party and away from the missioners, and a revision of the Benedictine constitutions upon more monastic lines was requested by Pope Leo XIII. The provincial system was abolished by Leo in 1890, and parishes were assigned to particular abbeys. In 1894 Edmund Ford was re-elected Prior of Downside. In 1899, Downside was granted the status of abbey (with Ampleforth and Douai), and Dom Edmund became the first Abbot of Downside in 1900. He negotiated with Cardinal Vaughan the founding of Ealing Priory (now an abbey), where he served as first Superior from 1907. During World War I he acted as an agent for the British Government in neutral Switzerland, visiting the abbey at Einsiedeln. Edmund Ford had firm ideas about English Catholic worship and what an English Catholic church should look like; in this he had a strong associate in Aidan Gasquet – monastic historian and Vatican librarian. Cardinal Gasquet’s researches included the mediaeval Guild of Corpus Christi at Beccles. The imposing edifice that is St. Benet’s is a reflection of the ambition and enthusiasm of Dom Edmund and Dom Aidan. After Beccles, they turned their attention to Downside where the abbey church was finally consecrated in 1935, a huge occasion involving the Primate of Hungary, Cardinal Seredi. Dom Rudesind Brookes (parish priest at Beccles 1948-1953) was Guestmaster at the time.
St Edmund was born c.1175 in Abingdon, possibly on 20 November, the feast of St. Edmund, King of East Anglia (martyred in 869). Highly respected as lecturer in mathematics and theology at the universities of Oxford and Paris, he was the first to teach Aristotle at Oxford. In 1222 he became Treasurer of Salisbury Cathedral, and in 1233 was nominated as Archbishop of Canterbury by Pope Gregory IX. Edmund brought peace between Henry III and the barons, firmly adhering to Magna Carta. A reforming archbishop, he also upheld principles of good government in ecclesiastical affairs and the independent rights of the English Church. He set off for Rome in 1240, but died while abroad. His body rests in a shrine at Pontigny Abbey in Burgundy, the largest Cistercian abbey in France. He was canonised in 1246.
The window shows St Edmund wearing a blue chasuble. In his day there were many local variations of the Roman liturgy throughout Europe. In southern England, the predominant liturgy was that based on the traditions of Salisbury, i.e. the Sarum Use (Sarum being the Latin name for Salisbury). In the Sarum Use, (aka Sarum Rite) blue vestments were used for the most important feasts; examples can be seen in many illuminated manuscripts. Local variants of the Roman Rite were curtailed after the Council of Trent (1545-1563), though other distinct liturgies such as the Ambrosian Rite (based on Milan) continued. St Edmund also wears the pallium over the chasuble, and he holds a cross rather than a bishop’s crozier, indicating his position as Primate of England. As regards the face in this portrait – it is Edmund Ford!
St Hugh (c1140-1200) was born in Avalon, Burgundy. Educated by Augustinians, Hugh became a monk at the Carthusian mother house, La Grande Chartreuse, near Grenoble. Henry II appointed him Prior of the first English Carthusian house (Witham Charterhouse) in Somerset. In 1186 Hugh was appointed Bishop of Lincoln; he rebuilt the cathedral, where he is buried. He spoke against the persecution of Jews in England (1190-91). His emblem is a white swan, which is said to have guarded him.
- The Risen Christ (above the small side door leading to the cemetery)
St Benet’s church was designed by Francis Easto Banham. He also designed Notre Dame Chapel in Norwich together with the churches of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour at Gillingham and St. Felix, Felixstowe. This window commemorates his mother, Easter Eliza Easto, wife of Francis James Banham, a grocer in the Haymarket, Norwich. Easter Banham died in Norwich in 1890. Francis E. Banham and his wife Agnes lived in Grange Road where they raised 11 children. One daughter entered the Servite order, while two sons became priests: Fr Wilfrid (a Jesuit missionary in Guyana), and Fr Cyril (a diocesan priest). Fr Cyril, whose last parish was at Felixstowe, is buried beside his father at St. Benet’s.
The window is full of wonderful detail. Surmounting all, a crown represents the Kingship of Christ. Below are the letters IHC (they also appear repeatedly in the ceiling decoration, which was painted by the architect). This traditional motif in Christian art is derived from the first three letters of the nameJesus in Greek. (Sometimes, depending how the script is written, the third letter looks more like an S).
The risen Christ appears with strong features, the wounds on his hands, feet, and right side clearly visible, and appearing to be a source of energy. He carries a cross on a long staff, a banner unfurling at the top.There is no text on the banner, but we must surely recall the Latin hymn Vexilla Regis, traditionally sung on Good Friday. This hymn, written in 569 by Venantius Fortunatus, Bishop of Poitiers and famous as a hymn-writer and Latin poet, is well-known in a translation by John Mason Neale, an Anglican inspired by Catholic tradition who provided fine translations of many ancient Latin hymns. His version of Vexilla Regis (published in 1851) begins: “The Royal Banners forward go, the Cross shines forth in mystic glow…”
Christ’s halo bears three images of the fleur-de-lys, a stylised depiction of the lily that has long been a popular symbol of the Resurrection as well as the Trinity. Meanwhile, the right hand of the risen Christ is held in blessing in a particular manner, the fingers being formed to represent the first and last letters of Jesus Christ in Greek: IC XC. These initials are sometimes to be found on the covers of missals, etc. Finally, the window is bordered with bunches of grapes. The blood of Christ was poured out on the Cross; the grape provides wine for consecration during the Mass. At a deeper level, it is possible to consider the window as portraying the threefold ministry of Christ: as prophet, priest, and king.
The text at the base of the window, Ego sum Resurrectio et vita (I am the Resurrection and the Life – John 11:25), reminds us that the window is directly above the cemetery door (the Banham family graves are immediately opposite). The dedication is: Animae implora pacem Easter E. Banham hujus Ecclesiae Architecti matris (Pray for the repose of the soul of Easter E. Banham mother of the architect of this church).
- The Sacred Heart (next to the Lady Chapel)
This window in the small recess between the Lady Chapel and Sanctuary commemorates a formerparishioner of St. Benet’s, Hamilton Bunbury, who died in 1949 aged 82. The statue of the Sacred Heart that stands in the recess was given to Dom Rudesind Brookes by a friend in Italy. Fr Rudesind was a remarkable man who was awarded the Military Cross in recognition of his service as a chaplain during the Second World War. Window and statue combine to represent the Divine love of Jesus for humanity. Hamilton Bunbury was 20 when he inherited family estates in Cranavonane, Co Carlow, Ireland. Educated at Downside, he served in both the Sussex Regiment and the Highland Light Infantry. He remained a bachelor, and lived in Ballygate; his valet, Walter Jones, was a neighbour. Walter and his wife Bridgid had two sons and two daughters; both sons became priests. Hamilton Bunbury was disabled in later life and used an invalid carriage typical of the time; he built a wooden ramp to the small door near the Lady Chapel to access the church. Mr Bunbury was affectionately remembered by parishioners, even if his carriage tended to emit strange noises during Mass! The door is known as the Bunbury door and still provides step-free access to the church, thanks to a man born in 1866!
The window shows clearly the five wounds of the risen Jesus. However, the image also recalls Christ’s appearance to Thomas who doubted the Resurrection until he had seen the risen Jesus for himself (John 20: 24-29). St. John recalls that when Jesus appeared he said, “Peace be with you” (v.26). In richly coloured glass, Jesus raises his right hand as if in a gesture of peace. The text Cor Jesu amore nostri vulneratum (Heart of Jesus wounded for love of us) quotes the opening words of Matins (the first prayer of the day) on the Feast of the Sacred Heart (Matins is still retained in monasteries but was otherwise replaced by the Office of Readings in the 1970 reform of Catholic liturgy). The wounds of Christ became a special focus for devotion in the Middle Ages, while devotion to the Sacred Heart, although ancient, owes its modern form especially to French tradition dating from the 17th century from which time the feast has progressively been given greater significance. At the base of the window are the words Animae implora pacem Hamilton Joseph Bunbury, KM (Pray for the repose of the soul of Hamilton Joseph Bunbury, KM – Bunbury is misspelt. The initials KM indicate that he was a Knight of Malta, a Catholic lay order of a historically chivalric nature; today its activities are humanitarian, and since 1994 it has enjoyed permanent observer status at the General Assembly of the United Nations.
- St Joseph (next to the Sacristy)
This window also stands in memory of Hamilton Bunbury. As with the Sacred Heart window, the richly-coloured glass is complemented by a statue; St Joseph is shown holding a lily, the traditional emblem of purity, in both window and statue. The window is particularly poignant, depicting the Christ child as a young boy being cared for by the humble carpenter of Nazareth. The young Jesus raises his right hand as for a blessing. The formation of the fingers indicates the two natures of Christ: human and divine. Compare this with the open palm of Christ’s right hand in the Sacred Heart window where the message is one of peace. It is noteworthy that this style of religious art shows facial features that are strong and individual conveying strength of personality, rather than the other-worldliness of some earlier glass.
While studying this image and statue, it is perhaps worth considering the proximity of two other statues that present Jesus to the world. Under the organ gallery, St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231), one of the early members of the Franciscan order (founded in 1209), is imagined holding the young Jesus. St Anthony (who was born in Lisbon, but died in Padua) was noted for his knowledge of Scripture, his powerful preaching, and his devotion to the sick and poor. Meanwhile, by the altar rail, we see Jesus with his Mother (who is crowned), the world in his left hand and his right raised in blessing. That statue, visible the length of the church, is by Mayer of Munich, a company famous for religious art and stained glass.
- The Cross of Christ and the Eucharist (in the centre of the apse above the altar)
This window high in the apse focuses our attention on the Sacrament of the Eucharist, regarded as “the source and summit of the Christian life.” The original altar was situated in the apse. An impressive structure, it was surmounted by a throne for a crucifix which could be replaced by a monstrance containing the consecrated host from the tabernacle during Sunday evening services of Benediction. The word ‘tabernacle’ means tent. Reservation of the Blessed Sacrament is an ancient tradition, and has been managed in various ways over time. For centuries, various types of receptacles were used and there was no uniform custom as to where in the church this might be. In 1215 the Fourth Lateran Council decreed that the Sacrament be kept in a secure place. This might be a locked cabinet set into the wall beside the altar or kept in the sacristy. Alternatively, a practice already in use was to suspend a receptacle shaped like a dove (representing the Holy Spirit) over the altar (a hanging pyx). In the 14th century, elaborate stone tower-like Sacrament Houses became common in northern Europe, especially Germany. In the 16th century, tabernacles placed centrally on the altar were introduced in northern Italy. This custom then became universal in Catholic churches, though Sacrament Houses were still used until the late 19th century. The mid-20th century saw a re-consideration of the placing of the tabernacle, separating it from the activity of the altar (though cathedrals already had separate Blessed Sacrament chapels). The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “The tabernacle was first intended for the reservation of the Eucharist in a worthy place so that it could be brought to the sick and those absent, outside of Mass. As faith in the Real Presence of Christ in His Eucharist deepened, the Church became conscious of the meaning of silent adoration of the Lord present under the Eucharistic Species. It is for this reason that the tabernacle should be located in an especially worthy place in the church and should be constructed in such a way that it emphasises and manifests the truth of the Real Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.” The tent-like tabernacle now in place at St. Benet’s was conceived as a re-creation of the medieval Sacrament House. The fabric covering is of the colour appropriate to the liturgical season. Even if it is difficult to identify detail in the window at a distance, the central image of the Cross is clear.
That symbol of the love of Christ for the whole of humanity is supported by a red background which is formed from roses, a flower often referenced in Christian literature as a symbol of love and the Passion of Christ. There are also patches of purple; those patches are bunches of grapes. Meanwhile, the edge of the window is golden yellow; the imagery here is formed from intertwining ears of wheat. Wheat and grapes provide bread and wine, the elements of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, wherein Christ’s redeeming Passion is celebrated and made present in “a sacrament of love, a sign of unity…a pledge of future glory.” [‘Sacrosanctum Concilium’ – the Constitution on the Sacred liturgy, Vatican II, 1963]