Part four: the Hereafter
St Matthew's, Sheffield
The affair is over, but it still to be felt, here and there, in the years and decades to follow.
Sheffield Independent, 24 September 1884
The Rev. G. C. Ommanney... after expressing his thanks for the kind way in which the toast had been received...remarked that this annual festival gave him a great deal of
work, but still when it came it was a very great joy and happiness, because he saw around him many old friends who had supported him in times of trial and troubles, and who had been true to him and who now came to congratulate him upon increased prosperity.
But they must always remember that St. Matthew's was still on its trial. It had gone through one kind of trial, but it had still another to go through. They did not appear in the papers every now and then as having had a “scene at St. Matthew's.” (Laughter.)
They used to go to church on Sunday morning never knowing what was going to happen before evening, and next morning they would see on the placards of the newspapers large letters announcing “Scene and St. Matthew's; Parishioners ejected from the Church.” (Renewed
laughter). That sort of thing made it rather exciting. (Laughter.) They had not that trial now, but they were on their trial still—to see if they would carry out the far more important work of doing God's will in the parish, and of saving the souls of the
people committed to their care. (Applause)... It was a little more than two years ago since he came to St. Matthew's, and he thought all who had heard him preach during that time would allow that he had, as hard as he could, taught “the faith once delivered
to the Saints”— the old Catholic faith of the Church. At their first choral festival, Mr. Ebsworth, of Retford, came over to preach, and one thing which he then said had sunk into his mind ever since. Addressing the congregation, he said, “One thing your vicar
has to do during the coming year is to teach as hard as he can the Catholic faith.” He (Mr. Ommanney) had tried to do that as much as he possibly could. There was another thing which they had to do ,which was only second in importance to the teaching of the
Catholic faith, and that was the introduction of Catholic ritual. (Applause.)... For 1900 years the Church had always worshipped Him with great beauty and solemnity, and with a good deal of ritual. Were they now to think that in this 19th century
a new light ha been given to some few men in the Church, contradicting all that God had taught in the previous eighteen centuries? A few men now thought that God had to be worshipped in a bold and a plain way, that they were right, and that all the rest of
the church had always been wrong. After alluding in aid of the Church restoration and other parochial needs, Mr. Ommanney said they must go on in the way they had already pursued... Just before he went away for his holidays he was nominated a member of the
Sheffield Church Clerical Society, and in due time he was black-balled. (Laughter). Seven black balls would have excluded him, there were twenty-five—(renewed laughter)—but he felt highly honoured at the result. What amused him so much was a little report
which went about through most of the papers that the reason he was black-balled by the Sheffield Clerical Association was that he had acknowledged himself to be opposed to the principles of the Book of Common Prayer. (Laughter). He always thought—he might
be mistaken—but he had the idea that he tried to maintain and carry out those very principles. (Hear, hear). ...
Mr E. E. Bindley said he was present as the representative of the people of St. Matthew's parish, and he held the same office as a gentleman held last year who was absent
from their luncheon. (Laughter).
The CHAIRMAN, in responding, expressed a hope that before long St. Matthew's would be the centre of Catholicism in Sheffield, and that it would have a full ritual. (Hear,
hear.) He did not care who it was—the Archbishop, or any one from the queen downwards—there was no one who could stop the current of Catholicism. (Applause).
The proceedings then terminated.
Sheffield Independent,
17 November 1885
DR POTTER AND THE REV. G. C. OMMANNEY
The
following correspondence has taken place between the Rev. G. C.
Ommanney and the Rev. S. G. Potter, D.D., vicar of St Luke’s:—
St Matthew’s Clergy House, Sheffield, Oct. 27
My
dear sir,—There is a woman in your parish, named Varley, at Red Place
square, Gordon Street, who has a daughter ill, and has asked me to go
and see
her. I baptised the girl some time ago, and the mother is a regular
attendant at our mothers’ meetings, and at church. I did not like to
call on her without your permission, especially as some time (sic)
you expressed your wish that neither I nor my
coadjudicators should visit in your parish. But as the woman has
altogether attached herself to us, I should be very glad if you will
give me leave to go there. Of course in the event of you being kind
enough to do so, I shall only visit her, and not any of
her neighbours. —Believe me to be, yours sincerely, G. C. Ommanney.
[REPLY]
Oct. 27, 1885
Rev.
Sir,—In reply to your note I regret to be obliged to refuse my assent
to your exercising ministerial functions in this my parish. My habit is,
when
sent for from other parishes, to write to the vicar, or his curate
assistant, and point out the need of attention to one of their
parishioners.
By
birth and education I have the feelings of a gentleman, and would be
happy if I could do what you required, but the claims of truth forbid
the sacrificing
of it upon the altar of gentility. You have sworn to teach the doctrine
of the Thirty-nine Articles of our Church, ‘and none other,’and to
administer the doctrine and discipline of Christ as this Church and
realm have received the same. Yet you have openly
defied your Diocesan, the legal decisions of the Church courst of ‘this
realm’, and teach alien doctrines ‘contrary to God’s Holy Word,’ and so
the articles of the Church. You would, no doubt, teach this family the
idolatry to be abhorred of all faithful Christians,
and the ‘blasphemous fables and dangerous deceits of the Mass,’ and
fond or foolish things, vainly invented, denounced by our Articles. Can I
then seem to assent to such acts and teachings?
You
well know that our canons and rubrics bid you refer ‘strangers,’i.e.
non-parishioners, back to their own parish clergyman for spiritual
ministration.
The woman Varley and her daughter are looked after and attended to,
both temporally and spiritually.
—I have the honour to be, your obedient servant, S. G. Potter, D.D.
Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer, 17 January 1938
SHEFFIELD CHURCH UNDER BAN
Dr. L. H. Burrows Takes Disciplinary Action
The Bishop of Sheffield (Dr L. H. Burrows) has placed St. Matthew's Church, Sheffield, under discipline. The Bishop's ban on the church means that he will no longer visit
the church, will not licence assistant curates there, and will not conduct confirmation services in the church.
When interviewed on Saturday, Father Morgan, Vicar of St. Matthew's, declined to discuss the ban, beyond saying: “It is merely a matter of difference in principle. There are
no personal differences between the Bishop of Sheffield and myself.” His personal relations with the Bishop were excellent, and were in no way affected by the ban.
The Bishop confirmed the ban, but refused to comment on it.
It is the second time that the church has been placed under discipline. The last occasion was in 1914, when the late Father Ommanney was vicar. The ban was lifted in 1932.
The ban was imposed over a week ago. The Bishop was to have licensed a curate at St. Matthew's on Monday last, but at the last moment it was announced he was unable to do
so.
Father Morgan was appointed vicar in 1936 after Father Ommanney's death at the age of 85. Rather Ommanney was Vicar for 54 years.
St Matthew's is the best known High Church in Sheffield. In the early days of this century it was the scene of sensational happenings when people objected to what were described
at the time as “popish practices.” Ornaments in the church were broken and removed.
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