St. Vincent’s Mission Hub
Beth Craggs
“There are three things in this world that are transcendent: truth, goodness and beauty. In this post-modern culture, where truth is controversial and goodness can be divisive, no-one can argue with beauty.
So we strive, first of all, for beauty at our church plant. We try to make sure that the prayers, the music, the surroundings, the welcome, and especially the liturgy, are beautiful. That is our approach to evangelism.”
During an interview with Father Lee Marshall – from St Vincent’s Mission Hub – I’m taken on a brief tour of the recent history of Catholic church planting in Sheffield, going back to 1853. At that time St Marie’s – near Fargate – was the only Catholic church in Sheffield, but then a major influx of Irish, Italian and Polish immigrants sent the numbers of Catholics in the city soaring.
They built a beautiful new church – St Vincent’s – on Solly Street, and Father Lee told me about old photographs showing literally thousands of Catholics attending mass and walking out on processions.
These faithful Christians planted new churches in response to further growth: for example, Sacred Heart in Hillsborough was planted to serve the new army barracks that opened nearby. However, when Sheffield’s social housing projects moved city-dwellers to the suburbs, St Vincent’s became derelict, until recently.
In 2018 a new mission hub began a project to reach students, young adults and families in Sheffield’s city centre, renovating one of the old St Vincent’s buildings to create a new purpose-built space.
Opening just weeks before the first lockdown, the St Vincent’s Mission Hub now houses a cafe, student chaplaincy centre, and beautiful chapel, in which Father Lee has been holding daily services for those who live and work in the city centre since the first reopening of churches post-Covid in July 2020.
“When I was growing up in the church, young people like me were in the minority,” commented Father Lee. “I wanted to be part of a church where they’re in the majority, where they feel like they belong.”
And so far it’s working: 90% of St Vincent’s Mission Hub’s congregation is under-40, and 70% are under-30. And despite Covid restrictions, they’re succeeding in reaching out to Sheffield’s students, already having held a baptism and confirmation service.
What has been drawing people in? Father Lee identifies three things: Jesus, prayer, and community.
Jesus
A relationship with Jesus is, of course, central to all Christian denominations, and many Catholics particularly treasure their tangible connection to Jesus in the Eucharist, which for them is the source and summit of the life and mission of the church. The name of the service – ‘mass’- – comes from the Latin for ‘dismissal’, and Catholics often link the mass with mission, which has a similar Latin root.
They come to mass to be fed by Jesus, in order to be sent out into the world to serve Him and make Him known.
St Vincent’s Mission Hub therefore focusses on creating the space – through daily mass and meditative prayer – to allow Jesus to make himself known, and to invite people to spend time adoring Him.
When I ask Father Lee what a high point has been since the start of the church plant, I half expect him to talk about his growing congregation, and the recent baptisms, but instead he answers – without hesitation – “Celebrating the Easter Vigil service in the new chapel.”
“It’s the absolute high point of the Christian year for us as we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and the wonderful ways that God has worked in humanity throughout our history.
As well as being a feast for the eyes (we start by lighting a large fire outside the church around sunset) and ears (it includes a beautiful ancient Easter hymn called the Exsultet, followed by nine Bible readings celebrating the span of salvation history), this year’s celebration was particularly powerful, after having been unable to celebrate in church because of the lockdown in 2020.”
Prayer
“Prayer is so central to what we do as a Mission Hub, and I’ve found that prayer-walking activities seem more accessible and attractive to people than prayer meetings,” comments Father Lee.
“At the start of the Summer, we had a walking pilgrimage to Padley to the Martyrs Chapel there. We started at St Vincent’s Mission Hub, and walked out through Endcliffe Park.
It’s a beautiful ten-mile route; we were prayer-walking the rosary on the way, then had mass at the Chapel when we arrived. It was really popular, and a powerful witness, both to those who were on the pilgrimage and to other walkers who saw us praying as we passed.”
Community
Father Lee has taken inspiration from the welcoming and inclusive atmosphere of many evangelical churches – and books such as Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Church – in his approach to building a strong and supportive church family at the Mission Hub. “We’re trying to create a really healthy and welcoming community, at the same time as making sure we stay focussed on celebrating those signs of God’s grace, the sacraments.”
A church centred around Jesus, prayer, and community reminds me of the description of the early church from Acts 2:42. It’s simple, good, and truly a thing of beauty.
Want to know more about how to support St Vincent’s Mission Hub?
Please pray with Father Lee and his congregation that many young adults and students in the city come to know the healing and love of the Lord, and that the community at St Vincent’s stays healthy and focussed on its values.
St Vincent’s Mission Hub is especially focussed on young adults and families. To get in touch, contact Fr Lee at lmarshall@hallam-diocese.com and to get involved come along to Sunday Mass at 5 pm (for weekday Masses see website www.svmh.uk), or introduce yourself at FabRico Cafe.
