Emmaus Partnership
The annual Birmingham diocesan pilgrimage to Harvington Hall, Shrine of the English Martyrs, took place on Sunday 1st September.
This year the principal celebrant was The Right Reverend Paul Gunter OSB, Abbot of Douai Abbey, with numerous clergy concelebrating.
Abbot Paul opened his Homily with: “It is a particular pleasure to to have received this invitation to be here today, and of which I am unworthy. The first time I was aware of Harvington was in 1979 when, as a 13 year old boy, I recall the considerable effort made to celebrate the third centenary of the martyrdom of St John Wall. I would like to take this opportunity now to express ongoing appreciation for everything that Harvington is and means to us all, as well as to acknowledge the generosity of everyone involved in preparing this day in each of its parts.”
Mass was celebrated in the grounds with an opportunity for Confessions beforehand, and free timed tours of Harvington Hall – the ‘House of Secrets’ – were also available to pilgrims on the day.
The four martyrs especially venerated at Harvington, who worked at various times in the area, are:
St John Wall – hanged, drawn and quartered at Red Hill, Worcester on 2 August 1679, and canonized in 1970;
St Nicholas Owen – died under torture in the Tower on 2 March 1606, and was canonized in 1970;
Bl. Edward Oldcorne – executed at Red Hill, Worcester on 7 April 1606 and beatified in 1929;
Bl. Arthur Bell – executed at Tyburn on 11 December 1643 and beatified in 1987.
A house which holds many secrets, Harvington contains seven priest hides.
Humphrey Pakington, who inherited the estate in 1578, was a staunch Catholic and thus subject to the harsh penal laws of the Elizabethan age. Humphrey was a recusant, meaning he refused to attend the Church of England service on Sundays, a refusal that initially cost 12p a week but increased to £20 a month (equating to around £4,000 today).
From 1585 it was illegal for a Catholic priest to step foot in England, making it necessary for Humphrey to equip Harvington with the impressive priest hides, which visitors can see today. We don’t know the full story of these priest hides but we do know that some of them were almost certainly the handiwork of the master carpenter St Nicholas Owen.
2023 marked the centenary of Harvington Hall’s rescue from ruin by Ellen Ferris, who gifted the Hall to the Archdiocese of Birmingham.
Pic: © Con McHugh for Archdiocese of Birmingham
