The History of the Parish of Thorne-Moorends
by the Very Rev. William Matthew Smith C.R.P.

The town of Thorne is situated on the South East side of the County of York, adjoining the North West corner of Lincolnshire, and is in the Diocese of Leeds.

In this adjoining part of the County of Lincoln is situated the parish of St. Norbert, Crowle, founded in 1871 and in the possession of the premonstratensian Order.

Thorne originally belonged to the parish of St. Peter in Chains, Doncaster. In the year 1890 the Rev. Charles Burke, Parish Priest of St. Peter's, Doncaster asked the Very Rev. W. Matthew Smith, C.R.P., of St. Norbert's, Crowle, with the consent of Dr. Gordon, Bishop of Leeds, to take charge of the few catholics residing in Thorne and Stainforth. One reason for the request was that these towns were nearer to Crowle than to Doncaster and easier to access; the other, of more importance, that Crowle was of the "Union" of Thorne and parishioners of St. Norbert's who needed the advantages of the ''Rest Home'' of the ''Union" were obliged to go to Thorne, whereas Doncaster had a "Rest Home" of its own to which needy parishioners resorted. The request was complied with.

In the year 1896 a large stretch of Moorland lying between Thorne and Goole was acquired by a Dutch firm. A number of Dutch labourers and their families were imported for the purpose of raising peat moss and converting it into litter for stable and other purposes.

The houses occupied by these Dutch immigrants were situated at Moorends on the Goole Road about two miles North of Thorne and known as Peat Moss Terrace. The majority of them were catholics and as the Catholic Churches nearest to Moorends were Carlton, Goole and Crowle, they resorted to one or other of the three, for the distance varied little. The attendance at Mass on Sundays and Holydays of Obligation of those who possessed bicycles was regular and gave edification.

The late Mr. Francis Smits and two companions approached the Fathers of Crowle and made an earnest request that arrangement be made for the celebration of Mass either at Thorne or Moorends. The request was favourably received and shortly afterwards the Rev. A. Firth, C.R.P. celebrated Mass in the Town Hall, Thorne. This could not be continued just then owing to the priests at Crowle having engaged themselves to supply for priests in various parishes.

Knowing the circumstances Father Offerman of Canton offered his services to the Bishop; they were accepted. A suitable room in Peat Moss Terrace was available and Father Offerman on Sundays and Holydays of Obligation said his first Mass at Moorends and the second at Carlton. In course of time this proved to be too heavy an undertaking; Father Offerman became seriously ill and returned to his own country, Germany.

His successor at Carlton was not wishful to undertake the charge of Thorne-Moorends so an appeal was again made to the Fathers at Crowle. The Very Rev. Fr. Smith, C.R.P. interviewed the Bishop and stated the care of the new parish would be undertaken provided it were given to the Order permanently. To this the Bishop agreed. Father Smith pointed out that Crowle, Moorends and Stainforth were in the Union of Thorne, consequently the most convenient boundary for the new parish would be the existing boundary of the Union of Thorne. To this His Lordship agreed providing Dean Leonard of Doncaster did not object. Ultimately Dean Leonard raised no objection so the boundary of the Union of Thorne was declared to be the boundary of the new Parish.

The Right Rev. Dr. Heylen, Abbot of Tongerloo approved of the new Mission being undertaken and wished that St. Joseph be the patron.

In the town of Thorne a very worthy catholic, Mrs. Dunstan resided, whose husband a non-catholic, was a member of the West Riding County Council. She prevailed upon him to use his influence in an endeavour to obtain the use of Moorends County School on Sunday mornings for the celebration of Mass. He succeeded. The care of Moorends was undertaken by Father Ceslas Vermeulen, C.R.P. who celebrated Mass in the school house for the first time in the year 1906. Catechetical instruction was given to the children after Mass and on one day during the week in the house of a parishioner. Father Vermeulen continued this apostolic work until his place was taken by the Rev. Thomas Cuthbert Ryan, C.R.P. in the year 1908. The day he entered upon his duties was June 14th, the feast of the Most Holy Trinity. He continued this good but laborious work until the Autumn of 1909 when he and Father Vermeulen exchanged places.

Evidence from the registers

The earliest extant registers for the parish date from this time and the first baptism (28th June 1908) was recorded by Father Ryan himself, who continued to minister until July 1911, two years later than Fr. Smith's account indicates. Not surprisingly, the majority of those baptised were Dutch children, right up to 1916, with an occasional Irish name appearing in the register. The first baptism of a non-Dutch person recorded was that of Margaret Helen Higgins in 1908.

During subsequent years, when the parish was ministered to by Fr. Smith and Fr. Vermeulen, the number of Dutch names in the registers diminished and, by 1921, when Fr. McGarity came to the parish, they had petered out altogether.

Fr. Smith continues the story

The situation was precarious as the use of Moorends school depended on the goodwill of Wakefield Education Committee. Without further delay Father Vermeulen began to collect funds for the building of a church. As soon as the undertaking was sufficiently advanced, Father Vermeulen made a request to the Thorne Colliery Company, Pease and Partners, for land on which to erect a church. The company agreed to lease, renewable at will, a sufficiently large plot of land on a five year lease at the nominal rental of 5/- a year.

By the year 1912 the fund was sufficient to enable a corrugated iron building to be erected and provided with the necessary furniture for the church and sacristy (The Chapel was erected in what is now Vermuyden Road). Everything was so completed as to enable the church to be opened on the 30th June 1912.

At the request of Father Vermeulen, the church was blessed and Mass celebrated by the Very Rev. Fr. Smith, C.R.P. In his address to the congregation he expressed the praise and gratitude due to Father Vermeulen for his zeal and energy in providing such an admirably finished church.

Some little time later the war of 1914 broke out. Father Vermeulen was recalled to his native country, Belgium, to render military service. He was appointed infirmarian in a French Military Hospital and this post he retained until the end of the war. In the meantime, the care of Moorends was taken over principally by the Very Rev. Father Smith, C.R.P.

After the war which ended in November 1918 Father Vermeulen returned to Crowle and resumed charge at Moorends. He soon realised that what he had gone through in the war hospital had unfitted him for parish work. He was released of the charge of Moorends and secured at Gillingham Hall, Norfolk, the position of private chaplain. He was replaced at Moorends by Rev. Father V. G. McGarrity. C.R.P.

As the size of the colliery village increased, a system of sewage became necessary, and the most suitable spot for placement of the works was considered to be that on which the chapel stood. Accordingly the Colliery Company notified that the five year lease had come to an end and under the circumstances the lease could not be renewed. Fathers Smith and McGarity interviewed the Managers and made a request for land in the village to which the Chapel might be transferred. The Managers communicated the request to the Directors who replied they were willing to allocate land, provided that a permanent building were erected. This was not possible nor was there any prospect of a permanent building being erected within a short time. Such being the case, the Directors, according to the rule they had established, were reluctantly unable to accede to the request.

For various reasons Father McGarity found travelling on a motor cycle to and from Moorends unsatisfactory. This was represented to the Abbot of Tongerloo who consented to his taking up residence in Moorends. He moved from Crowle to a house in Dunelm Crescent, Moorends in June 1927.

On land adjoining that to which the Chapel had been removed was a newly built bungalow. The owners had retired from business, but finding life too quiet without some definite occupation, were anxious to return to it.

The suggestion of the purchase of the bungalow was made to Fathers Smith and McGarity who aided by the advice of Mr. V. S. Booth, solicitor, of Crowle purchased the bungalow at cost price and eventually bought the whole field on which it stood as it was considered to be a suitable site for a new church. Shortly after the owners vacated the bungalow, Father McGarity took up. residence in it.

Hitherto no documentary' evidence existed to prove that Thorne cum Stainforth was a parish in the Diocese of Leeds belonging to the Premonstratensian Order. A request to Bishop Cowgill that this should be given, brought about that a document drawn up by the Bishop and Chapter of the Diocese, to the effect that the parish belonged to the Order, was, by the good services of the Right Rev. Hubert Noots, C.R.P., Abbot of Floreffe, now General of the Order, ratified in Rome by the Holy See.