THE P RTAL
April 2018 Page 12
The Shrine of St Augustine and the Ordinariate
Jackie Ottaway and Ronald Crane visit Ramsgate
We first came to Ramsgate , and to St Augustine ’ s , when Mgr Keith Newton blessed the statue and the shrine here . When we heard that Ordinariate priest Fr Simon Heans had been appointed visitor centre manager , we were , of course , anxious to come and see for ourselves how things were progressing .
It was a blustery and rainy day on the Kent coast but the welcome was warm , Volunteers were waiting in the entrance hall to put visitors , be they pilgrims or tourists , at their ease . In no time at all we were shown to Fr Simon ’ s office at the top of the tower .
He told us , “ I came to be here because I know Fr Marcus from the Confraternity of the Catholic Clergy . My background is teaching history and I was asked to apply for the job as visitor centre manager .” The work of the shrine is expanding .
“ The first phase has been the re-building of the shrine and its restoration . This was achieved with the aid of heritage lottery fund money .
“ I am the point of contact for visitors whether tourist or pilgrim and , in addition , I have the priestly role . We have a team of volunteers who help to keep the shrine open and it wouldn ’ t be possible to run the shrine without their collaboration .
“ There is a Clerk of Works . He is essential to the operation and totally dedicated to his work here . He is vital and without him the place would not stay open . It is a big project run on a shoe string .
“ The Shrine is the personal church of Augustus Pugin . It is the church he built for himself . It is his “ ideal ” and he called it ‘ my model church ’. He just about lived to see it completed . He died at the early age of forty in 1852 .
Fr Simon Heans
“ He built it in honour of St Augustine of Canterbury , his patron Saint ; and close to the spot where St Augustine landed to convert the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Kent . We have relics in the shrine of Augustine himself , of Gregory the Great who sent him on the mission and St Lawrence of Canterbury who was his companion .
“ We have devotions to St Augustine , including veneration of the relic , on a Sunday afternoon . The church contains the Pugin Chantry Chapel . He is buried within the church . There are two other altars within the church : the High Altar which sadly was destroyed when the church was re-ordered . This is just about to be replaced . Money is being raised to put the altar back .”
Jackie was interested to know if it was being replaced as the original was . Fr Simon reassured her , “ We have a stone mason and money is being set aside for that . Its an integral vision he had , of church with proper high altar , rood screen , a Lady altar , chantry chapel , stained glass , and statues . It was intended to be a place where mass was offered .
“ Pugin had a large household , but he wanted the