Our Lady and Saint Vincent strives to be a strong and vital community in faith and serves the spiritual needs of some three hundred families.
Our church is growing at an exciting rate and we hope people of all backgrounds and traditions, whatever age, young, old or in between, a family, a couple or on their own, will find a warm welcome to the parish.
Please come and make yourself known to us if we haven’t already met you and if you would like further information about any of the activities do not hesitate to contact us.
Parish History
Prior to 1920 there was no Catholic church in Potters Bar.
In That year, when Mr Beckett came to live in Wyllyotts Manor, he placed a room at the disposal of the few local Catholics, where his son, Fr Maurice Beckett from Westminster Cathedral, celebrated Mass at wekends.
1922
Sir Nicholas Gratton Doyle MP, provided a room furnished as a Chapel for the local Catholics at his residence, Boundary House, in Little Heath,
In the same year, two Priests and one Brother from the Spanish House of the Vincentians (Congregation of the Missions (CM)) arrived in Potters Bar to establish a House of Studies for their young priests to learn English before embarking on missionary work around the world. They took up residence at Hillside House, for which the main entrance was from the Barnet Road.
At about the same time, Irish Dominican Sisters purchased a large house in Church Road and established the Rosary Convent, whose chapel local Catholics could attend. The Convent was closed in 1937 and demolished in 1956 to make way for a road named Rosary Court where some maisonettes were built.
Parish of Saint Francis Xavier
1925
A temporary church, dedicated to St Francis Xavier and seating about 40 was built alongside the Southgate Road boundary of Hillside House. Many furnishing were transferred to the church from Boundary House. It served as the Parish Church and one of the resident priests acted as Parish Priest.
1931
Fr Gumersindo Grande arrived in Potters Bar and was with us until 1992, some 61 years, and was Parish Priest for much of that time.
1945
On Saturday 20th January a German V2 Rocket fell in Southgate Road demolishing the Church of St Francis Xavier and a number of adjacent houses. 21 local residents were killed and there were many casualties. The only item that survived the destruction of the Church was a wooden statue of Our Lady, which was later placed in the new Church of St Vincent and St Louise when it was opened. This statue now stands in the new Church of Our Lady and St Vincent.
Following this horrific event, parishioners used the Vincentians’ private Chapel and later their Community Hall. To accommodate everyone for Midnight Mass at Christmas in 1945 and 1946 it was celebrated at the local cinema, “The Ritz”, in Darkes Lane, currently The Fitness Academy.
1950
When the Hall at Our Lady of the Assumption in Mutton Lane was built and became the Parish Church for Potters Bar, South Mimms and Ridge, many parishioners transferred there and so eased the accommodation problem at the Vincentians’ Hall
Parish of Saint Vincent De Paul & Louise De Marillac
1957
Fr Evelio Ortiz,, who had been the Assistant Priest at St Francis Xavier between 1940 and 1945, returned from Dunstable to take charge of the building of a new Church.
1960
The Foundation Stone of the new Church bears the dates 1660 – 1960, in celebration of the 300th anniversary of the death of St Vincent in Paris. The inscription on the Foundation Stone reads: “TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND HONOUR OF SS VINCENT DE PAUL AND LOUISE DE MARILLAC THIS STONE WAS SOLEMNLY BLESSED AND LAID BY THE MOST REV WILLIAM SLATTERY SUP GENERAL CM 22-7-1960
1962
The Vincentians opened their new Church, built on the site of St Francis Xavier in Southgate Road. The Church was designed by Felix Velerde and a Spanish artist, Joachim Camin, carved the black marble altar and painted the mural on the wall behind the altar, measuring 30 feet by 16 feet. The seating capacity was over 200 and many of the original parishioners of St Francis Xavier returned to the new church.