Meanwhile Fr. Cologan, anxious about Catholic education for the children, persuaded the nuns at Crownhill Road (known to local Protestants as “the Pope’s Black Regiment”) to give instruction at Willesden Green in the evenings.
This happened twice a week, after a day’s teaching, and again on Sunday afternoons, when a group of Sisters would set out on foot from Harlesden (there was no public transport yet from Harlesden to Willesden Green), cutting across fields with cows grazing and following Harlesden Lane, which by now had 12 houses!
The children, encouraged by the interest the Sisters took in them, would sacrifice play time to attend the lessons. So began the long association, still continuing, between the Sisters and the future parish.
Move to next section – The Diocesan Missionaries 1904 – 1932
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