St Ives-a new millennium - Flipbook - Page 38
St Ives-a new millennium
4/10/02
3:45 pm
Page 36
Above: Irmgard Newman
Photo: Stuart Littlewood/Pentax MX
Fr. Paul Maddison, Sacred Heart Church
Photo: Stuart Littlewood/Pentax MX
Irmgard was the driving force behind the new
St James’ Parish Centre in Hemingford Grey,
which opened in April 2000 as a focal point for
several community activities.
Links to the Catholic Church in St Ives date back to 1017 when the Priory was built, but after the Reformation Catholicism almost died out
locally. In 1899 a small wooden chapel was established in East Street then, to meet growing demand, Pugin’s “little gem” of a church was
transplanted brick by brick from Cambridge, where it had become redundant, and given a new lease of life in Needingworth Road. A gift of
£1000 by civil engineer George Pauling paid for the dismantling, removal and rebuilding, a painstaking task that was completed in under
5 months. The church was opened and rededicated to the Sacred Heart in 1902.
An up-to-the minute feature of the Centre was
its cyber café - the Internet computer and desk
kindly donated by local resident Tim Brooks of
UUNET in Cambridge. Irmgard is pictured here
with Peter Tremlett who was formerly with IBM
and assisted with the project.
The centenary celebrations in 2002 included a Blessed Sacrement procession along the route taken when they brought the dismantled church
from the river to its new site 100 years earlier. Fr Paul Maddison arrived as the new priest in 2001 after serving as administrator at St John’s
Cathedral, Norwich, and as the bishop’s secretary. As a boy, Paul had twin ambitions to become a priest and drive a steam locomotive. He
achieved both, but did not join the Church until he had several years’ work experience under his belt.
Irmgard retired as head of Huntingdon Infants
School. She is now closely involved in Church
activities and enjoys wool-spinning using a
traditional spinning wheel.
Among his main concerns are the many ways people are prevented from experiencing life to the full, and consequently he believes that
religion’s ‘enabling’ role is becoming increasingly important. He unwinds with frequent visits to Spain, which he loves for its sense of history.
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