Our Lady of Seven Sorrows, Dolgellau

Mass Times

Sunday:

9.00 am at the Parish church
5.00 pm Conventual Mass at the Carmelite monastery

Weekdays:

9.30 am at the Carmelite monastery daily.
7.00 pm at the Parish church on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Holy Days:

9.30 am at the Carmelite monastery
7.00 pm at the Parish church

Telephone numbers:

The Parish can be reached on 01341 422805

The Monastery can be reached on 01341 422546

A brief history of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows parish

The first Catholic church in Dolgellau since the Reformation was opened in 1929, the same year as eight Carmelite nuns arrived from London to found a new Carmel in the town. Conditions were not the best, and the Catholic population very small, but slowly parish structures were put in place and the converted fish and chip shop turned into a reasonable place of worship.

In 1939 Fr Francis Scalpell, Maltese by birth, arrived in Dolgellau, where he was to remain until his death in 1970. It is to his hard work and determined dedication that the parish and indeed the diocese of Wrexham, owes the magnificent church that now stands in Meyrick Street. Parish folklore has it that he wrote some twenty five thousand letters looking for benefactors willing to help with the building of a new church, to the point where the pen bore the indentation of his fingers. Fr Scalpell raised the required money, and lived long enough to see his dream become solid reality.

The Catholic population is still small, compared to other places, but it has dramatically increased over the years, and provides much ecumenical encouragement to the other Christian bodies in the town.

The Seven Sorrows of Our Lady

The prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:25-35)
The flight into Eygpt (Matthew 2:13-15)
Losing Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41-50)
The Meeting on the way to Calvary
Standing at the foot of the Cross (John 19:25-27)
The descent from the Cross (John 19:38)
The burial in the Tomb (Matthew 27:57-61)

Links:

Catholic Diocese of Wrexham