The Gift of our own Centre

from St Theresa's, Birstall, to St Joseph's, Leicester

In 2001, the then bishop of Nottingham, Malcolm McMahon O.P., invited Fr John and our Watermead Apostolate to come to the parish of St Joseph's, just on the outskirts of the city of Leicester.  The parish was large with two churches, 'St Joseph the Worker' and on a neighbouring estate, 'Our Lady of the Rosary'. Fr John was to serve the parish as their priest and Watermead was to utilise the then derelict 'Old Stable' building for the work and mission of the apostolate.  Unfortunately, this main offering for Watermead, was not fit for habitation and it would take a lot of work and money before it could safely house our publishing equipment and stock.  Also, although St Joseph's church was nearing completion of modernisation, including a new half-finished Blessed Sacrament Chapel and a large organ still in construction, there was much work needed on all buildings, especially the parish hall. Watermead's new home-to-be would have to wait.

The Refurbishment

It took a further five years for parish priorities to complete and supporters of our apostolate to save the necessary finance with which to refurbish the derelict stable building. During this time we worked from the parish house, extending into the former bar area of the parish hall when the necessary refurbishment of that building was completed. Our ministry continued to grow in many directions over those years, becoming an integral part of parish life. Our reputation for music liturgy was also becoming known with new CD recordings being produced in response, and we were working on a musical venture with the local Catholic secondary school using one of these recordings.  When the Watermead Centre was officially opened in 2005, our own Watermead cards, publications, music and resources had been joined by a whole range of gifts and resources from various suppliers. We had expanded into a large Christian shop, and based in our new Centre we were serving the local Catholic and Christian community with people very often travelling from across Leicestershire and further afield. We had also brought back to life a building that had been condemned for demolition, and there were many visits over the years from those who remembered it as their first place of worship, the place they were baptised, confirmed, married - even where they studied, when used temporarily as a classroom by the former Corpus Christi school.

Pandemic Developments

In 2020 and throughout the Covid-19 pandemic the Watermead Centre's shop was closed, to adhere to the various local and national restrictions relating to “non-essential” retail. However, it was in response to requests of those who would usually have come to our shop that the Watermead Gifts’ website was launched at the beginning of 2021, joining our publishing shop's website and making available much of what was available through the Centre's shop.  To date this internet shop initiative has turned out to be a much appreciated blessing for the future of Watermead, as well as for those who relied on us during the pandemic. When we did open up again in 2022 people returned gradually to visiting our Centre and shop, often to talk through and share their pandemic experience as well as stock up on the resources we made available.

Sad Goodbye

Unfortunately, in August 2024, following the death of Fr John Daley five months earlier, we received an eviction notice telling us to vacate the Watermead Centre - the Nottingham Diocese and Fr John's successor had other plans for the building. After a period of 'limbo' with nowhere to call home it was decided to continue our sharing over the internet.  Watermead is now operating from various places, with no parish base or Centre, and we do not envisage that we shall again be attached to a parish or diocese, which is possibly where God wants us - accessible to all and not seemingly owned by one parish, diocese or denomination. Our base and heritage is Catholic, but our work is for God - wherever that may take us.

Gratitude

As with the nine years we spent in our birth parish of St Theresa's, the 23 years at St Joseph's bore much fruit and involved many more people in the sharing of faith through their gifts, which we shall continue to share on their behalf. Yet, despite the sadness of our departure from St Joseph's, there is much to be thankful for as we know that what was achieved there is embedded in the memory of all who were truly involved. It is part of our story, a journey that has been and still is shared with many.

2025 and Rebirth . . .

Watermead is, as its name suggests, fluid and does not need to be contained into one building, one parish or one denomination to continue sharing all that has been gifted to us since we began in 1992. The gifts still flow inward and outward and we are now operating from various places and over the internet. To keep up-to-date with all developments see our Community News, which is published fortnightly - and if you would like to continue obtaining religious recources from us then visit our Centre's Gifts' online shop and for our music and published items see our Watermead Publishing's online shop.