The Cambridge University Catholic Chaplaincy, known as Fisher House after its patron the English martyr and

Chancellor of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the world's third-oldest university in continuous operation. The university's founding followed the ...

St John Fisher John Fisher (c. 19 October 1469 – 22 June 1535) was an English Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Rochester from 1504 to 1535 and as chancellor of the University of Cambridge. He is honoured as a martyr and saint by the Catholic Chu ...

, is the

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Chaplaincy of the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. Founded in 1895, it has been on Guildhall Street, in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

's city centre, since 1924. The Chaplain is Fr Paul Keane.

Operation

The Chaplaincy serves all the Catholic members of the University, from undergraduates to

Fellows Fellows may refer to Fellow, in plural form. Fellows or Fellowes may also refer to: Places *Fellows, California, USA *Fellows, Wisconsin, ghost town, USA Other uses * Fellowes, Inc., manufacturer of workspace products *Fellows, a partner in the f ...

, and anyone else of the university who wishes to attend. Mass is celebrated every day, and three times on Sundays (during term time): Sung Latin at 9.30 am, Sung English at 11 am, and at 5.30 pm. Weekly events in term time include Apologia on Tuesday nights (supper, guest speaker, Compline and the Bar) and the Black Swan Bar on Friday nights. Some of the significant annual events are the Fisher Mass on the first Bank Holiday in May (celebrated at

Great St Mary's St Mary the Great is a Church of England parish and university church at the north end of King's Parade in central Cambridge, England. It is known locally as Great St Mary's or simply GSM to distinguish it from " Little St Mary's". It is one of ...

), the Fisher and Langham Lectures, the Fisher Society Dinner and Garden Party around May Week, and the Gilbey

Requiem Mass A Requiem (Latin: ''rest'') or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead () or Mass of the dead (), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is u ...

in November. Fisher House is owned by the Cambridge University Catholic Association (CUCA), which is also responsible for the Chaplaincy's finances. The Chaplain is appointed by the Bishops of England and Wales in consultation with the

Oxford and Cambridge Catholic Education Board The Oxford and Cambridge Catholic Education Board (OCCEB) is the charitable body responsible for appointing the Catholic chaplains to the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. OCCEB was established by the Vatican in 1895 as the Universities Cathol ...

(OCCEB). The day-to-day running of the Chaplaincy is the Chaplain's responsibility, in consultation with CUCA and the Bishops' representative, who is Rt Revd Nicholas Hudson, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster. The Chaplain is supported in his ministry by the Assistant Chaplains. The Catholic Society for students of the University, the Fisher Society, works closely with the Chaplains, and organises many events.

History

Foundation and early years (1871-1924)

Oxford and Cambridge universities opened their doors to Catholics in 1871 after the repeal of the

Test Act The Test Acts were a series of penal laws originating in Restoration England, passed by the Parliament of England, that served as a religious test for public office and imposed various civil disabilities on Catholics and nonconformist Prote ...

s. However, the

Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (CEP; ) was a congregation (Roman Curia), congregation of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church in Rome, responsible for Catholic missions, missionary work and related activities. It is also kn ...

decreed that it would be next to impossible for the ancient English universities to be frequented without mortal sin, stressing the dangers of an increasing atmosphere of liberalism and scepticism. This decision was met with public outcry from the wealthy laity, who wished for their sons to attend Oxbridge colleges. After a petition led by the Catholic Fellow Baron

Anatole von Hügel Anatole von Hügel (29 September 1854, in Florence – 15 August 1928, in Cambridge) was a son of an Austrian nobleman who lived in England and was curator of the Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology, 1883 – 1921. Early life Bor ...

, this ban was lifted in 1895 by Pope Leo XIII with the condition that a Chaplain be appointed, a Library with Catholic books be founded, and public lectures on philosophy, history and religion be established. As a result of this, the Universities Catholic Education Board (later OCCEB) was founded and Fr Edmund Nolan was appointed Chaplain. At the same time, the Fisher Society was founded by Cambridge students as a literary and debating society.

Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk, (27 December 184711 February 1917), styled Lord Maltravers until 1856 and Earl of Arundel and Surrey between 1856 and 1860, was a British Unionist politician and philanthropist. He served as Postmas ...

purchased property in Cambridge and the Chaplaincy was established at St Edmund's House in November 1886. The first lectures were given by Cuthbert Butler, OSB, entitled "Questions of the Day". In 1899, CUCA was founded in order to purchase rooms for the chaplaincy at 2 Green Street. From there, the chaplaincy, under

Monsignor Monsignor (; ) is a form of address or title for certain members of the clergy in the Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" can be abbreviated as Mons.... or Msgr. In some ...

Arthur Barnes, moved to Llandaff House, near

Downing College Downing College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge and currently has around 950 students. Founded in 1800, it was the only college to be added to the university between 1596 and 1869, ...

. After a two year hiatus during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Fr Bernard Marshall established the Chaplaincy at 50 Bridge Street, and then 2 Round Church Street, next to the

Cambridge Union Society The Cambridge Union Society, also known as the Cambridge Union, is a historic Debate, debating and free speech society in Cambridge, England, and the largest society in the University of Cambridge. The society was founded in 1815 making it the ...

Fisher House (1924-present)

In 1924, a Grade II listed pub called the Black Swan on Guildhall St was purchased by CUCA for £10,000. The Chaplaincy and the home of the Chaplain was established here, with the new name of Fisher House. The site consists of two houses of c.1600, joined at right angles to each other, which form the Chaplain's home. Within the Chaplain's home is the Great Chamber, which has been described as one of the most pleasant rooms in Cambridge. A nineteenth-century wing is for the sole use of members of the university and consists of common room, kitchen, popular library and roof terrace. The surprisingly large Chapel was completed in 1976, and sympathetically improved in 2011 (the first donation for these works was given by Pope Benedict XVI, who had stayed at Fisher House when he was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger to give a lecture in 1988). A reconstruction of a

Cimabue Giovanni Cimabue ( , ; – 1302), Translated with an introduction and notes by J.C. and P Bondanella. Oxford: Oxford University Press (Oxford World's Classics), 1991, pp. 7–14. . also known as Cenni di Pepo or Cenni di Pepi, was an Italian p ...

crucifix, was already in place since 2008, having been commissioned by the Chaplain, Fr Alban McCoy, from the

Hamilton Kerr Institute The Hamilton Kerr Institute is a branch of the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridgeshire, England, dedicated to the study and conservation of easel paintings. It is also part of the University of Cambridge. Facilities and logistics The institute w ...

. This 2m artwork was constructed according to contemporary medieval Italian methods, in particular those documented in

Cennino Cennini Cennino d'Andrea Cennini (; – before 1427) was an Italian painter influenced by Giotto. He was a student of Agnolo Gaddi in Florence. Gaddi trained under his father, called Taddeo Gaddi, who trained with Giotto. He is remembered mainly f ...

’s work ''Libro dell’Arte''. Mgr Alfred Gilbey, who was the Chaplain for 100 terms (1932-1965), is buried in the courtyard. He saved Fisher House from demolition in the Sixties when the other early modern properties surrounding it were destroyed by the Council. Yet, it is not the buildings that make Fisher House but the students and other members of the University who worship at the Chaplaincy and create so many opportunities to grow in faith and enjoy each other's company.

List of the Chaplains

* Fr Edmund Nolan (1896–05) * Mgr Arthur Barnes (1905–16) * Fr James Bernard Marshall (1918–22) * Fr John Lopes (1922–28) * Fr George MacGillivray (1928–32) * Mgr Alfred Gilbey (1932–65) * Fr Richard Incledon (1965–77) * Fr

Maurice Couve de Murville Jacques-Maurice Couve de Murville (; 24 January 1907 – 24 December 1999) was a French diplomat and politician who was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1958 to 1968 and Prime Minister from 1968 to 1969 under the presidency of General de Gaul ...

(1977–82) * Dom Christopher Jenkins OSB (1982–88) * Fr John Osman (1988–94) * Fr Allan White OP (1994–2000) * Fr

Alban McCoy Fr. Alban McCoy OFM Conv is a British Catholic writer and priest. McCoy is the author of ''An Intelligent Person's Guide to Christian Ethics'' (2004) and ''An Intelligent Person's Guide to Catholicism'' (2005, new ed. 2008). Since 1995, he has ...

OFM Conv The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (O.F.M. Conv.) is a male religious fraternity in the Catholic Church and a branch of the Franciscan Order. Conventual Franciscan Friars are identified by the affix O.F.M. Conv. after their names. They are ...

(2000–13) * Mgr

Mark Langham Mark Anthony Edmund Langham (28 November 1960 – 15 January 2021) was a Catholic priest who served in parishes in his native London, in the Vatican as an official working on inter-church relations and latterly as Catholic chaplain to the Univers ...

(2013–21) *Dom Alban Hood OSB (2021–22) *Fr Paul Keane (2022-)

References

External links

Fisher House website
{{Diocese of East Anglia Christian organizations established in 1896 Roman Catholic churches in Cambridge Organisations associated with the University of Cambridge Buildings and structures in Cambridge University and college chapels in the United Kingdom Roman Catholic chapels in England