by Neil Sayer, Archdiocesan Archivist

 

The last installation of an Archbishop in the former Pro Cathedral of St Nicholas, behind the Adelphi Hotel, was in 1957, and perhaps it was just as well that it was the last. The weather did its best – bright sunshine after a spell of gloomy conditions – but the dingy streets of Copperas Hill were not the best of settings for such an auspicious occasion.

 

A newspaper report disparaged the narrow cobbled street and right-angled staircase “instead of the wide flight of steps and spacious forecourt which such a ceremony demands.” The spiritual centre of the archdiocese was situated in a wasteland still scarred from the wartime blitz, next to a noisy dairy and behind “the messy hindquarters of the Adelphi hotel”, opposite “a wall topped with barbed wire and broken glass.” The reporter did not see this as a setting for pomp and expected “that those who love spectacle will be heartily glad when the new cathedral… rises to dominate Brownlow Hill.”

 

The fifth Archbishop of Liverpool was installed on 16 July 1957, in a ceremony attended by the Apostolic Delegate, the Most Rev. Gerald O’Hara, and the Archbishop of Westminster, the Most Rev. William Godfrey – Heenan’s immediate predecessor as Archbishop of Liverpool, and whom he would follow to Westminster as leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. There were also about 25 other Archbishops, Bishops and religious Provincials, and some 400 priests, among whom were Archbishop Heenan’s brother and nephew. Fr Francis Heenan, the older brother, was then Parish Priest of St Bede’s, Chadwell Heath, in Essex: “John”, he said, “was cut out for greater things.”

 

John Carmel Heenan was born in Ilford, Essex, in 1905. Trained for the priesthood at Ushaw and Rome, he was ordained priest for the diocese of Brentwood in 1930. He served first as a curate in London’s East End, and after 10 years as a Parish Priest he was appointed head of the Catholic Missionary Society. In 1951, he became Bishop of Leeds, and at the age of 51 he was announced as Liverpool’s new archbishop on 7 May 1957. His new coat of arms included allusions to Essex and Lancashire.

 

According to the service booklet, the ceremony, dating back centuries, fell into three main parts. The archbishop was met at the porch of St Nicholas’ by the Provost and canons of the Liverpool Chapter, before making a solemn entry into his Pro Cathedral. Having followed a procession up the nave and knelt in prayer, the Papal Bull of his appointment was read, and he was then enthroned by the Apostolic Delegate. The third part was Pontifical Terce, followed by High Mass celebrated by the archbishop. The Apostolic Delegate then gave a Papal Blessing and a Plenary Indulgence.

Music for the ceremony and Mass was selected by the diocesan Master of Music, Mgr J F Turner, who conducted the choir of students from the seminary at Upholland College. Lilies and gladioli provided spots of bright colour among the packed congregation. Several newspaper accounts described the event as “2½ hours of sacred splendour.”

 

The second volume of Cardinal Heenan’s autobiography (he was made a Cardinal in 1965) deals with his time in Liverpool. “A Crown of Thorns” was published in 1974, a year before his death. In it, he notes that the Pro Cathedral of St Nicholas was “pitifully inadequate for a great function.” After all the religious folk were accommodated, there was barely any room for the laity of the archdiocese, the building being able to accommodate only about 1000 people: “there was room for no more than two representatives from each parish.” A crowd of over 1000 more waited outside the Pro Cathedral to see the new Archbishop arrive and depart in procession.

 

Archbishop Heenan’s first impressions of his new archdiocese were overwhelmingly positive. “I found a diocese in splendid order both spiritually and materially”, he said. “Liverpool was alive with ebullient friendliness and religious fervour. It is renowned for demonstrative faith and the love of the laity for their clergy.” When he met his Chapter of Canons for the first time, it was like meeting old friends: “I was to discover that the warmth of the older priests reflected the traditional loyalty of Liverpool priests for their archbishop.” The affection in which the “chief pastor” was held was, he thought, unique: “Universally referred to as ‘the Arch,’ he is a shepherd beloved by the whole flock.”

 

Welcome to Liverpool, Archbishop-elect Sherrington.