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AAW - Archives of the Archbishop of Westminster
- DOW - Diocese of Westminster
  - PAR - Parishes

Repository	Archives of the Archbishop of Westminster
Ref No	AAW/DOW/PAR/225
Title	West Green, St John Vianney
Level	Series
Description	In 1925 Cardinal Bourne decided that the expanding population living around West Green Road needed its own church. The new parish was formed from areas previously within the parishes of Tottenham, Wood Green, Stroud Green and Stamford Hill. A site for the church was found and a temporary chapel was officially opened in 1927. The church was served by the Canons Regular of the Lateran, who came over from Stroud Green to say the two Sunday morning Masses, until 1937, when the first parish priest, Fr Henry Bryant,was appointed, who initially rented a room in a house in Langham Road and then moved into the old house at 4 Vincent Road that was bought by the parish as a Presbytery In 1941, Fr Bryant moved to a larger parish and was replaced by Fr John Mackenzie until 1943, when Fr Roderick Cuming D.D. arrived and stayed as parish priest for the next thirty years. The temporary church was extended by the addition of a Nissen Hut in 1952. The parishioners continued to collect money for the building of a new church and work began on it in 1957. The old church was dismantled and moved to become the parish hall. During this time, daily Masses were said in the Presbytery and Sunday Masses in West Green School hall. The new church was completed in December 1958 and officially opened in April 1959 by Cardinal William Godfrey. Fr Cuming then bought No 2 Vincent Road on behalf of the parish. The houses at No 2 and at No 4 Vincent Road were then demolished and a new presbytery was built on the site. 1964 saw the completion of the Presbytery, the installation of a new organ in the church and the consecration of the church by Bishop David Cashman in the presence of Cardinal Heenan. Fr Ignatius Tonna arrived as assistant priest in the parish that year and remained there until 1975. He was instrumental in organising the renovation of the church with the help of parishioners. Fr Cuming left the parish in 1974 and was replaced by Fr Leslie Cole. This was also the year that saw the opening of the parish's own school, St John Vianney's Primary School in Stanley Road, near the church. During the 1970s, the parish began to change from being predominantly white (mainly Irish and European) to being more ethnically diverse. In 1981, the Society of African Missions Fathers (SMA) took over the running of the parish. The SMA are a missionary congregation, who traditionally work in Africa, but it was felt that with their experience of other cultures and societies they had plenty to offer the multi-racial community in Haringey. The first SMA parish priest was Fr Michael Higgins and the first assistant priest was Fr Cornelius O’Driscoll, who stayed in the parish for 20 years. In 1985 the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles (OLA) – Sr Joan Murray, Sr Finbarr and Sr De Pazzi – arrived in the parish to help. They too had worked in Africa and were able to understand the needs of parishioners from different cultural backgrounds. During the 1990s, the parish priests were Fr Dermot McCaul SMA, Fr Tom Kearney SMA and Fr Rob Morland SMA. In 1991, the parish hall was burnt down by vandals and had to be demolished. Two temporary halls were erected in its place until the parish managed to purchase and refurbish the neighbouring pub to serve as a new community space. 2003 saw the departure of the SMA fathers. Fr Rob Morland SMA was subsequently replaced by Fr Joe Ryan, appointed by the Diocese as parish priest in the autumn of that year.

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