King’s Lynn ‘largest’ church packed for First Communion

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King’s Lynn ‘largest’ church packed for First Communion

The largest chapel of ease in England ' in King's Lynn ' was packed with young Catholic First Communion candidates and their families on May 7 for a glorious occasion as Edd Chomicz reports.


Sunday May 7 was a day to be remembered and celebrated by the first Holy Communion Candidates in the Catholic Parish of King's Lynn.

For months beforehand, 70 young people had been preparing to receive the Eucharist by attending catechism classes. As the numbers were very large in the Parish, the youngsters were divided into two groups. The catechists worked together to share and portray exactly the same preparatory information.

The majority of them, 58 in total, achieved their first Holy Communion on May 7, a dozen others will have a Syromalabar Communion service in June.

Previously, the Catholic Parish of Our Lady of the Annunciation, King's Lynn, has used its churches of Our Lady's, Holy Family church and have borrowed the Minster. However, the size of the candidates group has nearly doubled, and a larger church was required.

The Parish organized the use of St Nicholas Chapel, for this special occasion.

St Nicholas Chapel is a grand medieval church and is the largest chapel of ease in England. It was built around 1419 but in 1989 it was declared redundant and the Churches Conservation Trust now cares for it. A chapel-of-ease is a church which is not a parish church

The Chapel was full on May 7 as candidates, together with their families and parishioners of the Parish filled the pews.

One of the Trust volunteers present said: "It gave me goosebumps to understand the original purpose of the chapel and to see it used, as intended, in its full glory ' amazing!"

It certainly was an amazing day for all involved.

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