£50,000 building THE foundation stone of the Anew St. Joseph's Church at Wembley-near the Wembley Stadium-was laid on Sunday by Archbishop Godfrey.
It will accommodate 600 people and is costing £.50,000. The walls are already over half completed and the parish priest, Fr. Marriott, hopes to have Mass celebrated in the new church later this year.
It will replace the church opened 56 years ago.
The new building has been designed in the traditional basilica form by Reynolds and Scott, of Manchester.
The Archbishop remarked that this was his second visit already to Wembley; On March 9 he opened the new 2.170,000 St. Gregory's secondary Modern school at Kenton. Next Sunday he will be there again to open an extension to the Church of SS. Sebastian and Pancras at Kingsbury.
Some 800 parishioners. including the first Catholic Mayor of Wembley, Councillor Leslie Sullivan, were present at Sunday's ceremony at SI. Joseph's. The Mayor and Mayoress were accompanied by the Town Clerk and many non-Catholic aldermen, councillors and their wives.
When you think of the Wembley Stadium you may be reminded of the passage in which St. Paul speaks of those who run in the Stadium and strive for the prize. He is speaking of the race of life and says that it teaches that we are not uncertain in life's race why we are running, whither we are running and what is the prize which we are striving to grasp. "This is the fundamental thing in life. and loyalty to our Faith will enable us to fulfil this essential purpose of saving our souls and obtaining the everlasting reward."