Our Lady of Hal and Camden Town
It was a different story for Hal in 1919. After the 1st World War Belgium, the cockpit of Europe, lay devastated. The Belgium’s are one of the great missionary peoples of Catholicism (remember Fr Damien of Molakai) and the Missionary Fathers of Scheut, also known as the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, were determined to establish a base from which they could direct their missionary efforts and be safe from the disruption of invasion. Their eyes turned towards their wartime ally – Britain. Many Belgian refugees were already resident in London and a church here would serve the double purpose of being a refuge for the Belgian community of London and a base for missionary activities.
They explored London and eventually settled on a site in Camden Town. They were impressed by the cheapness of the property market here!!! They built a small chapel (the Little Hut) on the opposite side of the road from the present church and threw open their doors to the local Catholic community in early 1922. It was the first Catholic church in the immediate area and was soon bursting at the seams, particularly as the Irish became the dominant migrant group in Camden town.
By 1933 the Belgian Fathers felt a permanent Church was justifiable and they commissioned the Irish architect, Wilfred Mangan, to design and build a place of worship for them that would reflect its Belgian origins. The Fathers did not forget where they came from. A copy of the original, miraculous statue that still stands as protectress of the people of Hal was placed in a chapel in the south side of the church and the result is the Our Lady of Hal that we know today.
The Belgian connection lasted right into recent times and many of us will remember the Belgian clergy that served Camden so well.
Parish Growth
By 1933 the Belgian Fathers felt a permanent Church was justifiable and they commissioned the Irish architect, Wilfred Mangan, to design and build a place of worship for them that would reflect its Belgian origins. The Fathers did not forget where they came from. A copy of the original, miraculous statue that still stands as protectress of the people of Hal was placed in a chapel in the south side of the church and the result is the Our Lady of Hal that we know today.
The Belgian connection lasted right into recent times and many of us will remember the Belgian clergy that served Camden so well.
In 1982 all the remaining Belgian Fathers but one were recalled to Belgium, and the Diocese of Westminster took over the running of the parish
.
The Belgian connection is kept alive by regular pilgrimages to Hal and the Scheut Fathers.
Our Lady of Hal is now a vigourous and energetic parish and part of the mainstream of the Diocese of Westminster – thanks to the dedication of those Missionary Fathers of Scheut; to the devotion of the Belgian people of Our Lady and to the Belgian Connection.
Modern Day Hal
Modern Hal is a prosperous town just outside Brussels on the old southern road to Mons and then on to France. It is in the Flemish speaking province of Brabant and is the National Pilgrimage Centre of overwhelmingly Catholic Belgium. It is sometimes known as Mariastad or Mary’s City. Thousands of the faithful still flock here every year and the biggest event is in September when the pilgrims progress around Hal stopping to pray at each of the mini-chapels that are dotted around the town.