Other White Fathers and White Sisters You May Have Known





(Source: An article by Eddie Barnes in the Scottish Catholic Observer, July 2000 - sent in by Eugene MacBride)

Fr Stevie Collins
Fr Collins was based at Heston for a period during the fifties, as I recall—or was a very regular visitor.
A veteran of over 40 years missionary work in Uganda, he is now officially retired (believe that if you will)
and living in Ealing. Click here to read the article in which this photo featured.

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(Source: White Fathers & White Sisters magazine — lent by Mike Mearns)

Fr Arthur Prentice—the first English White father
This photo was taken in 1962 when he was 90.

The magazine caption read: "Ordained in 1903, he was appointed to Uganda the following year.
He travelled to Rome for the beatification of the Martyrs of Uganda in 1921 and then spent
6 years teaching at The Priory and the seminary of Philosophy, returning to Uganda in 1927."

People were very fond of Fr Prentice, who joined Heston parish at the age of 79 in 1951.
He was incredibly old to us altar-servers, of course ; I doubt if any of us had met anyone
of that age before. He said Mass up in 'the choir'—a second floor over the entrance to
the church— where there was a little altar which seemed to have been his, alone.

When time permits, more details of his life will be provided.
Did you know, for example, that Arthur was a convert ?

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(L-R): Fr Frank Briody and Fr Joseph Ryce
When they were seminarians.

These are the only photos I have at the moment, I'm afraid. I think that these two priests
served at the parish during the fifties. Fr Briody was Superior at Heston and later went on
to takethe role of Provincial Treasurer.

Have you got some better pictures to replace these, please ?

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(Source : Celiar, sister of Fr Kevin Wiseman)

Fr Bernard Gaffney WF, as military chaplain
— one of the priests who helped run the parish during Fr Maguire's illness

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(Source: White Fathers & White Sisters magazine)

Sister Alice Lynch WS - or "Sister St Patrick" as most of us knew her

If you read the tribute to Sister St Patrick (on Page 4 of the Obituaries section)
you'll probably agree with all the nice things said about her — whether you
knew her well or not. Although I was only a young lad when she was at Heston convent
and she was Mother Superior, she was always very pleasant to me and I remember
that she was held in real affection by my family. This photo of her is immediately
recognisable : see the kind smile and the twinkle in her eye ?

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(Source: Sr Mary Potts)

The late sister Mary Potts WS - or "Sister St Mary of Walsingam" as you may have known her
This photo of Sr Mary was taken when she was resident at Blacklion in 1954/55 — only a short while
after a long spell at the White Sisters' convent at Heston, where, at the age of 20, she was professed.
Mary lived in retirement near Newquay, Cornwall, but maintained very clear memories of her time at Heston.


A Collection of photos donated by Sr Mary



(source: Sr Mary Potts)


Mary, as Mother Provincial in Washington, meets the equally famous Bishop Fulton Sheen

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(source: Sr Mary Potts)


Sr Mary and her mother, probably taken in the grounds of the convent at Heston 1949.

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(source: Sr Mary Potts)


A blustery day at Blacklion (1954/55 ?)
(L-R) :
German nun, Dutch nun, Sr St Patrick and Mary.

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(source: Sr Mary Potts)

Bishop Holmes-Siedle and Mary's parents — probably at their retirement home in Cornwall.
(Bp Holmes was a long-time friend of the family)

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(source: Sr Mary Potts)


Heston Parish grounds, 1954/55 : Harry Tait and unnamed fellow
worker,standing by the Shrine that they presumably built themselves

Can someone help me out with this one please ?
I knew Harry well and I can't identify either of these men.
Harry Tait (father of John and Paul whom you may have met at St Columba's or
The Priory) was a builder by trade, I believe, and worked as jack-of-all-trades and
master-of-all at Heston parish — firstly when it was run by the WFs and later by the
diocese. IF Harry is pictured above, he would certainly be the man on the left.

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(source: Sr Mary Potts)

Bishop Walsh (left) with Fr Jack Maguire.

This is likely to have been taken in 1948 or after, when
Frank Walsh took over from Fr Maguire as parish priest at Heston.

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(source: Sr Mary Potts)

Fr Walsh, when he was parish priest at Heston.
Later, in September 1951, he was appointed Bishop of Aberdeen
(Click here to read his biography)


(source: Sr Mary Potts)


Bishop Walsh, at Aberdeen