History
Introduction, Foundation of the parish, The church, The presbytery, The clergy, Parish, Congregation, Spiritual, Education, Social and economic, Some notable events, Acknowledgements
Preface
Knowing a person well means knowing their personal history, the background, events and influences that have made them what they are. Equally to learn the history of a place or an institution is the best way of coming to know it and what it stands for.
The history traditionally learned at school was history writ large, the deeds of great men and women moving on the broad stage of the world. But local history also has its importance and its value and perhaps reveals deeper truths. Catholic faith especially values the small and local, the embodied and handled, the cherished and conserved.
So we are grateful to Chris Towers for writing this history of St Osmund’s which brings to light the things and persons involved in its origins and its growth; when the past is understood, the present is illuminated and the future can be viewed with hope and planned for.
Rt Rev Mgr Kevin Nichols MA, Holy Family, Darlington
