In his autobiography Everything is Everything, and at public launch events, BBC journalist Clive Myrie has said that his Jamacian-born mother came to Britain carrying a note of introduction for her new parish priest (at St Patrick’s, Farnworth, Bolton), who Mryie alleges read the note but told her that her house was ‘in another diocese’ so she could not attend St Patricks. Instead she had to attend a Catholic church ‘several bus rides’ away. Myrie says of this incident:
“Why? Was it truly the suggestion that her home was on the wrong side of the road to his church by a few yards? Or was there something more sinister, something un-Godly, cruel and nasty, wicked and wrong?
“To this day my mum will not have it that this was anything, and that a Catholic priest could behave in any other way, but I was horrified to learn that the priest in Bolton had turned my mum away.”
This presentation of events is central to Myrie’s book and at the event in Chester cathedral that The Catholic Network attended, Myrie devoted almost 20 minutes to presenting this story as an indicator of British attitudes to the Windrush generation, and of the need for the Catholic Church to become more ‘inclusive’.
Several contributors – including one with direct links to the parish at the time of the event – have challenged Myrie’s account, and also the accuracy of his comments about the nearness of other Catholic churches.
We would be very happy to hear further comments on this story, and to convey to Mr Myrie any alternative narratives. Indeed, it may help Mr Myrie to come round to the view of his mother (which we included in the story):
“To this day my mum will not have it that this was anything, and that a Catholic priest could behave in any other way.”
We’d be very pleased to hear your comments.
JOSEPH KELLY
CEO, The Catholic Network
.