About Us

EARLY BEGINNINGS OF THE PARISH

Jean- Francois Volckeryck, born at Puttenen,in the Parish of Lokeren, East Flanders, Belgium, on 7th February> 1828, was the son of Petrus

Volckeryck and Livina Vervaet- well-to-do independent farmers. 

Educated at the principal seminary in Ghent (Le Grand Seminaire de Gand),  Father Volckeryck was ordained to the priesthood on 29th June, 1853, and subsequently became Cure of Lotenhulle> East Flanders. In I 86o he

offered himself for service on 'the English Mission', was assigned to the Southwark diocese, and appointed by Bishop Grant as missionary Rector of the Church of St. Thomas at St. Helier, Jersey.

Histoire Religieuse de L’ale de Jersey by Baron E. de Demuin (published in 1893) records Father Volckeryck's nineteen years of zealous and devoted work in Jersey.

With the help of rich and charitable families in Belgium and France he founded a school and convent, built in the adjoining parish of St. Lawrence the church of St. Matthew, and by 1879 had raised the sum of £2,000 towards the cost of a double purpose-the building of a

new school for boys and a new and larger church of St. Thomas, which was not completed until 1887, some eight years after Father Volckeryck had left Jersey. Greatly loved and respected by the islanders, they learnt of his departure in March, 1879, with shock and dismay. Father Volckeryck remained devoted to his former parish St Thomas for -the

rest of his life.

There can be little doubt that when he came to Dorkin a period of rest was necessary, the people of Jersy have recorded in a testimonial presented to him that 'not only did you donate to us your personal wealth, but also your health greatly suffered , weakened by worry, overwork and privations which you imposed on yourself'.

The early years of Father Volckeryck's miniistry at Dorking cannot have been easy for him, coming from what was then a predominantly Catholic Island and far from his Catholic homeland. He could neither speak or write English very well: 'I try to get round with my English  as best I can but it is a deal of trouble' he wrote to the Bishop in  1879. He represented a faith which was regarded by the great majority of the people in whose midst he had come to live as somewhat alien and not in keeping with the English way of life. However, he was undaunted, and by his work and example did much to remove old fears and prejudices

gaining the respect and affection of all creeds and classes in the town.



The only parish records of Father Volckeryck's time to survive are a book containing entries of receipts and payments during the period from 1sth June, 1879, to 29th June, 1903, and a notice book commencing in 1897 which is continued by Father Volckeryck's successor. Even these records are brief and not easy to follow, some of the entries being in Flemish. The account book continues the earlier story of the difficult