Welcome!

Welcome to the website of the Roman Catholic Parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and St Joseph, Battersea Park in the Archdiocese of Southwark, and in the care of the Missionary Society of St Paul of Nigeria who are working in many dioceses in the England, Scotland and Wales, and in many parts of the world.

Our Parish is continually growing and constantly changing, it is alive, and this is reflected in our site. Our website is a guide to our Parish and to the community we serve. We invite you to browse our website, and gain an insight into the worshipping community which gathers here. However, if you are in the Battersea Park area, we welcome you to come and visit us in person.

History

Our church building was constructed in two stages. The original church was constructed in 1868. This small chapel would have accommodated a congregation of between 50 and 70 people, and now forms our Lady's Chapel.

By 1879, the Catholic community in this area had obviously outgrown the church building, and a second building was constructed next to the original church and attached to it. This new building is much larger and more spacious. The current church building can accommodate about 200 people, which is just about right for the Catholic community in Battersea Park today.

The Church has witnessed the presence of many religious orders ministering and working with the community since its creation. In 2023 the Archdiocese of Southwark asked the Missionary Society of St Paul of Nigeria, who has worked in the Archdiocese for the past 23 years, to take on the parish. It was officially handed over to them February 1, 2023; and Rev Canon Gerard Bradley, Episcopal Vicar for South West inducted Fr Addison Okpeh, first MSP priest of the Parish, February 6, 2023.

Our neighbourhood is now in the middle of intense renewal and building: the former Battersea Power Station site is now home to the largest residential building site in Europe. Recently the parish welcomed the new state of the art Embassy of the United States of America. The parish campus is seeing many changes also: the 1970's build primary school has been demolished to make way for a brand new state of the art school to serve the educational needs of the parish. We are proud to support and recommend the excellent St Mary's RC Primary School, which is part of a first class educational federation with Sacred Heart RC Primary School in our neighbouring parish of Sacred Heart in Battersea West. A new development on parish land will fund much needed facilities for our parish that will include office space, disabled toilets, a brand new sacristy and a modern state of the art parish hall.