On 28th August 1850 Viscount Feilding, together with his wife, were received into the Church. They decided that a church which they were having built on their property in North Wales should be used for Catholic worship. This is the origin of the church of St David at Pantasaph, some three miles from Holywell. It was opened on 13th October 1852.

Hearing of the friars in London, Viscount Feilding invited them to take charge of the new church at Pantasaph. He offered them the priest's house there, and promised land on which to build a friary. Today that dwelling is known as the Guest House: nothing else of the present imposing friary existed when the first Capuchins arrived at Pantasaph on 25th October 1852. Nor were the surroundings the pleasant woods and gardens that we see today.

When Fr Louis and his companions arrived the place was wild, bleak and bare. It is the labour of the friars over the years which has transformed a wilderness into an attractive place of pilgrimage. he little group of Capuchins which arrived at Pantasaph in the autunin of 1852 consisted of Frs Louis, Emidius and Anthony, all Italians, and Fr Lawrence. Fr Louis did not stay long at Pantasaph; he still cherished the project of establishing a house in London, for which purpose he had already gathered some funds before he was sent to take over Pantasaph. After little more than a year he returned to London and at length, in 1856, he set out for Canada, where he died the following year.

Pantasaph still remains a perfect setting for prayer and contemplation. Denbigh House is in the grounds of the friary and has a number of rooms which are bookable for quiet breaks and private retreats. There is also a beautiful shrine to Padre Pio that is visited by many people each year.

TEL: 01352 711053

E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Website: www.pantasaph.org.uk

 

 FRATERNITY:

 

Br. Louis Maggiore (Guardian, Padre Pio Shrine, 2nd Definitor)
Br. Keith Windsor (Vicar, Director of Retreat Centre)
Br. Paschal Burlinson (Parish Priest)
Br. Aelred Coleman

Br. John Cavanagh (Chair of Formation council, Animator of Ongoing Formation)

Br. Stephen Innes (SFO Assistant, Province Historian)