ALAN DISHMAN R.I.P.
Alan died on January 10th 2003. His funeral mass was held on Saturday, 18th @ 10.00. The church was overflowing with family and friends from the many activities in which Alan either took part or helped. Although a very sad occasion, there was light relief from Father Denis O'Gorman who concelebrated with Father Bryan Storey.John Dishman (son)gave an outstandingly appreciative talk. Father Bryan spoke movingly of the huge asset that Alan had been to our church and to himself since he came to our mission church thirty two years ago.The something special about Alan which was appreciated by so many was Father Bryan said,due to his Faith in God and great devotion to the Blessed Virgin. Alan's children were also (apparently)light hearted as they shared some of their memories of their childhood in Tintagel and a very loving father of many talents. Alan's direct family went to Bodmin after the service at St Paul's for a cremation.

Father Bryan Storey writes:

There is so much that could be said about Alan and his unforgettable tenacity of purpose. He grew in humility, kindness and thoughtfulness, especially through his great devotion to the Blessed Virgin. He was ready to meet Almighty God by his repentance and ever growing religious attitude. I shall miss him especially because of his reliability, dedication and helpfulness which suffered no obstacles to push on to good results. He was greatly instrumental in helping me to put up our Mission Social Centre and Priest's house. He regularly, with his devoted wife Mollie, cleaned the Church since it was built in 1968. He was, with Mollie, awarded the Bishop's medal for devoted and long service to our Church here in Tintagel. He presented this medal to the Mission as he said it belonged to all of us. His kindness is well remembered in the village, especially in connection with his days as the Village Chemist, help for Age Concern and Hospital Car Service.
ST PAUL COMES TO TINTAGEL by Mary Lamb

After a long time in jungle warfare in Assam my husband’s health was not too good, and the doctors suggested we should settle in a warmer climate than that of the East coast of England. So in 1947 we came to live in Tintagel.

Why we thought that there would be a regular Mass centre here I cannot think; but when we came we found that the Canons Regular from Bodmin came over only on Sundays to celebrate Mass in the village hall. As we both wanted to go to Mass on most days, we would get up early in the morning and drive over Bodmin Moor to attend the 7a.m.Mass at the Abbey.

How lovely it was in the hours before anyone was about! As in those days there was a strict fasting, we used to bring a thermos of coffee to drink on the way home. We ran a small hotel and were obliged to hurry back in order to be in time for breakfast.

We soon realised that this could not continue indefinitely so, after having one or two priest friends to stay with us, with permission to say Mass in our house, we decided to try to find a priest who could come to live with us.

It all seemed to happen so quickly! Canon Fellows, retired from the Westminster Diocese, came to stay with us. He was aged 82 at that time, a little slim man, extraordinarily active, walking miles every day to visit lapsed Catholics. He was an old Etonian, who went up to Cambridge after which he was called to the bar and became a Catholic. As a late vocation he was at the Beda in Rome. How very humble he was! Everyone who came in contact with him was struck by his deep holiness; he never intruded or made anyone feel at a disadvantage.

Buckfast Abbey donated all our vestments. The district nurse, Nurse Blucher, was a staunch Catholic and she asked if she could bring her statue of Our Lady to stand above our altar. She said it was rather big. I was afraid it would be one of those pale blue and pink plaster ones that I find hard to admire but when she brought it I was astonished, for its long lines were only just becoming fashionable. She said that a patient of hers on the Island of Sark(CI) had given it to her with the wish that it would one day be in a church in Tintagel.She added that prayers said before it were always answered.

Seven Catholics were able to walk to Mass (petrol was limited at that time).Every day seven people - all of us, in fact – attended the 7 a.m. Mass. Canon Fellows said that if a great parish had every one of the congregation attending daily it would be considered wonderful. However there was a feeling almost of renaissance at that time among us. Canon Fellows said that this was the first time since the Reformation that Mass had been said here every day.

So many priests stayed with us! Nearly always when I had time to slip into our chapel I found someone quietly praying. One day I found a man intently examining the statue of Our Lady. He turned to me and said that he was a close friend of Eric Gill and that he had never expected to find anything so beautifully restrained, and with such an air of grace, in a place so remote. I think he visited Nurse Blucher to find out about it.

Wherever he went Canon Fellows, old as he was, attracted people to him. Once he walked to Davidstow to visit some passing gypsies he had heard were Catholics. He warned me that next day there would be one or two more in our congregation. What was my surprise when about ten or twelve gypsies arrived! It was such a lovely sunny day.We we gave them breakfast in the garden afterwards. Other visitors staying in the hotel looked out of the windows at the colourful scene with astonishment.

Once on the Feast of the Assumption , a Summer Holy Day of Obligation which attracted a large congregation, we were unable to get the village hall for Mass. At the time there were three priests staying at our hotel. Canon Fellows, knowing that numbers of Catholic visitors from other hotels would be coming to us, arranged for priests to stand at different doors answering Mass, each with a bell, so that all the people who were kneeling through the passages could keep in touch with the Mass in the chapel.

Mr. Street, the Anglican clergyman, made friends with the Canon. He, his wife and family all became Catholics.

At last, in the early fifties, the time came for us to leave Tintagel. My husband was offered a lucrative job in London. Canon Fellows agreed to return to a parish in Buckinghamshire. We were all very sorry to leave. Nurse Blucher was in tears on one of our last days as she knelt before the statue of Our Lady.
“I pray”, she said, “that one day there will be a church here.” I answered that if there were to be one I hoped that it would be called St Paul’s, for my husband and I were married at Westminster Cathedral on January 25th, the Feast of the Conversion of St Paul.

Many years passed and in the late seventies we came down here to visit an old friend. We found that there was a Catholic church. It was called St Paul’s – and there stood our statue of Our Lady in all her modesty. I wondered at those words Nurse Blucher uttered so long ago – that prayers said before this statue have always been answered.

How I rejoice when this mission attracts Catholic families to settle in this lovely part of Cornwall. Babies baptized, first communions, marriages and funerals. We must all pray that one day it will be a parish. If you are visiting Tintagel, say an especial prayer before Our Lady’s statue. You may be sure we all pray for you and everyone visiting.

A lot has been done since those early days, but there is still so much more to do.
Building the Church
in 1967 the church was started beginning with "pegging out" in March of that year.
The photos were taken by the late Alan Dishman who was also a founder member of the mission here at Tintagel.We thank his wife,Molly for giving us permission to use these important photos documenting the construction of the church of St Paul the Apostle.



Local contractors were used to build the mission Church


Foundations in the place.The building has begun.

Alan captures the building as it progresses





Already the roof is under construction after 4 months of work






The Church was dedicated by Bishop Cyril Edward Restieaux † on 25th February 1968