From Tenby to Carmarthen
The Passionist mission in South Wales began not at Carmarthen but at Tenby. The foundation was one of several in England and Wales established by Fr Vincent Grogan CP, and his obituary gives a concise account of its origins and transfer:
"A house of the Congregation was also established by him in South Wales (first at Tenby and afterwards transferred to Carmarthen, where there was a suitable church, which promises to be a very fruitful and permanent establishment for the religious and for the work of the Congregation."
The Golden Jubilee Souvenir published in 1939 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the foundation as reckoned from 1889; the Centenary Souvenir Brochure of 1952 records the foundation year as 1852. Both are held in the Provincial Archive.
Sources: Obituary of Fr Vincent Grogan CP (Provincial Archive); Carmarthen: St Mary's Retreat, Golden Jubilee Souvenir 1939 (Provincial Archive); Carmarthen: St Mary's Retreat, Centenary 1952 Souvenir Brochure (Provincial Archive).
The Principal Mission for South Wales
By 1911 Carmarthen had become the hub of a substantial Passionist presence across South Wales. An article in the Cross Bulletin (Vol. II, 1911–12) described the scope of the mission:
"SEEING that the Passionist Fathers, with their principal mission at Carmarthen and outlying stations at Llandrindod ('Trinity Church'), Ammanford and Abermarlais, have now spiritual charge of a very considerable tract of South Wales, and this in a district where the language, traditions and racial peculiarities of the old Cymric Celts hold their ground stubbornly against Anglicising influences, some account of their home among the Cambrian hills may be of interest to many readers of THE CROSS."
Source: Cross Bulletin, Vol. II (1911–12)
The Stone Building
The present stone building at St Mary's Retreat was erected by Fr Martin Byrne CP during his time as Superior there. His obituary records:
"At another time he was Superior of St. Mary's Retreat, Carmarthen, where he erected the present beautiful stone building to replace the old and inconvenient Retreat."
Source: Obituary of Fr Martin Byrne CP. Provincial Archive.
The Alumniate
St Mary's served for a period as the Alumniate of the Province — a house of preliminary studies for young men preparing to enter the Passionist Novitiate. Boys came to Carmarthen from an early age: the obituary of Fr Dermot Cronin CP records that he was born in Highgate in 1894 and "at the age of 14 he left home for the Alumniate, which was then at Carmarthen." From there he entered the novitiate at Enniskillen in 1911.
The Cross Bulletin for 1911–12 confirms that the Alumniate was active at Carmarthen at that time:
"There are now eleven alumni pursuing their studies here in preparation for admission to the Passionist Novitiate at the The Graan, Enniskillen."
Sources: Obituary of Fr Dermot Cronin CP (Provincial Archive); Cross Bulletin, Vol. II (1911–12).
The Schools
Attached to St Mary's Retreat were schools conducted by the Sisters of the Holy Ghost. The Cross Bulletin for 1911–12 reported their reopening after the summer holidays, and noted that since the expulsion of religious from France, no fewer than ten convents of the Sisters of the Holy Ghost had been established in Wales — a development the writer regarded as a significant contribution to the Catholic revival in the Principality.
Source: Cross Bulletin, Vol. II (1911–12). Note: the OCR of this passage is fragmented and the text cannot be given verbatim.
Devotional Life of the Parish
The same volume of the Cross Bulletin records the religious life of the congregation at St Mary's:
"Evidence of the practical devotion of the parishioners of St. Mary's was given by their good attendance at the Lenten and Paschal ceremonies, as well as by the large number of communicants on Holy Thursday and Easter Sunday."
The same report notes that Rossini's Stabat Mater was creditably rendered by the choir on Good Friday evening, and that Solemn High Mass was sung on Easter Sunday.
Source: Cross Bulletin, Vol. II (1911–12)
Rectors of St Mary's
Fr Urban Young CP served as Rector of St Mary's from 1917. His obituary records: "In 1917 he was transferred to St. Mary's Retreat, Carmarthen, as Rector. Then followed a short period as Director of a class of Student-priests at St. Anne's Retreat, Sutton. From 1921 till 1938 he was a member of the Community of St. Mary's Retreat, Herne Bay, Kent."
Source: Obituary of Fr Urban Young CP. Provincial Archive.
Jubilee Publications
Two commemorative publications mark the major milestones of St Mary's Retreat. The Golden Jubilee Souvenir 1939: Passionist Fathers in Carmarthen (S. Wales) was published in May 1939. The Centenary 1952 Souvenir Brochure appeared in August 1952 and includes illustrations of the various bishops connected with the house, the community in 1952, and photographs of the church as it appeared in 1852 and in 1952. Both are held in the Provincial Archive.
Sources: Carmarthen: St Mary's Retreat, Golden Jubilee Souvenir 1939; Carmarthen: St Mary's Retreat, Centenary 1952 Souvenir Brochure. Provincial Archive.