Our Church Today
Today, Our Lady and Saint Joseph's Church stands on the busy Balls Pond Road, with buses and other vehicles rumbling past from early morning until very late at night. It is a haven of peace from the noisy traffic outside. It is kept open for quiet, private prayer throughout the day until after evening Mass and is well used in this way. A good number of people attend weekday masses. At other times, particularly a the weekends, the church is crowded with worshipers attending Mass. It is a very colourful congregation, made up of many different nationalities and many worshippers wear their traditional dress.
Each year, very many children and young people join the First Holy Communion and Confirmation programmes while the programme for adults who wish to join the church is always well attended. Our church is certainly not one of those half-empty, dying churches that one hears about so often these days. The church and the school still maintain a strong, nurturing relationship. The children attend special Masses in the church and the church resounds with the voices of the youth of Kingsland parish. Mass is celebrated every Friday in the school, each week with a different class of children.
If Father Lockhart were to miraculously return to Kingsland today, he would surely be well pleased with what he saw. The foundations he laid 150 years were sound and strong. In spite of widespread indifference to religion in the population in general, large numbers of Catholics in Kingsland still worship regularly and try to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ in their daily lives.