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The story of the Additional Curates Society's
origins is fascinating. It
speaks about the changes in society in the middle of the nineteenth
century in England,
as well as the significant movement in the life of the
Established Church at that time. We are in the throes of the Industrial
Revolution on the one hand, and the Tractarian Movement on the other.
The two are welded together in an interesting
fashion by our lay founder -
JOSHUA WATSON. We also reflect in our story the piety and
generosity of prominent
layfolk in the early eighteen hundreds.
Joshua Watson was born on Ascension Day in 1771.
He worked in the family
business at 16 Mincing Lane in the
City of London and was a port importer. By 1812, he was able to retire
and
thereafter devote himself to good works.
His achievements were considerable. He founded The National
Incorporated
Church Building Society which built new churches and The
National Society which provided schools for the people moving
to live and
work in the new industrial areas. The Additional Curates Society was
established to provide for the
spiritual needs of people who were moving
into the new industrial estates. The clear intention was that people in these
new towns should have priests to teach the Christian Faith and minister
among them providing the sacraments of the
Church. Joshua was joined
in his endeavours by a large number of people who shared his vision and
generosity. In
1837, the subscription of £500, from King William IV,
opened the fund and ACS was born.
Joshua Watson numbered
among his friends major figures in the
Oxford Movement; Newman, Keble, Pusey, and he married the daughter
of Father
Wagner. Joshua Watson and his companions set out to put into
practical effect the ideals of the Tractarian Movement by
ensuring that the
Christian Gospel should touch the lives of the poorest in the land. The
Priesthood was seen as
a precious gift from God in the mission of the
Church. The "apostolical succession" was important and from
the
beginning to this day ACS has insisted that grants be given only to priests
licensed by the bishop and resident
in the parish.
In the early days grants were used to pay the stipend of the assistant
curate - often in full.
As the Church assumed responsibility for paying the
stipend of a curate, ACS assisted in paying for housing, and more
recently
grants have been applied to help defray the cost to the parish of
employing an assistant priest. Today
the Church faces a new situation and
new uncertainties. The great financial losses experienced by the Church
Commissioners
means that parishes are being faced with new financial
burdens. The ACS will seek to relieve these burdens, particularly
in the
least affluent parishes of the land where these hardships will be most felt.
Without doubt, many parishes
would never be able to contemplate
employing an assistant priest without assistance from ACS. Diocesan
Bishops have
always been pleased to call on ACS to enable them to place
curates in parishes needing financial help.
ACS has
always sought to respond with generosity.
Any parish may apply to ACS for a grant for an assistant priest.
Grants
are assessed by the Council and awarded on the grounds of the
parishes' financial needs and the number of people
living in the parish.
The size of a grant is determined by the income of the parish and the
amount of money available
at the time of the application. The Council
meets quarterly to consider new grants. Grants are awarded for the
duration
of the curacy. Grants are paid retrospectively and cease when the
curate moves on to another parish. A new application
has to be made by
the parish when a new assistant priest is employed.
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