In a letter dated 04.04.1962 written by Fr. Josef Zihler S.J. to the very first Vicar-General of Zurich, Alfred Teobaldi in which he expessed the joy of the British/American community joy of the possibility of them being able to attend Mass in English is the the first indication of the existence of an Engligh-speaking community in the city of Zurich. He had already commenced catechism classes for the English-speaking children and had gone on to celebrate the first Holy Masses in English. This news spread widely and parents of the children that attended the catechism classes eagerly asked him when the Mass in English was to begin.

Amid his busy schedule of dealing with the administration in the Jesuit Apologetic Institute in Zurich from 1941-1964, and among his many other interests and activities Fr. Josef somehow found time to be the first to cater for the pastoral needs of the English-speaking Catholics. Fr. Josef’s sudden death on the 10th 0f December 1969 from a heart attack came as a shock and disbelief to all who knew him.

The «Intenational Catholic Echo», a monthly trilingual magazine in English, French and Spanish printed in Geneva had in its December, 1962 edition an article tittled ‘The English-speaking Catholics in Zurich now have their own Chaplain’. This article was submitted to the magazine by a Claretian priest , Fr. Gereon H. Hagspiel C.M.F. to whom Father Josef had handed over the running of the English-speaking Catholics in Zurich. In this article he wrote that thanks to the then Vicar-General of Zurich, Rt. Rev. Msgr. A. Teobaldi, that special services for the English-speaking Catholics was started in the city of Zurich in May 1962.

Fr. Gereon was employed part-time and had neither a permanent mission centre nor a car to cover the vast area for which he was administering. Mass was therefore celebrated on the first and second Sundays of the month at 11am in the Chapel of the Theodosianum Hospital - now knwon as Altersheim Klus Park - which was the first Catholic hospital in the city of Zurich and was under the jurisdiction of St. Anton’s parish. Confessions were heard before Mass and appointments had to be made for consultations. Fr. Gereon was eventually transfered to Vienna.

Fr. Stefan Bartylla C.M.F. who then lived and worked in Schwyz, took over the administration of the English-speaking Catholic community from the Summer of 1963. He also had other duties in Canton Schwyz and as such was not able to do more for the English-speaking community in Zurich. In Autumn 1964, Fr. Stefan returned to Germany.

Worthy of note is that in November, 1963, three parishioners - Guy F. Lorrima, Robert McCoy and Vasco Morais - had written to the VIcar- General thanking him for the temporary provision made fiôr the English-speaking Catholics, however, they felt that a more permanent solution shoud be sought. The Vicar-General did respond and asked them to make an appointment to meet with him.

At that time, the Vicar-General of Zurich was passionately fighting to have the state cannonically recognise the Roman Catholic Church in Canton Zurich - a battle which was finally won in 1963. So, when on the 1st of January, 1964 the church tax was introduced in Canton Zurich, the Roman catholich Church was able to get funding for its pastoral work. This also looked like a permanent solution for the English-speaking Catholics of Zurich.

Fr John Mckay, a 28-year-old Claretiant, took over the running of the English-Speaking Catholics in Zurich while staying at the Claritian house already established in Zurich. He recieved a budget from the ‘Verband der Röm.-Kat. Kirchgemeinden der Stadt Zürich’. He also recieved a salary of6‘000 francs p.a. On the 18th day of August, 1965 he recieved permission from the Vicar General to use a car for his pastoral work. In October of this same year, he asked for Father V. Ammann, the parisih priest of St. Laurentius Church in Winterthur-Wülfingen to permit him to celebrate english Masses at 6pm, beginning on the 7th of November, in the Crypt of the Church. About 30-40 people from Winterthur and the surrounding area were expected to attend. Confessions were heard from 5:30pm prior to Mass.

- to be continued