Description:Full biography of Canon Hopkins, also available as a downloadable file.
The honour which the Chapter of St. Chad’s Roman Catholic Cathedral, Birmingham, have just conferred upon Father Hopkins, of the Church of St Francis, Hunter’s Road, in appointing him to the canonry left vacant by the death of Canon Action, M.A., has been won by long and arduous years of devoted work for the great Mother Church and the good of man. Those who are in a position to speak with authority are confident that a harder worker or better pastor than the Roman Catholic Rector of Handsworth, is not to be found among the clergy of the diocese: from which it may be inferred that more popular appointment could not have been made. That we believe is the case. The portrait we are privileged to reproduce as a frontispiece was taken by a Bournemouth photographer and though not the most recent is considered an exceptionally good one.
Canon Hopkins was born in Birmingham on November 29th 1845 and is therefore in the 54th year of his age. In 1854 he was sent by his parents to Ratcliffe College, near Leicester and made rapid progress under the tuition of the Rosminians or Fathers of Charity, carrying off many prizes and giving early evidence of a robust intelligence. From his earliest year it was his intention to enter the priesthood.
In 1859 he entered Oscott College as a student and remained in that renowned seat of learning ten years, finishing he course of classics and studying philosophy and divinity. He distinguished himself by taking first prize for divinity and was very painstaking in all his studies. Among his class fellows were many who have since gained for themselves honourable positions, notably the late Hon. Christopher Redington, Commissioner of Education for Ireland, Vincent Scully, Q.C., M.P., The Very Rev. Antonio Plancart(Bishop in Mexico), Bishop Allen of Shrewsbury and Bishop Isley of Birmingham.
Ordained priest on March 27th 1869, by Bishop Ullathorne, Father Hopkins was at once appointed to assist the aged Father Kelly at Tamworth. He stayed there until 1874, serving a particularly hard apprenticeship but earning golden opinions. Of the many successful schemes which owed their inception to his busy brain not the least in importance was one which secured for Tamworth commodious and well appointed Catholic Schools. Upon his departure from this parish he was presented with a handsome testimonial in the shape of an illuminated address and four folio breviaries.
From 1874 until Christmas 1881 he held the important position of professor of classics and mathematics at Oscott and under the presidency of Dr Hawkesford he discharged also the responsible duties of prefect of studies. Failure of sight compelled him to give up professional work and in July 1882 he was appointed to the mission of St Mary’s, Handsworth, in place of Provost Bagnall who was retiring in consequence of the infirmities of age.
Father Hopkins had not been in Handsworth long before he decided that the little convent chapel which had done duty for close upon half-a-century was quite inadequate for the fast increasing body of worshippers. The building had been outgrown. He therefore set on foot a scheme for building a church capable of meeting all the requirements of the mission for some years to come. From Mr John Hardman he purchased the site of the present church and shortly afterwards, when Mr Hardman went to Edgbaston to reside, he bought his house to use as a presbytery.
The foundation stone of the new church of St Francis, Hunter’s Road, was laid by his lordship the Bishop of Birmingham in May 1893. Canon Scoles, who was an architect before admission to the orders and who has designed a number of beautiful buildings for the Church prepared the plans and the sacred edifice which was built at a cost of £4,000 to seat 700 persons, was opened by Cardinal Vaughan in the presence of a brilliant assembly in February 1894. during the Gordon Riots when Anti-papal feeling was at its highest in this country, a Birmingham mob destroyed the old Franciscan Mass House in what is now known as Mass House Lane and the last Franciscan Friar in charge expressed the wish that when quiet was restored, another Church should be erected in the locality and dedicated to his glorious Saint and Patriarch the Poor Man of Assissi. In the Church Records of St Peter’s, Broad Street, we find the good father’s wish thus expressed:
“I humbly desire my superiors yt they will use theyr endeavours when Catholic times are settled, which I doubt not will be ere long, to have this church and convent rebuilt, those yt destroyed it weare ye occasion, will or ought in justice administer money to doe it.”
The dedication of this church in Handsworth in honour of St Francis carries out the good man’s humble desire.
The congregation has grown so rapidly that already the church hardly meets the needs of the district. A new mission has been opened at Witton and many who formerly worshipped at St Francis now congregate there, but even so at the Sunday morning services even the aisles are crowded. Since the opening of the church much has been done towards completing the adornment of the interior. The Sanctuary and Lady Chapel have been richly decorated a handsome alter stone and reredoes have been added and several stained glass windows have been put in.
Within the last two months a most useful addition to the church has been made, a baptistery in the form of a hexagon having been built. It is now proposed to decorate the aisles of the church.
Canon Hopkins has done much valuable work in the cause of education both during the six years when he sat on the Aston School Board and more recently as a member of the Handsworth School Board. The Shrewdness with which he watches the interests of the ratepayers is shown by a little episode at a recent meeting of the Board. A proposal being made to spend a large sum of money in fitting up the Board Schools with the electric light he opposed it with the remark that if any member of the Board owned the buildings himself he would not hesitate two minutes before dismissing the idea, seeing that the schools only require to be lighted for school purposes, an hour or so five days a week during the winter months.
In addition to his work on the Aston School Board and afterwards on the Handsworth School Board he has served on all the most important Diocesan committees.
He is not the first canon in his family, his uncle the Very Rev. Henry Hopkins, being a canon of the diocese of Shrewsbury. One of his nephews is priest-in-charge of Golden Hill, whilst another is a Jesuit scholastic. His brother the Very Rev. Frederick Hopkins, S.J. (Society of Jesus) is vicar-apostolic of British Honduras and holds quasi-Episcopal powers and three of his nieces are professed nuns at the famous Benedictine Convent at Stambroke. Mr William Hopkins of Erdington, a brother of the subject of our sketch is a member of the Aston Board of Guardians and has held that position for a great number of years.
The installation of the new canon will take place in all probability on Easter Tuesday at St Chad’s Cathedral when the Cathedral Chapter will meet for the first time since the appointment. The Lord Bishop of Birmingham will preside at the installation.
At a well-attended meeting of St Francis’ congregation held on March 5th 1899, it was unanimously decided “That our pastor having received the dignity of Canon of St Chad’s Cathedral the opportunity be taken of showing our high appreciation of and respect for him.” It was resolved (a) That he be presented with his Canonical Robes; also with a set of High Mass Vestments. (b) That there be no canvassing; all subscriptions to be PURELY VOLUNTARY.