Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ since 1985
Here’s what God has been doing since then and where we feel He is calling us to go.
Our History
Mark well the road by which you have travelled, Jeremiah 31:21
The Prince of Peace Community is a Catholic Charismatic Community founded in 1985 by Myles and Joan Dempsey in south-east London to spread the Gospel.
On the 26th of August 1985, Myles attended the Lion of Judah Catholic Charismatic Conference in Ars, France, and was deeply moved by the crowd’s fervour. Whilst standing at the famous statue of the Cure d’Ars, Myles prayed to the Lord, “This is France, what about England?” Immediately he received the words, ‘New Dawn, Walsingham.’
Two years later in 1987, the Community held the first New Dawn Conference in the fields of Walsingham with over 800 participants. Until 2024, New Dawn took place in Walsingham each year attracting thousands of pilgrims from across the UK and the world.
Before his passing on 12th June 2018, Myles passed the mantle onto Gary and Joanne Stephens as leaders of the Community and the New Dawn Conference.
Our Vision
The reconversion of England
In 1897, Pope Saint Leo XIII prophesied that, “When England returns to Walsingham, Mary will return to England”.
Under the patronage of Our Lady of Walsingham, our vision is nothing less than the reconversion of England, Mary’s ‘Dowry’ through the preaching of the Gospel accompanied by signs and wonders.
Our Mission
Building a City of the Immaculate
We are inspired by St Maximilian Maria Kolbe. It was his hope that a ‘City of the Immaculate’ (in Polish, Niepokalanow) would be founded in every country. In these cities, the Blessed Virgin would be recognised as Queen and the friars who lived there would work tirelessly under their Heavenly patroness so as to aid the Immaculata’s missionary mandate to win all souls for her Divine Son, Jesus Christ.
In a letter dated 30th July 1932, St Maximilian wrote, “May the Lord wish for a Niepokalanow to be established in England as well. After all, if She wants, the Immaculata will overcome all difficulties and establish Niepokalanow in every nation”. This would happen twenty later. In 1955, the English Niepokalanow was founded in Manchester by Fr Jan Burdyszek, OFM Conv at All Saints Barton.
Serving the New Evangelisation in England, our mission now is to build a ‘City of the Immaculate’ in Manchester through All Saints Mission Hub.
Our Home
All Saints Shrine Barton
On the eve of the Solemnity of All Saints 2024, the Community took up residence at All Saints Shrine, Barton-upon-Irwell in Manchester. Steeped in English Catholic history, All Saints is deeply connected to the de Trafford Family. Built between 1865 and 1868 at the sole expense of Sir Humphrey de Trafford who wanted a grand Church to be erected to the glory of God, All Saints was designed by the great Gothic architect of the period, Edward Welby Pugin, and is now known as “Pugin’s masterwork”.
All Saints lies adjacent to Barton Road Swing Bridge and the more famous Swing Aqueduct, both of which span the Manchester Ship Canal. Its lesser-known name is the Church of the City of Mary Immaculate and for many years The Crusader of Mary Immaculate magazine was produced and distributed to subscribers all over the world from All Saints Printing Press building.
Providentially, All Saints has a direct link to Walsingham Abbey through a stoop in its outer courtyard dedicated to Our Lady. Engraved on the stoop are the words: “Walsingham Abbey 1130–1538”. During the Dissolution of the monasteries, the stoop was salvaged out of Walsingham and somewhere along the line made its way to All Saints.
Our Charism
All the Lights On
“I have laid the foundations, now build the building… I want the beauty of the Church to be seen in all her splendour; the Church with all its lights on and all its aspects celebrated – the Charismatic, the Liturgical, the Marian, the Eucharistic, the Sacramental, the Mystical – and for the whole family to be there.”
Treasuring the legacy of Myles and Joan Dempsey, we want to show the beauty of the Church in all her splendour here at All Saints – the Church with all its lights on. This is what we hope every person who comes to our events experiences, so that they can discover and fall in love with Jesus Christ in His Church. Finally, since ‘all roads lead to Walsingham’, our firm commitment is to point England back to Walsingham.
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