George de Serionne continued his good work not only in Stow but also at Witney, Carterton and Eynsham, until sadly, on his way by motor cycle, between Bourton and Witney, in March, 1939, he met with an accident, was thrown heavily to the ground and seriously injured his spine. Although he struggled on for a while, in 1941 he had to relinquish his Cotswold mission and left to live at Ampleforth. He lived on in somewhat better health until the night of 27th January, 1960, when he suffered a severe stroke and died four days later without regaining consciousness. After a requiem at Ampleforth, his body was taken to be buried at Chipping Campden in the Cotswold countryside that he loved so well.

In February 1942, Father John O'Donnell became the first resident priest-in-charge.

When he founded the church at Stow- on-the-Wold, George de Serionne dedicated it to "Our Lady and Saint Kenelm". Saint Kenelm was the martyred boy-king of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia, whose chief city was Winchcombe. 

He succeeded his father, King Kenulf, who in 798 had built the great abbey of Winchcombe, which, after the martyrdom, was dedicated to Saint Kenelm in whose honour a great shrine was raised. This magnificent shrine, which attracted much devotion throughout the country for centuries brought many travellers along the pilgrim ways to Winchcombe.

Along the route, several churches dedicated to the Saint still stand, including, Minster Lovell, Enstone, Sapperton and Upper Snodbury.

At the Dissolution, ordered by Henry VIII, the task of destroying the abbey was entrusted to Thomas, Lord Seymour of Sudeley. He performed his task so well that  no trace of it now remains.