The Polish Church of Sacred Heart of Jesus & St Cuthbert is a

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

serving the

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

community in

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It is a Grade II listed building.

History

There have been religious buildings on the site since the eighth century, but the current church building was originally constructed as an

Anglican church Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

in 1846–7 in a neo-Norman style, and was known simply as St Cuthbert. The architect for the north and south aisles, which were added in 1865, was

Francis Penrose Francis Cranmer Penrose FRS (29 October 1817 – 15 February 1903) was an English architect, archaeologist, astronomer and sportsman rower. He served as Surveyor of the Fabric of St Paul's Cathedral, and as President of the Royal Institute of ...

.British Listed Buildings
/ref> The north transept porch was constructed in 1907. Declared redundant by the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

in 1974, the church was subsequently purchased by the

Harpur Trust The Harpur Trust is a charity in Bedford, England. The stated aim of the charity is to help and support the people who live in and around Bedford, and to help them improve their lives by: * providing and promoting education * offering help and ...

who presented it to the Polish population of Bedford, whereupon its name was changed.

Parish

In addition to serving the Polish community, the church also hosted a regular

Tridentine Mass The Tridentine Mass, also known as the Traditional Latin Mass or Traditional Rite, is the liturgy of Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church that appears in typical editions of the Roman Missal published from 1570 to 1962. Celebrated almo ...

said by the priests of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter for a few years, but this later moved to other locations in the Diocese of Northampton before returning to another church in Bedford.

References

Sacred Heart The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus ( la, Cor Jesu Sacratissimum) is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devo ...

Former Church of England church buildings Church buildings converted to a different denomination Roman Catholic churches in Bedfordshire Poland–United Kingdom relations Polish-British culture Churches used by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter Grade II listed churches in Bedfordshire 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom {{UK-RC-church-stub