Our Lady and St Michael's Church also known as Our Lady Star of the Sea and St Michael's Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Workington, Cumbria, England. It was built in 1876 by the

Benedictines , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

. It is located on Bank Road and Banklands to the south west of the town centre. It was designed by

E. W. Pugin Edward Welby Pugin (11 March 1834 – 5 June 1875) was an English architect, the eldest son of architect Augustus Pugin, Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin and Louisa Barton and part of the Pugin & Pugin family of church architects. His father was ...

in the

Gothic Revival style Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

and is a Grade II listed building.

History

Foundation

In 1810,

Benedictines , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

from Ampleforth Abbey who were working in Whitehaven started a mission in Workington. In 1814,

John Christian Curwen John Christian Curwen, born John Christian (12 July 1756 – 11 December 1828) was an English Member of Parliament and High Sheriff. Early life He was born on 12 July 1756. He was the eldest surviving son of John Christian of Ewanrigg, Cumberl ...

from

Workington Hall Workington Hall, sometimes called Curwen Hall, is a ruined building on the Northeast outskirts of the town of Workington in Cumbria. It is a Grade I listed building. History A peel tower was built on the site in 1362. The present house dates b ...

gave a piece of land to the Benedictines for a priory and chapel to be built on.

Construction

With the chapel being too small to accommodate the increasing local Catholic population, a new church needed to be built. The church was built next to the priory. It was finished in 1876 and designed by

in the

. The old chapel became the parish hall, which now is part of

St Joseph's Catholic High School, Workington "We listen" , established = 1929 , closed = , type = Academy , trust = Mater Christi Multi Academy Trust , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic , president ...

.Our Lady Star of the Sea and St Michael, Workington
from explorechurches.org, retrieved 5 February 2022 In the church, the high altar and the statue of Our Lady and the Sacred Heart are made from Caen stone. In 1882, statues from

Jervaulx Abbey Jervaulx Abbey in East Witton, 14 miles north-west of the city of Ripon, was one of the great Cistercian abbeys of Yorkshire, England, dedicated to St Mary in 1156. It is a Grade I listed building. The place name ''Jervaulx'' is first atteste ...

were installed in the Lady Chapel. From 1876 to the 1930s the stained glass were installed in the church and were made by Hardman & Co. and Frances Barnett of Leith. In 1906, the organ was installed, it is a Grade II pipe organ by

William Hill & Sons William Hill & Son was one of the main organ builders in England during the 19th century. The founder William Hill was born in Spilsby, Lincolnshire in 1789. He married Mary, the daughter of organ-builder Thomas Elliot, on 30 October 1818 i ...

. In 2019, the church was added to the Heritage at Risk Register by Historic England. Efforts are being made by the

congregation A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: *Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administra ...

to raise funds to repair the church.

Developments

With the population of Workington increasing in the 20th century,

missions Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion * Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

from the church were started that became separates parishes. In 1964, a parish was created for the Westfield area of Workington. From 1966, Catholics met in a church hall there. In October 1982, a new church, St Gregory's Church was

consecrate Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

d by the Auxiliary Bishop of Lancaster, Thomas Pearson. It was designed by the architectural firm Harry Walters & Livesey. In 2009, the church was handed over by the Benedictine monks to the Diocese of Lancaster.Our Lady Star of the Sea and St Michael Church
from Religiana.com, retrieved 5 February 2022

Parish

On 8 April 2012 the parish of Christ the Good Shepherd, Workington was formed, comprising Our Lady and St Michael's Church, St Gregory's Church in Westfield and St Mary's Church in

Harrington Harrington (or Harington) may refer to: People as a surname * Harrington (surname) People as a forename * Arthur Raikes (Arthur Edward Harington Raikes, 1867–1915), British army officer *Charles Harrington Elster, American writer *Edward Josep ...

. Our Lady and St Michael's Church has two Sunday Masses at 10:30am and 6:00pm. St Gregory's Church has a Sunday Mass at 9:30am and St Mary's Church has its Sunday Mass at 6:00pm on Saturday.Parishes
from Diocese of Lancaster, retrieved 5 February 2022

References

External links

* {{Diocese of Lancaster Grade II listed churches in Cumbria Workington Roman Catholic churches in Cumbria Gothic Revival church buildings in England Gothic Revival architecture in Cumbria Roman Catholic Diocese of Lancaster 1876 establishments in England Roman Catholic churches completed in 1876 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom E. W. Pugin church buildings Grade II listed Roman Catholic churches in England