St Mary's Church or St Mary of the Annunciation Church is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

in Loughborough, Leicestershire, England. It was built in 1834 in the neoclassical style and has been served by the

Rosminians The Rosminians, officially named the Institute of Charity ( la, Institutum Caritatis), abbreviated I.C., are a Roman Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men founded by Antonio Rosmini and first organised in 1828. The ...

since 1841, it was their first church in the UK, and outside of Italy. It is located opposite the junction of Ashby Road and Radmoor Road to the west of the town centre. It is a Grade II listed building.Church of St Mary and House adjoining
Historic England, retrieved 11 May 2022

History

Construction

In 1833, Fr Benjamin Hulme came to Loughborough and started a mission there. He organised the purchasing of the site of the current church and commissioned an architect, William Flint from Leicester, to design the church. In 1834, the church and the presbytery next to it were built. Historic England
Loughborough – St Mary of the Annunciation
''Taking Stock'', retrieved 11 May 2022

Rosminians

In 1838, the

were ratified in Rome. In 1839, the first of Rosminian

vows A vow ( Lat. ''votum'', vow, promise; see vote) is a promise or oath. A vow is used as a promise, a promise solemn rather than casual. Marriage vows Marriage vows are binding promises each partner in a couple makes to the other during a weddi ...

were made. The only country the Rosminians worked in, outside of Italy, was the UK. In 1841, led by

Aloysius Gentili Aloysius Luigi Gentili (14 July 1801 Rome – 26 September 1848 Dublin) was an Italian Rosminians, Rosminian cleric. Biography Gentili's early life was that of a brilliant young man of the world. He sought admission into the Society of Jesus but ...

, they began serving the church. In 1845, from the church, they founded

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and functioned as the female coordinate institution for the all-male Harvard College. Considered founded in 1879, it was one of the Seven Sisters colleges and he ...

.Pollard, William Henry
Rosminians
''

The Catholic Encyclopedia The ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'' (also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedia'') i ...

'', retrieved 11 May 2022.

Extension

In 1920s, the church was enlarged. A new

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

and

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

entrance were added facing on to the street. They were designed by a local architect A. M. Barrowcliffe. In 1933, a new

high altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paganis ...

was

consecrated 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 ...

. In 1937, marble

altar rail The altar rail (also known as a communion rail or chancel rail) is a low barrier, sometimes ornate and usually made of stone, wood or metal in some combination, delimiting the chancel or the sanctuary and altar in a church, from the nave and oth ...

s were added. The parts of the church from before the extensions were added became the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ove ...

Lady chapel A Lady chapel or lady chapel is a traditional British term for a chapel dedicated to "Our Lady", Mary, mother of Jesus, particularly those inside a cathedral or other large church. The chapels are also known as a Mary chapel or a Marian chapel, an ...

and

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is usually located ...

Parish

St Mary's Church is its own parish. It has four Sunday Masses at 6:00pm on Saturday, 9:00am and 11:15am on Sunday and a Mass in Italian at 4:00pm on Sunday. Mass in the Traditional (1962) form in Latin is usually offered on Wednesday at 6.30pm

References

External links

*
Rosminians UK
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary's Church, Loughborough Loughborough Roman Catholic churches in Leicestershire Grade II listed churches in Leicestershire 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom Roman Catholic churches completed in 1834 Grade II listed Roman Catholic churches in England 1834 establishments in England Rosminian churches in the United Kingdom Neoclassical church buildings in England