St Bede's 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 let ...

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, ...

Rotherham Rotherham () is a large minster and market town in South Yorkshire, England. The town takes its name from the River Rother which then merges with the River Don. The River Don then flows through the town centre. It is the main settlement of ...

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and metropolitan county, metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of City of Doncaster, Doncaster and City of Sh ...

, England. 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 ...

church, designed by Weightman and Hadfield, is situated on the corner of Station Road and St Bede's Road in

Masbrough Masbrough is a suburb of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. It was named as the west of Rotherham by the middle of the Industrial Revolution, namely that part on the left bank of Don. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is ...

near the town centre. Built from 1841 to 1842, it was opened eight years before the

Restoration of the English hierarchy was a papal bull of 29 September 1850 by which Pope Pius IX recreated the Roman Catholic diocesan hierarchy in England, which had been extinguished with the death of the last Marian bishop in the reign of Elizabeth I. New names were given to ...

in 1850.

History

Foundation

The church was built on a piece of land donated to the local Catholic congregation by Benjamin Badger. In 1842, in ''The London and Dublin Orthodox Journal'', he was reported as saying, "Although a member of the Church of England, you know from long acquaintance that I am no bigot. As therefore you mention the great want of a place of worship for the poor Catholics of this place and their inability to purchase land ... I will give you 1,000 yards of the front land you think so eligible, and worth to me from £300 to £400, to present to your friends on condition that the chapel erected thereon be a respectable building so as not to deteriorate the land adjoining."History
from StBedesParishChurchRotherham.co.uk, retrieved 30 December 2015

Construction

On 29 July 1841, the foundation stone was laid by Benjamin Badger. The architects were

Matthew Ellison Hadfield Matthew Ellison Hadfield (8 September 1812 – 9 March 1885) was an English architect of the Victorian Gothic revival. He is chiefly known for his work on Roman Catholic churches, including the cathedral churches of Salford and Sheffield. Trai ...

and John Grey Weightman. They also designed St Bede's Church in Widnes and Church of St Mary of the Assumption in Burnley. On 5 October 1842, it was opened and dedicated by the

Apostolic Vicar Apostolic may refer to: The Apostles An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission: *The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles *Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Chur ...

of the Yorkshire District, John Briggs. In the 1930s, a choir loft was added to the church.

Parish

Also in the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

of St Bede's is Forty Martyrs Church in Kimberworth, Rotherham.Catholic Directory
retrieved 30 December 2015 St Bede's Church has three Sunday Masses: 9:30am, 11:15am (in Polish) and 6:15pm. Forty Martyrs Church has a Sunday Mass at 5:00pm on Saturday afternoon.

References

External links

St Bede's Parish site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rotherham, Saint Bede Roman Catholic churches in South Yorkshire Saint Bede Gothic Revival architecture in South Yorkshire Gothic Revival church buildings in England Roman Catholic churches completed in 1842 Matthew Ellison Hadfield buildings 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom