St Mary's Church, Warrington
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

St Mary's Church, or St Mary's Priory, is in the town centre of
Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...
, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the
National Heritage List for England The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, a ...
as a designated Grade II
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
, and is an active
Catholic 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 ...
church. The parish was established and served by
Benedictine , 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 ...
monks from
Ampleforth Abbey Ampleforth Abbey is a monastery of Benedictine monks a mile to the east of Ampleforth, North Yorkshire, England, part of the English Benedictine Congregation. It claims descent from the pre- Reformation community at Westminster Abbey throug ...
, but following the withdrawal of Ampleforth Abbey from the parish in 2012, it was served by the priest from St Benedict's Church, Warrington. From November 2015, the church has been owned and served by priests from the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) as a
shrine A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon, or similar figure of respect, wherein they ...
church dedicated to the celebration of the sacraments of the pre-
Vatican II The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...
form of the Roman Rite. It is well known for the beauty and reverence of its liturgy. Since summer 2017, Sunday Sung Mass and daily
Low Mass Low Mass (Latin ''Missa lecta'', "read Mass") is a Tridentine Mass defined officially in the Code of Rubrics included in the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal as a Mass in which the priest does not chant the parts that the rubrics assign to him. A ...
are streamed live and on-demand from St Mary's at and via the iMass app.


History

The parish was established from St Alban's Church, Warrington by the Benedictine priests from
Ampleforth Abbey Ampleforth Abbey is a monastery of Benedictine monks a mile to the east of Ampleforth, North Yorkshire, England, part of the English Benedictine Congregation. It claims descent from the pre- Reformation community at Westminster Abbey throug ...
who served there. Fr. John Placid Hall OSB is credited with conceiving the idea to build the church and to have chosen the site. The site had been occupied by a cotton mill. The site was bought on 5 May 1870 for £4,000.Plumb, Brian (1977) '' Our Glorious Chapter, St.Mary's Warrington 1877-1977 '', Kilburn Printers, Liverpool The church was designed by E. W. Pugin and its construction started in 1875, just before Pugin's death. The foundation stone was laid by Bishop O'Reilly of Liverpool on Sunday 9 May 1875. It was completed by
Peter Paul Pugin Peter Paul Pugin (1851 – March 1904) was an English architect. He was the son of Augustus Pugin by his third wife, Jane Knill, and the half-brother of architect and designer Edward Welby Pugin. Life and career Peter Paul Pugin was only a ...
in 1877. The architectural historian
Nikolaus Pevsner Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, ''The Buildings of England'' (1 ...
considered it to be one of their best churches. The church was opened on Thursday 30 August 1877. The splendid reredos and rose window were blessed on 1 November 1885. The very tall and slender southwest tower, a departure from the original design, was designed by Pugin & Pugin and built by Travis & Wevill of Liverpool in 1907. A northeast chapel, the First World War Memorial Chapel, designed by
Frederick Walters Frederick Arthur Walters (1849–1931) was a Scottish architect working in the Victorian and Edwardian eras, notable for his Roman Catholic churches. Life Walters was born on 5 February 1849 at 6 South Terrace, Brompton, London, the son of the ar ...
was added in 1923. St Mary's parish had a school and parish hall, known as Ashton Hall, both of which have been closed and demolished. From 1934 a programme of
slum clearance Slum clearance, slum eviction or slum removal is an urban renewal strategy used to transform low income settlements with poor reputation into another type of development or housing. This has long been a strategy for redeveloping urban communities; ...
s reduced the population of the parish by half within four years.
St Oswald's Church, Padgate St Oswald's Church is an active Roman Catholic church in the Padgate suburb of Warrington, Cheshire, England. The parish was founded by Benedictine monks from Ampleforth Abbey, it is now served by clergy from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of L ...
was established from St Mary's by Fr Thomas Austin Hind OSB in 1929, who became its first priest.Plumb, Brian (1979) ''St Oswald's Warrington '' Fr. Paul William Wright OSB announced on Sunday 15 January 2012 that
Ampleforth Abbey Ampleforth Abbey is a monastery of Benedictine monks a mile to the east of Ampleforth, North Yorkshire, England, part of the English Benedictine Congregation. It claims descent from the pre- Reformation community at Westminster Abbey throug ...
could no longer provide a priest for the parish due to a lack of manpower and that he would be the last monk-priest to serve in the parish. Thus ending a
Benedictine , 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 ...
presence in
Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...
lasting 250 years. Fr. William Wright's last Mass was on Sunday 9 September 2012. Discussions about the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter taking over the parish were held in 2012, but were inconclusive. The Archdiocese of Liverpool then took over the pastoral care of the people of the parish. The pastoral needs of the congregation were then met by Monsignor John Devine OBE, of St Benedict's Church, Warrington, who was later given charge of the parish of
St Oswald's Church, Padgate St Oswald's Church is an active Roman Catholic church in the Padgate suburb of Warrington, Cheshire, England. The parish was founded by Benedictine monks from Ampleforth Abbey, it is now served by clergy from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of L ...
as well. On Saturday 4 July 2015, the Archbishop of Liverpool,
Malcolm McMahon Malcolm Patrick McMahon, OP, KC*HS (born 14 June 1949) is an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Since 2014, he has been the ninth Archbishop of Liverpool. Previously, he was Bishop of Nottingham from 2000 to 2014. Early life an ...
, OP announced: "I have invited the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter to come to the Archdiocese and to have responsibility for St Mary’s Church, Warrington. In due course this will become a centre for the celebration of the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite and the sacraments. The priests of this fraternity will not, however, assume pastoral responsibility for St Mary’s parish, which will be the responsibility of Fr David Heywood from September." The first public Mass by the FSSP in the church was celebrated by Fr Armand de Malleray on Sunday 15 November 2015. The formal Inaugural Mass, attended by the Archbishop of Liverpool
Malcolm McMahon Malcolm Patrick McMahon, OP, KC*HS (born 14 June 1949) is an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Since 2014, he has been the ninth Archbishop of Liverpool. Previously, he was Bishop of Nottingham from 2000 to 2014. Early life an ...
and Abbot Cuthbert Madden OSB of
Ampleforth Abbey Ampleforth Abbey is a monastery of Benedictine monks a mile to the east of Ampleforth, North Yorkshire, England, part of the English Benedictine Congregation. It claims descent from the pre- Reformation community at Westminster Abbey throug ...
was held on 21 November 2015." For the first time in many decades, priestly ordinations in the traditional rite were conducted at St Mary's on 17 June 2017. Deacons Alex Stewart and Krzysztof Sanetra FSSP were ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop McMahon. Following the transition to the FSSP, the church is not technically a parish church, but a shrine within a parish, as the parish itself was merged with two others, St Benedict's Church, Warrington,
St Oswald's Church, Padgate St Oswald's Church is an active Roman Catholic church in the Padgate suburb of Warrington, Cheshire, England. The parish was founded by Benedictine monks from Ampleforth Abbey, it is now served by clergy from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of L ...
. In late April 2018, it was announced that the new name for the merged parish is Blessed James Bell Parish.


Architecture

It is built in pale Pierpoint stone and red
Runcorn Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port in the Borough of Halton in Cheshire, England. Its population in 2011 was 61,789. The town is in the southeast of the Liverpool City Region, with Liverpool to the northwest across the River Mersey. ...
sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...
. The church is in Decorated style. Its plan consists of a southwest tower, a six- bay
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 ...
with a clerestory, north and south
aisle An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, certain types of buildings, such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, par ...
s, a short
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. Ov ...
, and short
transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building wi ...
s. The tower is slender and the
parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). ...
spells out "AVE MARIA". There is a west porch. To the north of the chancel is the Sacred Heart Chapel (1890) and to the south is the English Martyrs (formerly Lady) Chapel. The interior is "airy and spacious". The
confessional A confessional is a box, cabinet, booth, or stall in which the priest in some Christian churches sits to hear the confessions of penitents. It is the usual venue for the sacrament in the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran Churches, but si ...
s are integrated into the north wall. The
arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware ** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board * Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games * ...
spandrel A spandrel is a roughly triangular space, usually found in pairs, between the top of an arch and a rectangular frame; between the tops of two adjacent arches or one of the four spaces between a circle within a square. They are frequently fill ...
s contain carvings of angels supporting busts of English saints. These are St Augustine of Canterbury, St Hilda, St Thomas of Canterbury,
St Walpurga Walpurga or Walburga ( ang, Wealdburg, la, Valpurga, Walpurga, Walpurgis, sv, Valborg; c. AD 71025 February 777 or 779), also spelled Valderburg or Guibor, was an Anglo-Saxon missionary to the Frankish Empire. She was canonized on 1 May c. 870 ...
,
St Bede Bede ( ; ang, Bǣda , ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, The Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable ( la, Beda Venerabilis), was an English monk at the monastery of St Peter and its companion monastery of St Paul in the Kingdom ...
on one side and St Gregory the Great, St Winefride, St Cuthbert,
Saint Mildred Saint Mildrith, also Mildthryth, Mildryth and Mildred, ( ang, Mildþrȳð) (born c. 660, died after 732), was a 7th and 8th-century Anglo-Saxon abbess of the Abbey at Minster-in-Thanet, Kent. She was declared a saint after her death, and later h ...
and
St Wilfrid Wilfrid ( – 709 or 710) was an English bishop and saint. Born a Northumbrian noble, he entered religious life as a teenager and studied at Lindisfarne, at Canterbury, in Francia, and at Rome; he returned to Northumbria in about 660, and ...
on the other. The fittings were all designed by Peter Paul Pugin and the carving was executed by
Boulton of Cheltenham Richard Lockwood Boulton (c. 1832–1905) was an English sculptor who founded the firm Messrs R. L. Boulton & Sons. It was centred in Cheltenham, England, and built monuments made of iron and stone in the United Kingdom.
. The High Altar (1885) and the chapel altars are in
Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
and Bath stone. The pulpit (1884) and communion rail are in
marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...
, and the choir stalls (1891) in oak. The pews are benches with
cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron– carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impur ...
frames. The Stations of the Cross (1894) are recessed, and are in
Caen stone Caen stone (french: Pierre de Caen) is a light creamy-yellow Jurassic limestone quarried in north-western France near the city of Caen. The limestone is a fine grained oolitic limestone formed in shallow water lagoons in the Bathonian Age about ...
. The sculptures are of St Benedict and St Scholastica (1891) against the chancel arch, of
Our Lady of Lourdes Our Lady of Lourdes (french: Notre-Dame de Lourdes) is a title of the Virgin Mary. She is venerated under this title by the Roman Catholic church due to her apparitions that occurred in Lourdes, France. The first apparition of 11 February 1858, ...
by Philip Lindsey Clark, and in the north aisle, of St Joseph designed by
Geoffrey Webb Geoffrey Fairbank Webb CBE (9 May 1898 – 17 July 1970) was a British art historian, Slade Professor of Fine Art and head of the Monuments and Fine Arts section of the Allied Control Commission during World War II. Early life Webb was born in ...
and sculpted by Harold Youngman, in the north transept. On the South wall is a reliquary which contains
relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tang ...
of
Dominic Barberi Dominic Barberi, CP (22 June 1792 – 27 August 1849) was an Italian theologian and a member of the Passionist Congregation prominent in spreading Catholicism in England. He contributed to the conversion of John Henry Newman. In 1963, he was ...
and was installed in 1965.Wright, Tim & Jane (2015) ''St Mary's Priory Church, Warrington Guide Book'' In the chancel are Minton tiles with a lily design by C. W. Pugin. Above the reredos is a rose window. The reredos is of great quality and features the adoration of the kings and the adoration of the shepherds, as well as flowers and symbols that maintain the marian theme. It is topped by four statues of saints renowned for their devotion to Mary:
St Anselm Anselm of Canterbury, OSB (; 1033/4–1109), also called ( it, Anselmo d'Aosta, link=no) after his birthplace and (french: Anselme du Bec, link=no) after his monastery, was an Italian Benedictine monk, abbot, philosopher and theologian of the ...
, St Bernard of Clairvaux, St Dominic and St Alphonsus Liguori. Within the church there are a number of stained glass windows by Hardman & Co. and also
Harry Clarke Henry Patrick Clarke (17 March 1889 – 6 January 1931) was an Irish stained-glass artist and book illustrator. Born in Dublin, he was a leading figure in the Irish Arts and Crafts Movement. His work was influenced by both the Art Nouveau an ...
featuring a number of saints including Warrington's own
martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...
Blessed Blessed may refer to: * The state of having received a blessing * Blessed, a title assigned by the Roman Catholic Church to someone who has been beatified Film and television * ''Blessed'' (2004 film), a 2004 motion picture about a supernatural ...
James Bell (priest) James Bell (1524 – 20 April 1584) was an English Catholic priest and the only one of the Marian Priests that is known to have suffered martyrdom. Life He was born at Warrington in Lancashire, in 1524, was educated at Oxford University, where ...
. File:St. Mary's Church, Buttermarket Street, Warrington Interior View 2.jpg,
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. Ov ...
towards the South File:St. Mary's Church, Buttermarket Street, Warrington Interior View 1.jpg, Nave looking towards the narthex File:St. Mary's Church, Buttermarket Street, Warrington Interior View 5.jpg, The Chancel towards the North File:St. Mary's Church, Buttermarket Street, Warrington Interior View 4.jpg, The Nave


St Mary's Parish Priests


St Mary's Shrine FSSP Rectors

Former FSSP Assistant Priests include Fr James Mawdsley (2016–2017), Fr Seth Phipps (2018) and Fr Konrad Loewenstein (2017–2019).


Sacred music

The musical tradition of the universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art. The main reason for this pre-eminence is that, as sacred song united to the words, it forms a necessary or integral part of the solemn liturgy. Holy Scripture, indeed, has bestowed praise upon sacred song, and the same may be said of the fathers of the Church and of the Roman pontiffs who in recent times, led by St. Pius X, have explained more precisely the ministerial function supplied by sacred music in the service of the Lord. (#112) Sacrosanctum Concilium. Since its foundation in 1877, St. Mary’s choir occupied a unique and enviable position as a leading exponent in Sacred Music. At the Pontifical High Mass for the opening of the Church, records show that a vast choir and orchestra sung Haydn’s Nelson Mass, and music by Mozart, Beethoven and Rossini
Fr. J E Turner OSB
was curate at St. Mary’s from 1891-93. A gifted organist, singer and composer, he composed 4 Masses and numerous motets, which are still in print today. His Mass in honour of St. Cecilia was premiered at St. Mary’s at High Mass on Sunday 28 August 1892. Unlike many Churches at this time, St. Mary’s maintained a tradition of performing Plainchant and Renaissance polyphony. Fr. Turner, along with Sir Richard Terry, Organist at Westminster Cathedral, was instrumental in the revival of the traditional chants of the church, as well as polyphonic masters such as Palestrina, Byrd and Lassus. On Sunday 4 August 1935, the first religious broadcast from Warrington on the B.B.C. was broadcast from St. Mary’s. Since then, St. Mary’s has broadcast several times, and also made the first televised religious service on Granada television in December 1974. At the time of the Diamond Jubilee, the choir boasted 22 boy trebles, and 18 men, directed by Mr Aaron Kilburn. Until recently St Mary's was recognised as having one of the leading church choirs in the North West. The Church was fortunate to have boy and girl choristers, an adult Schola, and was home to Warrington Choral Society, and was proud to continue this ancient tradition that is part of our nation's cultural heritage. The choirs sang frequently throughout the Archdiocese, and regularly sang at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, and St Chad's Cathedral in Birmingham. Several former choristers have gone on to pursue organ studies at The Royal Academy of Music, The Royal College of Music, and careers at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. On Sunday 4 November 2018 it was announced that, as of 26 October, the Director of Music was to stand down, due to redundancy, and the post could be fulfilled by a volunteer. The following week, it was announced that Fr Ian Verrier FSSP would be the new organist and choirmaster. As a result of this, most of the Shrine choir resigned, the boy and girl choristers were abandoned, and the Choral Society ceased to exist. Fr Verrier read Music at The University of Birmingham and pursued postgraduate studies at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) and Manchester Metropolitan University.


Bells

The church possesses a chime of eight bells that were cast by
Gillett & Johnston Gillett & Johnston was a clockmaker and bell foundry based in Croydon, England from 1844 until 1957. Between 1844 and 1950, over 14,000 tower clocks were made at the works. The company's most successful and prominent period of activity as a be ...
, Croydon, in 1906. The bells were baptised on 7 October 1906 by Abbot Smith of Ampleforth. They were totally restored in 1962 by the
Whitechapel Bell Foundry The Whitechapel Bell Foundry was a business in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. At the time of the closure of its Whitechapel premises, it was the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain. The bell foundry primarily made church bells ...
, with further work done in 2005. The tenor bell is hung for ringing.


See also

*
Listed buildings in Warrington (unparished area) Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. The unitary authority contains 18 civil parishes, which are distributed around its periphery. Its central area, including the town, is unparished. This list con ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary's Church, Warrington Roman Catholic churches in Cheshire Grade II listed churches in Cheshire Roman Catholic churches completed in 1877 Roman Catholic churches completed in 1906 Gothic Revival church buildings in England Gothic Revival architecture in Cheshire Saint Mary Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom Grade II listed Roman Catholic churches in England St Mary's Church, Warrington Churches used by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter 1870 establishments in England