The Oratory Church of Saint Chad's, Manchester (Manchester Oratory for short) is a Grade II listed
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
church in
Cheetham Hill
Cheetham is an inner-city area and electoral ward of Manchester, England, which in 2011 had a population of 22,562. It lies on the west bank of the River Irk, north of Manchester city centre,
close to the boundary with Salford, bounded by Cru ...
,
Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
, England. It was constructed between 1846 and 1847, on the east side of Cheetham Hill Road. The parish functions under the jurisdiction of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford
The Diocese of Salford () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church centred on the City of Salford in Greater Manchester, England. The diocese was founded in 1852 as one of the first post-Reformation Catholic dioceses in Great Britain. Since 191 ...
.
Origins
St Chad's is the Catholic mother-church of Manchester, tracing its origins back to the 1770s. With the legacy of £200 from the will of the Revd Edward Helme (the first resident Catholic priest since the Reformation) a chapel dedicated to St Chad was built on Rook Street off Market Street in 1776 (now lost under new buildings). The Revd Roland Broomhead became the first Rector 1776–1820, and built new chapels of
St Mary Mulberry Street and St Augustine, Granby Row. He died shortly after the opening of the latter, after which St Chad's became chapel-of-ease to the new church. However, due to a growing need, it became an independent mission again in 1835 when
Fr William Turner, who would later become the first
Bishop of Salford
The Bishop of Salford is the Ordinary (church officer), ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford, Catholic Diocese of Salford in the Province of Liverpool, England.
With the gradual abolition of the legal restrictions on the activities o ...
, was appointed to take charge. He was succeeded in 1842 by Fr Robert Croskell, later to be the second
Provost
Provost may refer to:
Officials
Ecclesiastic
* Provost (religion), a high-ranking church official
* Prince-provost, a high-ranking church official
Government
* Provost (civil), an officer of local government, including the equivalent ...
and
Vicar General
A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vica ...
of the Diocese. The Rook Street chapel was sold in 1846 to be converted into a warehouse.
For a short time there was a chapel-of-ease served from St Chad's; St William's on Simpson Street in
Angel Meadow
St Michael's Flags and Angel Meadow Park is a public park in Manchester, England, to the immediate northeast of the Manchester city centre, city centre, on a slope between the River Irk and Rochdale Road. It occupies an area of acres (3&nb ...
(1865–1905).
Construction
The new church was designed by
Weightman and Hadfield in the
Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...
style for Fr Robert Croskell. Building work commenced in April 1846 and the new church was opened 4 August 1847 by Bishop
George Hilary Brown
George Hilary Brown (1784 – 1856) was an English prelate who served as the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Liverpool from 1850 to 1856.
Early life
George Hilary Brown was born in Clifton, Lancashire on 15 January 1784, the son of William Br ...
.
Clergy
1778-1820 – Rev Rowland Broomhead
1820-1838 – Served from St Augustine’s, Granby Row
1838-1853 – Provost Robert Croskell VG
1853-1891 – Canon William Sheehan VG
1891-1900 – Mgr Charles Gadd VG
1900-1905 – Dean John Hennesey
1905-1908 – Fr John Crombleholme
1909-1925 – Fr Denis Sheahan
1926-1940 – Canon Joseph Callaway
1940-1944 – Fr Joseph McEnery
1944-1949 – Fr James Kelly
1949-1964 – Fr Herbert J Power
1965-1974 – Fr Vincent Sweeney
1974-2003 – Fr Bernard McGarry
The church was served by clergy of the Salford Diocese until 2003 when the last secular Parish Priest retired. The church was then served for a period from St Anne, Crumpsall. In 2007, the
Premonstratensians
The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in United Kingdom, Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their religious habit, habit), is a religious order of cano ...
took up residence following the closure of
Corpus Christi Priory
Corpus Christi Priory was a Catholic Premonstratensian priory in Manchester, England.
The church
The Norbertine canons regular first came to Manchester in 1889 from the Belgian Abbey of Tongerlo and they built Corpus Christi Basilica in the M ...
,
Miles Platting
Miles Platting is an inner city part of Manchester, England, northeast of Manchester city centre along the
Rochdale Canal and A62 road, bounded by Monsall to the north, Collyhurst to the west, Newton Heath to the east, and Bradford, Holt T ...
, however they only stayed for a short period. St Chad's then served as the residence for the
Strangeways Prison
HM Prison Manchester is a Category A and B men's prison in Manchester, England, operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. It is still commonly referred to as Strangeways, which was its former official name derived from the area in which it is l ...
chaplain. In 2013, the Oratorian community from the
Church of the Holy Name of Jesus, Manchester
The Church of the Holy Name of Jesus on Oxford Road, Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, England was designed by Joseph Aloysius Hansom, Joseph A. Hansom and built between 1869 and 1871. The tower, designed by Adrian Gilbert Scott, was erected i ...
took over St Chad's with permission to establish the Manchester
Oratory of St Philip Neri
The Confederation of Oratories of Saint Philip Neri (), abbreviated C.O. and commonly known as the Oratorians, is a Catholic society of apostolic life of pontifical right for men (priests and religious brothers) who live together in a commun ...
there.
The Manchester Oratory was founded at St Chad's on 1 November 2019.
See also
References
External links
*
Oratory Church of St Chad site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheetham Hill, Saint Chad
Grade II listed churches in Manchester
Roman Catholic churches in Greater Manchester
Gothic Revival church buildings in England
Gothic Revival architecture in Greater Manchester
19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom
Oratorian communities in the United Kingdom
Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford