St Mary's Church is a

Roman 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 Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

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 ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), 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 com ...

in the city centre of

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

, Tyne and Wear, situated on the corner of Bridge Street and St Mary's Way. It is a Grade II listed building, designed by

Ignatius Bonomi Ignatius Bonomi (1787–1870) was an English architect and surveyor, with Italian origins by his father, strongly associated with Durham in north-east England. Life He was the son of an architect and draughtsman, Joseph Bonomi (1739&ndash ...

. Built from 1830 to 1835, and is the earliest

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 ...

church surviving in Sunderland.

History

Construction

In 1830,

submitted designs for the church to have a capacity of 1200 people. On 15 September 1835, the church was opened by the Apostolic Vicar of the Northern District, John Briggs.Sunderland - St Mary
from

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...

, retrieved 12 December 2015 By 1851, the population of Sunderland had grown and it was estimated that there were at least 4000 Catholics living in the city. In 1852, two side chapels were added to the church to accommodate the growing congregation. Bonomi had allowed for such an expansion in his initial designs. In 1937, an organ was added to the church. It was acquired from the Rex Theatre in

South Shields South Shields () is a coastal town in South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England; it is on the south bank of the mouth of the River Tyne. The town was once known in Roman Britain, Roman times as ''Arbeia'' and as ''Caer Urfa'' by the Early Middle Ag ...

and refurbished in 1992.

World War II

In March and May 1943, the church was damaged by air raids. The main roof was damaged and had to be rebuilt. Also, the majority of the church's stained glass was destroyed. In 1946 and 1947, the stained glass was replaced. The new glass cost £1000 and was bought from a firm one called Jansen & Co. from the Netherlands. Jansens & Co. also redecorated the altars and the stations of the cross. On 24 September 1947, after the repairs were complete and the church was consecrated by the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle, Joseph McCormack.

Reordering

In 1982 the church was reordered as part of the liturgical changes of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...

. The

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...

and

altar rails 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 ot ...

were removed and a new altar was bought and brought forward. The altar in the Lady Chapel was removed, leaving the

reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a Church (building), church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular a ...

of the

Annunciation The Annunciation (; ; also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord; ) is, according to the Gospel of Luke, the announcement made by the archangel Gabriel to Ma ...

in place. The stations of the cross were temporarily moved to the back of the church and many statues removed. The church redecorated and a new heating system was installed. A

narthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of Early Christian art and architecture, early Christian and Byzantine architecture, Byzantine basilicas and Church architecture, churches consisting of the entrance or Vestibule (architecture), ve ...

was also made. The total cost of these works came to roughly £130,000. On 16 April 1982, the new altar was consecrated by Bishop Owen Swindlehurst. From 2002 to 2003, the church was again repaired and redecorated.

Parish

The church has two Masses every Sunday: 10:30am and 5:00pm.St Mary and St Cecilia Parish
from

Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle The Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church, centred on St Mary's Cathedral, in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, in England. The diocese is one of the six suffragan sees in the ecclesiastical provi ...

, retrieved 27 July 2018

References

External links

* *
Diocesan page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary's Church, Sunderland Roman Catholic churches in Tyne and Wear Grade II listed churches in Tyne and Wear Roman Catholic churches completed in 1835 1835 establishments in England Grade II listed Roman Catholic churches in England Saint Mary church Gothic Revival church buildings in England Gothic Revival architecture in Tyne and Wear St Mary's Church 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom