St Anne's, Chapel End, Nuneaton facts for kids

The Roman Catholic parish of St Anne, located in Nuneaton, England, serves the western part of Nuneaton and nearby villages like those towards Coleshill. This parish is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham. It also belongs to the Rugby Deanery. The current Parish Priest is Fr. George. The main church, rebuilt in 2000, is on Camp Hill Road in Nuneaton. The parish itself started in 1948. It includes another church, St Joseph's, in New Arley. Both churches were first built because many workers, especially miners, moved to North Warwickshire with their families after 1920.

Discovering St Anne's Parish

The parish of St Anne, in Chapel End, Nuneaton, began its journey right after the Second World War. The western side of Nuneaton, like the wider area, was greatly shaped by quarrying and mining. At that time, all of Nuneaton was part of the parish of Our Lady of the Angels, located in the town centre.

The Start of St Anne's Church

In the mid-1930s, priests from Our Lady of the Angels church began holding Mass in a house. This house was in Tunnel Road, Galley Common, which was a mining community back then. About ten years later, they were saying Mass in the Green Lane Miners’ Hostel, on Camp Hill. This was just off Camp Hill Road.

Building the First St Anne's

Around 1946, the Miners' Hostel was no longer available for services. The church community was then offered an old isolation hospital off Windmill Road. This place was not ideal for worship. So, after a lot of planning and fundraising, the community started to build a new church. For example, bricks were sold for just one penny each to raise money!

The foundation stone for the first St Anne's Church was laid on 19 February 1949. This was done by Fr Cox, who was the parish priest of Our Lady of the Angels. A few months later, on 13 July of the same year, Archbishop Masterson of Birmingham blessed and officially opened the building.

A New St Anne's for the New Millennium

The original St Anne's Church was a much-loved building. It also served as a schoolroom for many years. However, the time came when it needed to be replaced. After a lot of planning, work began on rebuilding the church. This exciting news was even announced in the local newspapers.

During the rebuilding, the presbytery (the priest's house) became the weekday church. Sunday Masses were held in the school hall. On 11 March 2000, which was a special Jubilee Year, the foundation stone for the new church was blessed. Bishop Philip Pargeter led the blessing, with hundreds of church members and guests present. Children from the school provided music for the special occasion.

The new building was ready for use a little while later. Archbishop Vincent Nichols, who was then the Archbishop of Birmingham, blessed it during a Mass on 11 November 2000. It was a day of great celebration. It marked the end of many years of planning and construction work for the parish.

The Story of St Joseph's Church

The village of Arley was once part of the Bedworth parish. In the 1920s, Canon Wall began holding Mass in different houses around the village. By the mid-1920s, coal mining was attracting many workers to Arley. Many of these new residents came from the north of England, and the village grew quickly.

Building the First St Joseph's

A piece of land was bought, and with help from the community, a wooden church was built. In the summer of 1926, a special procession took place. People walked from Arley Cricket ground to St Joseph's to celebrate the opening of the new church. By 1928, it was normal to have about two dozen people attending services.

During the busiest time of the Second World War, the church was used less often. Church members would attend Mass in Nuneaton or Bedworth instead. After the war, things improved. A series of curates (assistant priests) from Nuneaton and Bedworth took care of the Catholic community in Arley. At that time, St Joseph's had a hall that became a lively centre for social activities.

St Joseph's Joins St Anne's Parish

In 1959, the responsibility for St Joseph's and the surrounding area changed. It moved from the Bedworth parish to the parish of St Anne, Chapel End. Over the years, this combined parish, with its two churches, grew even larger. The parish school was founded, and a strong worshipping community was cared for by many different parish priests.

The old St Joseph's church building started to get old and needed repairs. Because of its condition, rebuilding it became a top priority. After the old church was taken down, services were held for a time in the Arley WMC (Working Men's Club). The foundation stone for the new St Joseph's was blessed on 12 December 1996. Archbishop Maurice Couve de Murville, the Archbishop of Birmingham, performed the blessing. Many church members and guests, including the architect and builder, were there to celebrate.

Local Schools

The parish school, known as St Anne's Catholic Primary School, was started in the 1960s. It moved to its current location in 1968. This school is a voluntary aided school. This means that both Warwickshire County Council and the Archdiocese of Birmingham help support it. It serves children from nursery age up to year 6. St Anne's is also a "feeder school" for St. Thomas More Secondary School & Sixth Form in Nuneaton. This secondary school is actually in the neighbouring parish of Our Lady of the Angels.