Manchester Oratory facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Manchester Oratory |
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| St Chad's Church, Cheetham Hill | |
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St Chad's in 2014
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 Manchester Oratory
Location in Greater Manchester
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| 53°29′32″N 2°14′24″W / 53.4923°N 2.2399°W | |
| Location | Cheetham, Manchester |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Tradition | Oratory of Saint Philip Neri |
| Website | https://www.manchesteroratory.org |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Chad |
| Consecrated | 4 August 1847 |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Diocese of Salford |
The Manchester Oratory, also known as St Chad's Church, is a special Roman Catholic church in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, England. It is a very old building, built between 1846 and 1847. This church is an important part of the Roman Catholic community in the Diocese of Salford. It is also a "Grade II listed" building, which means it is historically important and protected.
Contents
History of St Chad's Church
Early Beginnings in Manchester
St Chad's is like the "mother church" for Catholics in Manchester. Its story began way back in the 1770s. In 1776, a small chapel named after St Chad was built on Rook Street. This happened thanks to a gift of £200 from Father Edward Helme. He was the first Catholic priest to live in Manchester since the Reformation.
Father Roland Broomhead became the first leader of the church from 1776 to 1820. He helped build two new chapels: St Mary Mulberry Street and St Augustine, Granby Row. After these new churches opened, the original St Chad's chapel became a "chapel-of-ease." This meant it was a smaller church that helped out the main one.
Becoming an Independent Mission
In 1835, St Chad's became an independent church again. This happened when Father William Turner was put in charge. He later became the first Bishop of Salford. In 1842, Father Robert Croskell took over. The old Rook Street chapel was sold in 1846.
For a short time, there was another small chapel called St William's. It was located on Simpson Street and was connected to St Chad's from 1865 to 1905.
Building the New Church
The new St Chad's Church was designed by a team of architects called Weightman and Hadfield. They used a style called Gothic Revival. This style looks like the old Gothic churches from the Middle Ages.
Building work on the new church started in April 1846. The church was officially opened on August 4, 1847, by Bishop George Hilary Brown.
The Oratory Community
For many years, priests from the Salford Diocese served St Chad's Church. This continued until 2003. After that, the church was looked after by priests from St Anne, Crumpsall, for a while.
In 2007, a group of priests called the Premonstratensians moved into St Chad's. They stayed for a short time. Then, St Chad's became the home for the chaplain who worked at Strangeways Prison.
In 2013, a special community of priests called the Oratorians took over St Chad's. They came from the Church of the Holy Name of Jesus, Manchester. They wanted to create a new Oratory of St Philip Neri there. The Manchester Oratory was officially started at St Chad's on November 1, 2019.
