St Cuthbert's Church, Durham Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids St Cuthbert's Church, Durham

Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Location	Durham
Country	United Kingdom
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	StCuthberts-Durham.org.uk
History
Status	Active
Founded	1827 (1827)
Dedication	St Cuthbert
Consecrated	20 July 1910
Architecture
Functional status	Parish church
Heritage designation	Grade II listed
Designated	10 March 1988
Architect(s)	Ignatius Bonomi
Architectural type	Gothic Revival architecture
Style	English Gothic architecture, Perpendicular Gothic
Administration
Deanery	St Cuthbert, Durham
Diocese	Hexham and Newcastle
Province	Liverpool

St Cuthbert's Church is a Roman Catholic church in Durham, England. It opened on May 31, 1827. It took the place of two older chapels in the area.

This church is also where students from Durham University have their Catholic Chaplaincy and Catholic Society. From 2012 to 2016, the church was looked after by the Dominican Order, a group of priests. Their influence is still seen today. St Cuthbert's is a protected building. It is named after St Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, a famous bishop from the 600s. He is a patron saint of Northern England.

A Look Back in Time
Church Life
Gallery
See also

A Look Back in Time

Distribution of English Recusant Catholics 1715-1720. County Durham is the second down on the north-east coast.

St Cuthbert's Church was built in 1827. But the Catholic community in Durham and Northumberland has been active for much longer. They kept their faith even when Catholics faced difficulties during the English Reformation. The Church of England became the main church for many centuries. However, Catholic groups stayed strong in the North of England. St Cuthbert's was founded by one of these groups.

In 1569, a big event called the Rising of the North happened in Durham. Important Catholic families, the Percys and Nevilles, led this uprising. They wanted to bring the Catholic Church back to England. The rebellion reached its peak when a Catholic Mass was held at Durham Cathedral.

The next year, the priest who celebrated that Mass, Thomas Plumtree, was executed. He was later honored by Pope Leo XIII in 1886. St Cuthbert's Church still has special items, called relics, from his arm and hand.

Catholics in Old Elvet, Durham

By the early 1600s, Jesuit priests were helping the Catholic community. They had a chapel at 33 and later 45 Old Elvet. This chapel was later destroyed by a crowd celebrating the Glorious Revolution of 1688. This revolution removed the Catholic King James II.

From the 1660s to the late 1700s, many Catholic landowning families in Durham and Northumberland bought homes in Old Elvet. They wanted to be close to the hidden Catholic worship. Special prayers are still said at St Cuthbert's for these noble Catholic families.

One family, the Salvins of nearby Croxdale, still support the church. Their support goes back to the 1500s. You can see the Salvin family symbol on the wooden screen behind the main altar. This screen is called a rood-screen.

In the 1700s, Catholics gained more freedom, except during the Jacobite rising of 1745. The Catholic Relief Act of 1791 made public Catholic worship legal. After this, a permanent chapel was built in Elvet. A home for a Catholic bishop for Northern England was also built.

Building the Current Church

Interior of St Cuthbert's with the high altar and heraldic rood screen.

Bishop William Gibson was the Catholic bishop for Northern England from 1790 to 1821. He lived and often celebrated Mass at the chapel. The current church building was finished in 1827. This was two years before the Catholic Emancipation of 1829. This act gave Catholics back their civil and religious rights.

The church was designed by Ignatius Bonomi. It was made to look like old English Gothic buildings. However, it was built to be about the same height as other buildings in Old Elvet. It also did not have a tall tower at first. This was so Catholics could remain somewhat discreet. In 1869, the tower was added to the church. It was officially dedicated on July 20, 1910.

Recent History

From 2012 to 2016, the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle asked the Dominican Order to look after the church. They also provided Catholic chaplains for Durham University students. Fr Benjamin Earl, O.P. was the leader, parish priest, and chaplain.

In 2013, the church began a big renovation project. It cost £300,000 and took seven months. It was finished in February 2014. Since 2012, St Cuthbert's has grown, especially with more students joining. The church still uses many Dominican traditions and ways of worship. This is helped by the current parish priest, Fr Andrew Downie.

Church Life

St Cuthbert's is one of the biggest Catholic churches in the Hexham and Newcastle area. It has a parish choir and a student choir. They sing many different types of music. This includes Gregorian chant, Taizé music, and Anglican music.

Holy Mass is offered on Sundays and weekdays at these times:

10:00am (Parish Sung Mass)
6:30pm (During university term time, student Sung Mass with a gathering afterwards)
12:15pm on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
7:00pm on Wednesday (chanted Mass, followed by a student dinner).

Morning and evening prayers are said throughout the week. On Tuesday mornings, the Catholic Society chants Dominican Lauds (a type of morning prayer) and hosts breakfast.