St Francis of Assisi Church, Handsworth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Francis of Assisi Church |
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| OS grid reference | SP0581388903 |
| Location | Lozells, Birmingham |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| History | |
| Former name(s) | St Mary's Church |
| Status | Active |
| Founded | 1840 |
| Dedication | St. Francis of Assisi |
| Consecrated | 21 June 1900 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Parish church |
| Architect(s) | Canon Alexander Scoles |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | May 1893 |
| Completed | 2 February 1894 |
| Construction cost | £9000 |
| Administration | |
| Deanery | Birmingham (Cathedral) |
| Archdiocese | Birmingham |
| Province | Birmingham |
The St Francis of Assisi Church is a Roman Catholic parish church located in Birmingham, England. While the church building is found between the Lozells and Hockley areas of the city, its parish actually serves most of Handsworth. The church started in 1840 as a small chapel. It was inside the nearby St. Mary's Convent, a building designed by the famous architect Augustus Pugin.
Contents
Church History
The First Convent
In 1840, Nicholas Wiseman, who was a bishop in the area, invited the Sisters of Mercy to Birmingham. The sisters set up a convent on land given to them by John Hardman. He lived nearby and promised to pay for everything to build the convent.
He also received help from the Earl of Shrewsbury, who gave £2000. John Hardman then asked Augustus Pugin to design the building for the sisters. The chapel inside this convent, which was named after Saint Mary, served as the local parish church until 1847.
St Mary's Church
By 1845, more and more Catholic people were moving into the area. This meant that the small chapel was no longer big enough. So, a decision was made to build a larger, separate church right next door to the convent.
Building work began, and in July 1847, the new St Mary's Church was officially opened. It was blessed by Bishop William Wareing. Later, in 1882, a new priest named Fr Francis Hopkins arrived. He quickly saw that even this new church was becoming too small for the growing number of people attending. He decided that building an even bigger church was the most important task.
St Francis of Assisi Church
Land for the new church was bought from the Hardman family, who lived across the street from the convent. The Hardman family's house then became the home for the priests of the new church. The architect chosen to design the new church was Canon Alexander Scoles. He was a priest and came from a family of architects.
His father, Joseph John Scoles, designed the Church of the Immaculate Conception in London. His brother, Ignatius Scoles, designed St Wilfrid's Church in Preston, Lancashire. Four years later, Canon Scoles also designed Our Lady of Loreto and St Winefride's Church in Kew, London.
The first stone of St Francis' church was laid in May 1893 by Bishop Edward Ilsley. The church was finished just one year later and was opened by Cardinal Herbert Vaughan on 2 February 1894. The building cost £9000. Once this money was fully paid off five years later, the church was officially blessed on 21 June 1900.
Inside the Church
The Hardman family played a very important role in starting and building the church. Because of this, much of the beautiful artwork inside the church was created by their company, Hardman & Co.. All of the colourful stained glass windows were made by them.
One special window shows the Annunciation, which is when the angel Gabriel told Mary she would be the mother of Jesus. This window is next to the Lady Chapel and was designed by William John Wainwright, then built by Hardman & Co. The altar and the reredos (the decorated screen behind the altar) were made from a drawing by the architect, Alexander Scoles.
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The church sanctuary, where the altar is located.
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A beautiful window in the nave, the main part of the church.
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The Annunciation window, designed by William John Wainwright.
The Parish Community
Right next to the church is the St Francis Centre. This is a social centre that was built in 1909. It was designed by the architect George Bernard Cox for the priest at the time, Monsignor John O'Hanlon. The centre has a large hall, a stage, a kitchen, and offices.
The church was updated in the 1980s by Monsignor Thomas Fallon. During this time, the sanctuary area was changed. These changes were made to follow the new rules set by the Second Vatican Council, which updated many practices in the Catholic Church.
The church holds five Masses every weekend. There is a Mass on Saturday evening at 7pm. On Sunday, there are Masses at 9:30am and 11:30am. There is also a Mass in Vietnamese at 1:30pm and another Mass on Sunday evening at 6:30pm. During the week, there are morning Masses at 9:15am. An adoration chapel is also next to the church, which people can use for quiet prayer.
The place where the old St Mary's church used to be is now home to St Francis Catholic Primary School. The school works very closely with the church parish and the Sisters of Mercy who live nearby. Both the parish and the sisters have representatives on the school's board of governors.
Besides the Sisters of Mercy, other Catholic religious orders also help out in the parish. The Missionary Sisters of St. Columban, the Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit, the Missionaries of Charity, and the Dominican Sisters of St Rose of Lima all help the community and the people who attend the church.
Outside the Church
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The presbytery, which was once the Hardman family home. It has a blue plaque for John Hardman.
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The main entrance of St Francis Church.
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The east side of the church building.
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The St Francis Centre, a community building next to the church.
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The Adoration Chapel, a quiet place for prayer.
See also
- Lozells
- Handsworth
- Archdiocese of Birmingham
