St Mary's Church, Warrington facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Mary's Shrine, Warrington
Buttermarket Street, Warrington, with St Mary's Church
53°23′23″N 2°35′20″W / 53.38969°N 2.58882°W / 53.38969; -2.58882
OS grid reference	SJ 609 882
Location	Warrington, Cheshire, England
Country	England
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	https://fssp.org.uk/warrington/
History
Status	Shrine
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	4 April 1975
Architect(s)	E. W. Pugin, Peter Paul Pugin
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1875
Completed	1923
Specifications
Materials	Pale Pierpoint stone and Runcorn sandstone
Administration
Deanery	St Gregory's, Warrington
Diocese	Liverpool

St Mary's Church, also known as St Mary's Priory, is a beautiful Catholic church in Warrington, Cheshire, England. It is a very old and important building, listed as Grade II on the National Heritage List for England.

For many years, Benedictine monks from Ampleforth Abbey looked after the church. However, in 2012, they could no longer provide priests. Since November 2015, priests from the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) have taken care of St Mary's. It is now a special shrine church. Here, they celebrate church services using older traditions of the Roman Rite. Many people know St Mary's for its lovely and respectful services.

Since 2017, you can watch Sunday services and daily prayers from St Mary's online. They are streamed live on and through the iMass app.

History of St Mary's Church

The idea for St Mary's Church came from Benedictine priests at St Alban's Church, Warrington. Father John Placid Hall, a Benedictine monk, thought of building the church and chose its location. The spot used to be a cotton mill. The land was bought in 1870.

The church was designed by E. W. Pugin. Building started in 1875, just before Pugin passed away. Bishop O'Reilly of Liverpool laid the first stone on May 9, 1875. Peter Paul Pugin finished the church in 1877. Some experts believe it is one of their best church designs.

St Mary's Church officially opened on August 30, 1877. The beautiful altar screen (reredos) and rose window were blessed in 1885. The very tall tower on the southwest side was added in 1907. A special chapel, the First World War Memorial Chapel, was built in 1923.

St Mary's parish used to have a school and a hall, but these have since been closed. In the 1930s, many old houses in the area were removed. This caused the number of people living in the parish to drop by half.

Another church, St Oswald's Church, Padgate, was started from St Mary's in 1929. Father Thomas Austin Hind became its first priest.

In 2012, Father Paul William Wright announced that the Benedictine monks from Ampleforth Abbey could no longer provide a priest for St Mary's. This ended 250 years of Benedictine presence in Warrington. Father William Wright's last service was on September 9, 2012.

There were talks in 2012 about the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) taking over the church. However, nothing was decided then. The Archdiocese of Liverpool then took care of the church members. Monsignor John Devine from St Benedict's Church, Warrington looked after the congregation.

On July 4, 2015, the Archbishop of Liverpool, Malcolm McMahon, announced that the FSSP would take responsibility for St Mary's Church. He said it would become a center for traditional Catholic services. The FSSP priests would not be in charge of the parish itself, as that would be handled by Father David Heywood.

The first public service by the FSSP at St Mary's was on November 15, 2015. The official opening service, with Archbishop Malcolm McMahon and Abbot Cuthbert Madden, was held on November 21, 2015.

On June 17, 2017, a special event happened at St Mary's. For the first time in many years, new priests were ordained there using the traditional Catholic rite. Deacons Alex Stewart and Krzysztof Sanetra were ordained as priests by Archbishop McMahon.

After the FSSP took over, St Mary's is no longer a regular parish church. It is now a shrine within a larger parish. This new parish combines St Mary's with St Benedict's Church, Warrington and St Oswald's Church, Padgate. In April 2018, the new combined parish was named Blessed James Bell Parish.

Church Design and Features

St Mary's Church is built with light-colored Pierpoint stone and red Runcorn sandstone. It is designed in the Decorated Gothic style. The church has a tower on the southwest side, a long main hall called a nave with windows high up (a clerestory), and side aisles. It also has a short chancel (the area around the altar) and short transepts (parts that stick out like arms).

The tower is tall and thin. The top of the tower has the words "AVE MARIA" spelled out. There is also a porch at the front. To the north of the chancel is the Sacred Heart Chapel, added in 1890. To the south is the English Martyrs Chapel, which used to be called the Lady Chapel. Inside, the church feels "airy and spacious."

The confessionals (small rooms for confession) are built into the north wall. Above the arches inside the church, there are carvings of angels. These angels hold statues of English saints like St Augustine of Canterbury, St Hilda, St Thomas of Canterbury, St Walpurga, and St Bede. On the other side, you can see St Gregory the Great, St Winefride, St Cuthbert, Saint Mildred, and St Wilfrid.

All the church's special fittings were designed by Peter Paul Pugin. The carving work was done by Boulton of Cheltenham. The main altar, built in 1885, and the chapel altars are made of Portland and Bath stone. The pulpit (where sermons are given), built in 1884, and the communion rail are made of marble. The choir stalls, where the choir sits, are made of oak and were added in 1891. The church has benches with cast iron frames for people to sit on.

The Stations of the Cross, which show scenes from Jesus's journey to the cross, were added in 1894. They are set into the wall and made of Caen stone. There are sculptures of St Benedict and St Scholastica near the chancel arch. You can also see a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes by Philip Lindsey Clark. In the north aisle, there is a statue of Saint Joseph designed by Geoffrey Webb and carved by Harold Youngman.

On the south wall, there is a special container called a reliquary. It holds relics (holy objects) of Dominic Barberi and was put there in 1965. In the chancel, the floor has Minton tiles with a lily design. Above the altar screen (reredos) is a beautiful rose window. The reredos itself is very detailed, showing scenes like the adoration of the kings and shepherds. It also has flowers and symbols related to Mary. On top of the reredos are four statues of saints known for their devotion to Mary: St Anselm, St Bernard of Clairvaux, St Dominic, and St Alphonsus Liguori.

The church also has many stained glass windows made by Hardman & Co. and Harry Clarke. These windows show various saints, including Warrington's own martyr, Blessed James Bell (priest).

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  The Chancel looking South

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  The Nave looking towards the entrance

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  The Chancel looking North

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  The Nave

Music at St Mary's

Music is a very important part of church services. The Catholic Church believes that sacred music is a valuable treasure. It helps make the worship more special and meaningful.

Since it opened in 1877, St Mary's choir has been known for its excellent sacred music. At the church's opening, a large choir and orchestra performed music by famous composers like Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Rossini. Father J. E. Turner, a Benedictine monk, was a curate at St Mary's from 1891 to 1893. He was a talented organist, singer, and composer. He wrote many pieces of music that are still used today.

Unlike many churches at the time, St Mary's kept the tradition of performing Plainchant (old church chants) and Renaissance polyphony (music with many voices). Father Turner, along with Sir Richard Terry, helped bring back these traditional church songs.

On August 4, 1935, St Mary's Church made history by being the first church in Warrington to broadcast a religious service on the B.B.C. It has broadcast several times since then. In December 1974, it even had the first televised religious service on Granada television.

In the past, St Mary's had one of the best church choirs in the North West. It had boy and girl choristers (choir members), an adult choir, and was home to the Warrington Choral Society. Many former choristers went on to study music at famous schools.

In November 2018, Father Ian Verrier FSSP became the new organist and choirmaster. He studied music at The University of Birmingham and other colleges.

Music Directors and Organists

Church Bells

St Mary's Church has a set of eight bells. They were made by Gillett & Johnston in Croydon in 1906. Abbot Smith of Ampleforth blessed the bells on October 7, 1906. The bells were fully repaired in 1962 and had more work done in 2005. The largest bell, called the tenor bell, can be rung.

See also

• Listed buildings in Warrington (unparished area)