St Mary's Church, Wigan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary's Church |
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| St Mary's Church, Standishgate | |
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Church entrance
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| 53°33′01″N 2°37′39″W / 53.5503°N 2.6276°W | |
| OS grid reference | SD5851306150 |
| Location | Wigan, Greater Manchester |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| History | |
| Status | Active |
| Founder(s) | Fr Charles Middlehurst |
| Dedication | St Mary |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Parish church |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 24 October 1951 |
| Architectural type | Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 17 March 1818 |
| Completed | 27 January 1819 |
| Administration | |
| Parish | St Mary and St John |
| Deanery | Wigan |
| Archdiocese | Liverpool |
St Mary's Church is a Roman Catholic church located in Wigan, Greater Manchester. It was built a long time ago, in 1818. This church is very special because it is a Grade II* listed building, which means it's an important historical place. It is also part of the Archdiocese of Liverpool. Interestingly, it's very close to another Catholic church, St John's Church. They were actually built quite close together, almost like a friendly competition!
Contents
Church History: Building St Mary's
Starting the Church Building
The first stone for St Mary's Church was put in place on March 17, 1818. It took less than a year to build! The church officially opened its doors on January 27, 1819.
At first, a priest from St Mary's Church, Manchester helped lead the services here. Later, in 1850, the way the Catholic Church was organized in England changed. After this, St Mary's Church became part of the Archdiocese of Liverpool.
Making the Church Bigger
As more Catholic people moved to the area, the church needed to be made larger. So, St Mary's Church was extended and opened again on October 19, 1851. Important church leaders, like the Bishop of Liverpool, George Brown, and the Bishop of Southwark, Thomas Grant, were there for the special ceremony. A new Lady Chapel was also opened just two weeks later.
In 1859, a priest named Fr Gerard O’Reilly became the main leader of the church. During his time, the church's organ was rebuilt in 1861. New seating, called pews, were also put in place in 1867.
Later, in 1933, another church nearby, St John's Church, joined with the archdiocese. From then on, St Mary's and St John's churches started working together.
St Mary's Church Parish
St Mary's Church holds two Sunday Masses, which are special church services. One is at 9:00 AM and the other is at 4:30 PM. These times are chosen carefully so they don't happen at the same time as the services at St John's Church next door.
For several years, St Mary's Church and St John's Church were part of one big parish. A parish is like a local church community. However, in 2017, the Wigan area's church organization changed. St Mary's became its own parish again, while St John's joined with St Patrick's Church to form a new parish.
See also
- Listed buildings in Wigan
