St Michael's Catholic Church, Moor Street facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Michael's Catholic Church, Moor Street |
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St Michael's Catholic Church, Moor Street
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| OS grid reference | SP 07382 86910 |
| Location | Birmingham |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Roman Catholicism |
| Previous denomination | Unitarianism |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Michael |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade II listed |
| Completed | 1803 |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Birmingham |
St Michael's Catholic Church is a special building in Birmingham, England. It's a Catholic church located on Moor Street. This church is so important that it was given "Grade II listed building" status on April 25, 1952. This means it's a historic building that needs to be protected.
Contents
A Look at the Church's History
The building where St Michael's Catholic Church now stands has a long and interesting past. It was first built in 1726. Back then, it was a different kind of church called a Unitarian New Meeting House.
The Priestley Riots
In 1791, something dramatic happened. The building was burned down during events known as the Priestley Riots. These riots targeted Dr. Joseph Priestley, who was the minister of the Unitarian church at the time.
The Unitarian New Meeting House was rebuilt after this event. It reopened its doors in 1803, about ten years later.
Becoming a Catholic Church
Later, the Unitarian community decided they needed a new place to worship. They started building a new church on Broad Street in Birmingham.
The old New Meeting House building on Moor Street was then bought by the Catholic Church. It was changed and officially became a Roman Catholic church in 1862. At that time, many Irish and Italian people were moving to the area. The church became a welcoming place for them and was even known as "the Italian church."
A Home for Polish Communities
After World War II, the church became very important to Polish ex-servicemen and their families who had moved to England.
More recently, after Poland joined the European Union in 2004, even more Polish people came to Birmingham. This caused the church's community to grow a lot. Because of this, St Michael's now holds special Mass services in Polish.
Early Catholic Missions in Birmingham
Before St Michael's Church opened, the first Catholic mission in Birmingham started in 1687. It was on Masshouse Lane and run by Franciscan Fathers.
However, this first mission was also burned down in anti-Catholic riots in 1688. For many years after that, Catholic Mass was held in different temporary chapels around the city until St Michael's became a Catholic church in 1862.
