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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| 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 Catholic church located on Moor Street in Birmingham, England. It is a very old and important building. In 1952, it was given "Grade II listed" status. This means it is a special historic building that needs to be protected.
Contents
History of the Church Building
The building where St Michael's Church now stands was first built in 1726. Back then, it was not a Catholic church. It was a meeting house for a group called Unitarians.
In 1791, there were some big problems in Birmingham called the Priestley Riots. People were angry and destroyed many buildings, including this meeting house. It was burned down because the minister, Dr. Joseph Priestley, was targeted.
The Unitarian meeting house was rebuilt ten years later. It opened again in 1803.
From Unitarian to Catholic Church
Later, the Unitarian group decided they needed a new, bigger place to worship. So, they built a new church on Broad Street.
The old meeting house on Moor Street was then bought by the Catholic Church. This happened in 1862. The building was changed and made ready to be a Catholic church. It was officially opened as a Catholic church that year.
At this time, many immigrants from Ireland and Italy were moving to the area. The church became very important for these new families. Because so many Italian families went there, people sometimes called it "the Italian church."
A Home for Polish Families
After World War II, many Polish soldiers and their families came to live in England. St Michael's Church became a home for them. It offered services in Polish.
More recently, after Poland joined the European Union in 2004, even more Polish people moved to the UK. The number of Polish people attending the church grew a lot! This led to special Mass services being held in Polish.
Early Catholic Missions in Birmingham
Before St Michael's Church became Catholic, the first Catholic community in Birmingham started in 1687. It was on Masshouse Lane. This first church was also burned down in 1688 during anti-Catholic riots.
After that, Catholic services were held in different temporary places. This continued until St Michael's Church opened its doors to the Catholic community in 1862.
