St Patrick's Catholic Church, Leicester facts for kids

St Patrick's Church is a Roman Catholic church located in the Beaumont Leys area of Leicester, England. It's a special place of worship for many people in the community. The church building you see today was built in 1959. It was needed because more and more Catholic families were moving to Leicester.

Even though the current building is from 1959, the church community, called a parish, actually started much earlier, in 1854! The church is built in a style called Romanesque, which means it has a strong, classic look, with three cool domes inside. You can also see a beautiful stained glass window showing St Patrick, who is the church's special saint. The church helps serve students from St Patrick's Catholic Voluntary Academy and English Martyrs Catholic School.

A Look Back: The Church's History

The story of St Patrick's Church began a long time ago, in 1854. Back then, it wasn't a big church building like it is now. It started as a small chapel inside a school on Royal East Street in Leicester. This first chapel was also dedicated to St Patrick.

Over the years, the church community grew and changed. The original chapel eventually closed in 1940. But the people still needed a place to worship! So, in 1949, a temporary worship spot was set up at the Leicester Stadium. Soon after, land was bought in Beaumont Leys Lane to build a new, bigger church, a house for the priest (called a presbytery), and a hall for community events.

Building the New Church

The new St Patrick's Church building was officially opened on St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 1959. This was a very exciting day for the community!

After the church opened, more special features were added inside. These included beautiful wooden carvings showing the Stations of the Cross, which tell the story of Jesus. Statues of the Sacred Heart and St. Joseph were also added, along with a large cross showing Christ Triumphant. Two more stained glass windows were put in the Sanctuary, which is the main area where the altar is. All these wonderful features are still there for everyone to see today.

Growing and Celebrating

Over the decades, many priests have led the St Patrick's Church community. Each one helped the church grow and improve. For example, in the early 1980s, a special chapel dedicated to St Patrick was completed. It got a lovely carved wooden statue of St Patrick and a parish banner.

Later, in 1996, a new parish hall was built. This hall is still used today for many different events, from community gatherings to celebrations.

In 2009, St Patrick's Church celebrated its 50th birthday! This was a huge milestone. To mark the occasion, a brand new stained glass window was added in the Baptistry, the area where baptisms take place. This window is very artistic and shows a journey of faith through a river, leading to the Eucharist, which is a very important part of Catholic worship.

Today, the current parish priest is Father Raphael Imoni, who arrived in September 2018. St Patrick's Church is a busy and active place, with many people attending services each week.

Special Features of the Church

St Patrick's Church has many interesting and beautiful things to see inside. Here are some of the most notable features:

• Carved Stations of the Cross: These are a series of images or carvings that show different moments from the last day of Jesus' life.
• Wooden Carvings: You can see detailed wooden carvings of St Patrick, the church's patron saint, and St Joseph, who was Jesus' earthly father.
• St Brigid's Prayer Room: There's a quiet room dedicated to St Brigid, another important Irish saint, where people can go to pray.
• St Patrick's Chapel: A special chapel within the church, also dedicated to St Patrick.
• Stained Glass Windows: Besides the large window of St Patrick at the back, there's also the beautiful 50th Anniversary Stained Glass Window in the Baptistry.
• Lady Altar: This altar has a lovely mosaic picture of the Virgin Mary, Jesus' mother.
• Original Baptismal Font: This is the special basin used for baptisms, and it's been there since the church was built.
• Carved Triumphal Cross: A large, carved cross showing Christ the King, which reminds people of Jesus' victory.
• Holy Spirit Depiction: Above the tabernacle, where the Eucharist is kept, there is an image representing the Holy Spirit.