St Marie's Church, Bury Explained

St Marie's Church
Location:Bury
Country:England
Denomination:Roman Catholic
Website:stmarieandstjosephbury.org.uk/
Status:Parish church
Dedication:Mary, mother of Jesus
Functional Status:Active
Heritage Designation:Grade II listed
Designated Date:10 November 1951[1]
Architect:John Harper
Style:Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking:1841
Completed Date:1842
Parish:St Marie and St Joseph
Deanery:Rochdale, Bury[2]
Diocese:Salford
Province:Liverpool

St Marie's Church is a Roman Catholic parish church in Bury, Greater Manchester, England. It was built from 1841 to 1842 in the Gothic Revival style. It is situated between the Manchester Road and Back Knowsley Street in the town centre. It is a Grade II listed building.[3]

History

Foundation

After the Reformation, a priest would come from Rochdale to serve the local Catholic population of Bury. In 1825, a mission was started in Bury and the first priest was a Fr Peacock. He would celebrate Mass in Bury as well as travel to Heywood, Radcliffe, Elton and Tottington to serve the Catholic communities there.[4]

Construction

In 1841, the architect John Harper from York was commissioned to design the church and presbytery. Construction started that year, and the next year, 1842, the church was opened. With the increasing population of the town and the surrounding area, more missions were started from the church. New churches would be constructed resulting from these missions such as St Joseph's Church in Bury.[4]

Parish

In 2009, the parishes of St Marie's Church and St Joseph's Church were merged. St Marie's Church has one Sunday Mass at 11:30am and St Joseph's Church has two Sunday Masses at 5:00pm on Saturday and at 9:15am on Sunday.[2]

See also

Notes and References

  1. https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101356824-church-of-saint-marie-east-ward Church of Saint Marie, Bury
  2. https://boundaries.stjosephsmanchester.co.uk/?page=diocese Deaneries
  3. https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1356824 Church of St Marie
  4. [Historic England]