OS grid reference SD5851306150 Denomination Roman Catholic Founder(s) Fr Charles Middlehurst Designated as world heritage site 24 October 1951 | Country United Kingdom Website StMarysWigan.com Opened 27 January 1819 Groundbreaking 17 March 1818 | |
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Parish Saint Marys & Saint Johns Catholic Primary School Similar St John's Church - Wigan, St Michael and All Angels' C, Chaddock Hall, St Peter's Church - Westleigh, St Joseph's Roman Catholic | ||
St Mary's Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in the Standishgate area of Wigan, Greater Manchester. It was built in 1818 and is a Grade II* listed building. It is in the Wigan deanery of the Archdiocese of Liverpool. It is within 200 feet of another Catholic church, St John's Church. They were built in a spirit of competition with each other, but now they are run in conjunction together.
Contents
Foundation
On 17 March 1818, the foundation stone of the church was laid. Less than a year later, on 27 January 1819, the church was opened. Originally, the church was served by a priest from St Mary's Church, Manchester, also known as The Hidden Gem. It was only with the restoration of the English Catholic hierarchy in 1850 that the church became part of the Archdiocese of Liverpool.
Extensions
With the Catholic population growing, the church was extended and reopened on 19 October, 1851. Those present at the ceremony were the Bishop of Liverpool, George Brown and the Bishop of Southwark, Thomas Grant. A new Lady Chapel was opened two weeks later.
In 1859, a Fr Gerard O’Reilly became Rector of the church and, during his time, the organ was rebuilt in 1861, and new pews were installed in 1867.
In 1933, when the Society of Jesus handed over the nearby St John's church to the archdiocese, the two churches began to work in conjunction with each other.
Parish
The church has two Sundays Masses, one at 9:00am and the other at 4:30pm, so that its times do not conflict with St John's church next door.