Cathedral Church of St Marie, Sheffield
Encyclopedia
The Cathedral Church of St Marie is the Roman Catholic cathedral
in Sheffield
, England
. It lies in a slightly hidden location, just off the main shopping street in the city, but signals its presence with a tall spire
. It is an especially fine example of an English Roman Catholic Church, with much fine interior decoration. Re-ordering of the Sanctuary
following the Second Vatican Council
, has been sensitive. There are several particularly notable side altars, as well as statues and painted tiles.
the Church of England
was part of the Roman Catholic Church
, and Sheffield's medieval parish church of St. Peter (now the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul
) was the principal Catholic church in the district. In 1534, during the reign of Henry VIII
, the Church of England split from Rome, and Catholic worship was outlawed. Until the 18th century, Catholics faced fines, loss of property and social exclusion, and Catholic Priests were hunted down, imprisoned and martyred. The main landowners in Sheffield were the Dukes of Norfolk
, and the Shrewsbury Chapel in the now Anglican parish church remained Catholic until 1933. During the reordering of St Mary's in 1970, at the invitation of the Anglican Cathedral, Mass was celebrated on the altar of the Shrewsbury Chapel once again. The Altar still retains its Catholic consecration crosses, and relics, making this possible. Mass was celebrated in a few houses of gentry in Sheffield, including in a house on Fargate that belonged to the Duke of Norfolk, which had a hidden chapel in its roof.
of the late 18th and early 19th century allowed Catholics to worship more openly. Sheffield
Catholics bought the ageing house, which stood where the Next shop is today. They built a small chapel in its back garden on a site which is now between the Mortuary and the Blessed Sacrament Chapels. The names of the priests who served Sheffield before the Cathedral was built and the dates of their deaths are on the wall of the Mortuary Chapel. The rest of the land where the Cathedral now stands became a cemetery (Bodies from the cemetery were moved to the new Catholic cemetery at St. Bede’s in Rotherham and work on St Marie’s began). By 1846 the chapel was too small and the young priest, Fr. Pratt, was keen to build a church for the expanding town. A leading local architect called Matthew Ellison Hadfield
designed St Marie’s, based on a 14th century church at Heckington
in Lincolnshire. The church was expensively decorated with the aid of generous donations from the Duke of Norfolk
, his mother and parishioners. Fr. Pratt died while the church was being built and was buried at St. Bede’s. However, a stonemason, who had often heard him say he wanted to be buried in St Marie’s, dug up the coffin and re‑buried Fr. Pratt in a tomb he had prepared near the altar. Fr Pratt’s body still lies there and a plaque marks the spot, but his effigy has been moved to beneath the altar in the Mortuary chapel.
St Marie’s was completed in 1850 and opened on September 11. Building the church cost more than £10,500 – a huge sum in those days – and it was not until 1889 that the church was free from debt. The Parish of St Marie’s, which covered the whole of Sheffield, became part of the Diocese of Beverley
when Catholic diocese were re-established for the first time since the Reformation
in 1850. In 1902 a new presbytery, now known as Cathedral House, was opened. During the Second World War a bomb blew out stained glass windows in the Blessed Sacrament chapel. The remaining windows were removed and stored in a shaft at Nunnery Colliery
. The mine flooded during the war, the glass sunk in mud and drawings for re‑creating the windows were destroyed, however it was still possible to re-install the windows in 1947. When St Marie’s was re-ordered in 1970, following Vatican II, dark woodwork was removed and new lighting and benches were installed. In 1972, a new altar, allowing mass to be celebrated versus populum, was consecrated by Bishop Gerald Moverley
, auxiliary Bishop of Leeds. However, the church was still too dark for the recording of Mass for television. St Marie's was to host a T.V programme in the 1970s but was found to be too dark.The much brighter and modern church of St Theresa of the Child ,Jesus,on the Manor Estate, opened in 1960, was used instead. The church building has been a Grade II listed building since 1973.
was created and St. Marie’s became a Cathedral. Bishop Moverley was installed as its first bishop and served until his death in 1996, after which Bishop John Rawsthorne
became the second Bishop of Hallam
.
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It lies in a slightly hidden location, just off the main shopping street in the city, but signals its presence with a tall spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
. It is an especially fine example of an English Roman Catholic Church, with much fine interior decoration. Re-ordering of the Sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
following the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
, has been sensitive. There are several particularly notable side altars, as well as statues and painted tiles.
The Reformation
Before the English ReformationEnglish Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
was part of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, and Sheffield's medieval parish church of St. Peter (now the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul
Sheffield Cathedral
Sheffield Cathedral is the cathedral church for the Church of England diocese of Sheffield, England. Originally a parish church, it was elevated to cathedral status when the diocese was created in 1914...
) was the principal Catholic church in the district. In 1534, during the reign of Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
, the Church of England split from Rome, and Catholic worship was outlawed. Until the 18th century, Catholics faced fines, loss of property and social exclusion, and Catholic Priests were hunted down, imprisoned and martyred. The main landowners in Sheffield were the Dukes of Norfolk
Duke of Norfolk
The Duke of Norfolk is the premier duke in the peerage of England, and also, as Earl of Arundel, the premier earl. The Duke of Norfolk is, moreover, the Earl Marshal and hereditary Marshal of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the...
, and the Shrewsbury Chapel in the now Anglican parish church remained Catholic until 1933. During the reordering of St Mary's in 1970, at the invitation of the Anglican Cathedral, Mass was celebrated on the altar of the Shrewsbury Chapel once again. The Altar still retains its Catholic consecration crosses, and relics, making this possible. Mass was celebrated in a few houses of gentry in Sheffield, including in a house on Fargate that belonged to the Duke of Norfolk, which had a hidden chapel in its roof.
The establishment of the Church of St Marie
The Catholic EmancipationCatholic Emancipation
Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in Great Britain and Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th century which involved reducing and removing many of the restrictions on Roman Catholics which had been introduced by the Act of Uniformity, the Test Acts and the penal laws...
of the late 18th and early 19th century allowed Catholics to worship more openly. Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
Catholics bought the ageing house, which stood where the Next shop is today. They built a small chapel in its back garden on a site which is now between the Mortuary and the Blessed Sacrament Chapels. The names of the priests who served Sheffield before the Cathedral was built and the dates of their deaths are on the wall of the Mortuary Chapel. The rest of the land where the Cathedral now stands became a cemetery (Bodies from the cemetery were moved to the new Catholic cemetery at St. Bede’s in Rotherham and work on St Marie’s began). By 1846 the chapel was too small and the young priest, Fr. Pratt, was keen to build a church for the expanding town. A leading local architect called Matthew Ellison Hadfield
Matthew Ellison Hadfield
Matthew Ellison Hadfield was an English architect of the Victorian Gothic revival. He is chiefly known for his work on Roman Catholic churches, including the cathedral churches of Salford and Sheffield.-Training:...
designed St Marie’s, based on a 14th century church at Heckington
Heckington
Heckington is a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies between Sleaford and Swineshead Bridge, south of the A17 road. Heckington, with 1491 households, is one of the largest villages in Lincolnshire.-History:...
in Lincolnshire. The church was expensively decorated with the aid of generous donations from the Duke of Norfolk
Duke of Norfolk
The Duke of Norfolk is the premier duke in the peerage of England, and also, as Earl of Arundel, the premier earl. The Duke of Norfolk is, moreover, the Earl Marshal and hereditary Marshal of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the...
, his mother and parishioners. Fr. Pratt died while the church was being built and was buried at St. Bede’s. However, a stonemason, who had often heard him say he wanted to be buried in St Marie’s, dug up the coffin and re‑buried Fr. Pratt in a tomb he had prepared near the altar. Fr Pratt’s body still lies there and a plaque marks the spot, but his effigy has been moved to beneath the altar in the Mortuary chapel.
St Marie’s was completed in 1850 and opened on September 11. Building the church cost more than £10,500 – a huge sum in those days – and it was not until 1889 that the church was free from debt. The Parish of St Marie’s, which covered the whole of Sheffield, became part of the Diocese of Beverley
Diocese of Beverley
The Diocese of Beverley is an historical diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in England. It took its name after the town of Beverley in the East Riding of Yorkshire. The diocese was established in 1850 and was replaced by two dioceses in 1878...
when Catholic diocese were re-established for the first time since the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
in 1850. In 1902 a new presbytery, now known as Cathedral House, was opened. During the Second World War a bomb blew out stained glass windows in the Blessed Sacrament chapel. The remaining windows were removed and stored in a shaft at Nunnery Colliery
Nunnery Colliery
Nunnery Colliery was a coal mine close to the city centre of Sheffield, South Yorkshire. The mining company, known as The Waverley Coal Company, also worked High Hazels Colliery about 3 miles further east.- History :...
. The mine flooded during the war, the glass sunk in mud and drawings for re‑creating the windows were destroyed, however it was still possible to re-install the windows in 1947. When St Marie’s was re-ordered in 1970, following Vatican II, dark woodwork was removed and new lighting and benches were installed. In 1972, a new altar, allowing mass to be celebrated versus populum, was consecrated by Bishop Gerald Moverley
Gerald Moverley
Gerald Moverley was the first Bishop of the Diocese of Hallam in Yorkshire from 30 May 1980 until July 1996 when he resigned due to ill health....
, auxiliary Bishop of Leeds. However, the church was still too dark for the recording of Mass for television. St Marie's was to host a T.V programme in the 1970s but was found to be too dark.The much brighter and modern church of St Theresa of the Child ,Jesus,on the Manor Estate, opened in 1960, was used instead. The church building has been a Grade II listed building since 1973.
St Marie's as a Cathedral
On the May 30, 1980, the new diocese of HallamDiocese of Hallam
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Hallam is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church in England.The diocese comprises the whole of the City of Sheffield, and the surrounding towns of Rotherham, Doncaster, Barnsley, Chesterfield, the Peak District and areas of Bassetlaw and Retford.The...
was created and St. Marie’s became a Cathedral. Bishop Moverley was installed as its first bishop and served until his death in 1996, after which Bishop John Rawsthorne
John Rawsthorne
John Rawsthorne is an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, currently serving as Bishop of Hallam.John Rawsthorne was the first son of Harold and Miriam Rawsthorne; he has two brothers, Paul and Christopher, and three sisters, Elizabeth, Ann, and Katherine. After attending St...
became the second Bishop of Hallam
Bishop of Hallam
The Bishop of Hallam is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hallam in the Province of Liverpool, England.The current bishop is the Right Reverend John Rawsthorne, the 2nd Bishop of Hallam, who was appointed on 4 June and installed on 3 July 1997. The bishop's official address is The...
.