St. Mary of the Isle Church

Last updated

Cathedral of St Mary of the Isle
St Mary's Cathedral, Douglas Isle Man.jpeg
St Mary's Cathedral, Douglas Isle Man
Isle of Man location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Cathedral of St Mary of the Isle
54°09′02″N4°28′57″W / 54.150655°N 4.482393°W / 54.150655; -4.482393 (St Mary's of the Isle Catholic Church, Hill Street)
LocationHill Street, Douglas, Isle of Man.
Country Isle of Man
Denomination Roman Catholic
Website manxcatholic.org.uk
History
Status Cathedral
Founded1859
Dedication Saint Mary & Saint Joseph
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Style Gothic
Groundbreaking 1857
Completed1859
Specifications
Capacity1,000 (approximate)
Administration
Province Province of Liverpool
Diocese Archdiocese of Liverpool
Clergy
Priest(s) Monsignor John Devine [1] [2]

The St Mary of the Isle Cathedral, also referred to as the Cathedral of St Mary of the Isle, [3] [4] [5] is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Douglas, Isle of Man. It is part of the Roman Catholic Pastoral Area of St Maughold within the Archdiocese of Liverpool. It is one of two cathedrals on the Island, and one of six Catholic churches. It is referred to locally as St. Mary's. [6] [7] In September 2023, St Mary of the Isle was granted co-cathedral status. [8] [9]

Contents

History

Prior to the Reformation, the Church on the Island was the independent Diocese of Sodor and Man, which, since the Reformation, continues as an Anglican diocese. It is part of the Church of England with its own Bishop resident on the Island with its own cathedral, the Cathedral Church of Saint German, in the town of Peel. [10]

The post Reformation Catholic Cathedral on the Island forms part of the Archdiocese of Liverpool and constitutes one third of the land mass of the Archdiocese. [11]

The first Catholic Chapel on the Island to be constructed after the Reformation was built by Father Miles McPharlan who was in situation from 1803 to 1820, on land which was gifted to the church by Lieutenant Colonel John Taubman Goldie-Taubman, Speaker of the House of Keys. [12]

Father McPharlan was succeeded in 1820 by Fr. Matthew Gahan who arrived from Dublin, and who opened the church of St. Mary, at Castletown, then the capital of the Isle of Man, in 1826. [13]

However by the 1850s Douglas was far outstripping Castletown both in population and civic importance, it thereby becoming apparent that a larger church was required which would be situated in the centre of the town.

Construction

Fr. Gahan was highly industrious in raising the required funds, and the foundation stone of St. Mary's was laid by the Right Reverend Dr. Alexander Goss, Bishop of Liverpool, on October 28, 1857. [14] [15]

Completion and consecration

The church opened for worship on August 4, 1859. [16] [17]

Cathedral Status

As part of the late Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022, Douglas was awarded city status. Following the granting of city status, on Friday September 22, 2023, Pope Francis granted cathedral status to the Church of Saint Mary of the Isle. [18] [19]

The Church is a co-cathedral with the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, and is the first Catholic co-cathedral in the British Isles.

Although rare in the Catholic Church, co-cathedrals exist when two dioceses, each with its own cathedral, are merged or when a single diocese spans two distinct civil jurisdictions. [20] [21]

Modern use

Today St. Mary's continues to play an active part in the life of the local community. A Registered Building, [22] the cathedral is situated on the junction of Hill Street and Prospect Hill, opposite Tynwald and the Isle of Man's legislative buildings. The cathedral is regularly visited by the Archbishop of Liverpool and his auxiliary bishops. It is the venue for ordinations to the priesthood, the diaconate and the sacrament of Confirmation.

St Mary of the Isle is a regular venue for civic occasions such as the Isle of Man Government Christmas Carol Service and the annual Holocaust Memorial Service. These are attended by the Chief Minister and his cabinet along with the Island's Lieutenant Governor and civic leaders and officials. The cathedral organ is over 100 years old, and was restored in 2006 by Peter Jones.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isle of Man</span> Self-governing British Crown dependency in the Irish Sea

The Isle of Man or Mann, is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations and is the homeland of the Manx people, a Celtic ethnic group. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Governor. The government of the United Kingdom is responsible for the Isle of Man's military defence and represents it abroad, but the Isle of Man still has a separate international identity.

The Isle of Man has an extensive communications infrastructure consisting of telephone cables, submarine cables, and an array of television and mobile phone transmitters and towers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manx language</span> Goidelic Celtic language of the Isle of Man

Manx, also known as Manx Gaelic, is a Gaelic language of the insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, itself a branch of the Indo-European language family. Manx is the historical language of the Manx people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas, Isle of Man</span> Capital city of the Isle of Man

Douglas is the capital city and largest settlement of the Isle of Man, with a population of 26,677 (2021) and an area of 4.1 square miles (10.5 km2). It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, and on a sweeping bay of two miles. The River Douglas forms part of the city's harbour and main commercial port.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port St Mary</span> Human settlement on the Isle of Man

Port St Mary is a village district in the south-west of the Isle of Man. The village takes its name from the former Chapel of St Mary which is thought to have overlooked Chapel Bay in the village. Its population is 1,953 according to the 2011 census. In the 19th century it was sometimes called Port-le-Murray.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diocese of Sodor and Man</span> Diocese of the Church of England

The Diocese of Sodor and Man is a diocese of the Church of England. Originally much larger, today it covers just the Isle of Man and its adjacent islets. Today, the bishop's office is in Douglas and the cathedral is in Peel. The diocese is not generally called either "Sodor diocese" or "Man diocese".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint John, Antigua and Barbuda</span> Parish in Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda

Saint John, officially the Parish of Saint John, is a civil parish of Antigua and Barbuda, on the northwestern portion of Antigua island. Its capital is the city of St. John's. Saint John borders Saint Mary, Saint Peter, Saint George, and Saint Paul. Saint John faces the Caribbean Sea. Saint John is surrounded by some of Antigua's most premier beaches. Saint John had a population of 56,736 in a 2018 estimate, making it home to the majority of the population in Antigua and Barbuda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catholic Church in the Isle of Man</span>

The Catholic Church in the Isle of Man is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monks Eleigh</span> Human settlement in England

Monks Eleigh is a village and a civil parish in Babergh, Suffolk, United Kingdom, situated on the tributary to the River Brett in a rural area. The parish contains the hamlets of Swingleton Green and Stackyard Green.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diocese of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane</span> Anglican diocese of the Scottish Episcopal Church

The Diocese of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane is one of the seven dioceses of the Scottish Episcopal Church, part of the Anglican Communion. It is centred on St Ninian's Cathedral in Perth, and covers Fife, Perthshire, Kinross-shire, Clackmannanshire, and eastern and central Stirlingshire. The current Bishop of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane is Ian Paton.

SS <i>Ellan Vannin</i> (1860)

SS (RMS) Ellan Vannin was built as an iron paddle steamer in 1860 at Meadowside, Glasgow for the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. She was originally named Mona's Isle - the second ship in the company's history to be so named. She served for 23 years under that name before being rebuilt, re-engined and renamed in 1883. As Ellan Vannin she served for a further 26 years before being lost in a storm on 3 December 1909 in Liverpool Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Mary's College High School</span> Private, day, college-prep school in Berkeley, Alameda County, California, United States

Saint Mary's College High School is a coeducational Catholic school located in Berkeley, California, United States. It came into being as part of Saint Mary's College of California, founded in 1863 by the Catholic Church, and put under the auspices of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools in 1868.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Press-on-Regardless Rally</span> Road rally

Press On Regardless (POR) is a road rally organized by the Detroit Region of the Sports Car Club of America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota</span> Diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States

The Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America with jurisdiction over the state of North Dakota plus Clay County, Minnesota. It has 19 congregations in North Dakota and one in Moorhead, Minnesota. It is in Province VI and its cathedral, Gethsemane Episcopal Cathedral, is in Fargo, as are the diocesan offices.

Stephen David Conway SCP is a British Anglican bishop. Since July 2023, he has served as the Bishop of Lincoln; he was previously Bishop of Ely and Bishop of Ramsbury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Over United Reformed Church</span> Church in Cheshire, England

Over United Reformed Church is in Swanlow Lane, Over, Winsford, Cheshire, England. It was built as a Congregational chapel and is now a United Reformed Church. It is a Grade II listed building,

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 British Columbia general election</span>

The 2013 British Columbia general election took place on May 14, 2013, to elect the 85 members of the 40th Parliament of British Columbia to the Legislative Assembly in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The British Columbia Liberal Party formed the government during the 39th Parliament prior to this general election, initially under the leadership of Premier Gordon Campbell then after his resignation, Christy Clark. The British Columbia New Democratic Party under the leadership of Carole James, and then Adrian Dix, formed the Official Opposition. The BC Green Party under the leadership of Jane Sterk and the BC Conservative Party under John Cummins were also included in polling, although neither party had representation at the end of the 39th Parliament.

The European Swimming Masters Championships is an international Aquatics championships for adults. The championships are held biennially, with competition in all five of FINA's disciplines: Swimming, Diving, Water Polo, Open Water Swimming, and Synchronized Swimming. Starting in 2016, the competition will be held jointly with the European Aquatics Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Benedict's Catholic High School, Alcester</span> Academy in Warwickshire, England

St Benedict's Catholic High School is a co-educational Roman Catholic secondary school and sixth form. It is located in Alcester in the English county of Warwickshire. The school is named after Saint Benedict of Nursia, the patron saint of Europe and students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady, Star of the Sea & St Maughold Church</span> Church in Ramsey, Isle of Man

The Our Lady, Star of the Sea & St Maughold Church is the name given to a religious building that is affiliated with the Catholic Church in the Isle of Man and is located in Dale Street, in Ramsey the second largest town in the Isle of Man, a dependency of the British Crown.

References

  1. https://manxcatholic.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Cathedral-press-statement-for-Manx-media-22-Sept-23.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  2. https://www.catholicdirectory.org/Catholic-Information.asp?ID=57811& [ bare URL ]
  3. https://www.catholicdirectory.org/Catholic-Information.asp?ID=57811& [ bare URL ]
  4. https://manxcatholic.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Cathedral-press-statement-for-Manx-media-22-Sept-23.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  5. Mona's Herald, Wednesday, November 04, 1857; Page: 3
  6. https://manxcatholic.org.uk/ [ bare URL ]
  7. St. Mary of the Isle Church
  8. https://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/pope-francis-grants-rare-honour-to-douglas-church-after-year-long-process-640101 [ bare URL ]
  9. https://manxcatholic.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Cathedral-press-statement-for-Manx-media-22-Sept-23.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  10. https://manxcatholic.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Cathedral-press-statement-for-Manx-media-22-Sept-23.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  11. https://manxcatholic.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Cathedral-press-statement-for-Manx-media-22-Sept-23.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  12. Mona's Herald, Tuesday, May 20, 1947; Page: 5
  13. Mona's Herald, Tuesday, May 20, 1947; Page: 5
  14. Mona's Herald, Tuesday, May 20, 1947; Page: 5
  15. Mona's Herald, Wednesday, November 04, 1857; Page: 11
  16. Manx Sun, Saturday, July 09, 1859; Page: 15
  17. Belchem, John (1 January 2000). A New History of the Isle of Man: The modern period 1830-1999. Liverpool University Press. ISBN   9780853237266.
  18. https://manxcatholic.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Cathedral-press-statement-for-Manx-media-22-Sept-23.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  19. https://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/pope-francis-grants-rare-honour-to-douglas-church-after-year-long-process-640101 [ bare URL ]
  20. https://manxcatholic.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Cathedral-press-statement-for-Manx-media-22-Sept-23.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  21. https://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/pope-francis-grants-rare-honour-to-douglas-church-after-year-long-process-640101 [ bare URL ]
  22. "Registered Building No. 197: St. Mary's of the Isle Catholic Cathedral, Hill Street, Douglas" (PDF). With four photos.