St Mary's Cathedral, Newcastle upon Tyne

Last updated

St Mary's Cathedral
Cathedral Church of St Mary, Newcastle upon Tyne
NewcastleRC.jpg
The Cathedral with Cardinal Hume statue in foreground (March 2006)
Location map United Kingdom Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central.png
Red pog.svg
St Mary's Cathedral
Shown within Newcastle
54°58′08″N1°37′12″W / 54.969°N 1.620°W / 54.969; -1.620
Location Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Country England
Denomination Roman Catholic
Website www.stmaryscathedral.org.uk
History
Status Cathedral
Consecrated 1844
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s) Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin
Architectural typeChurch
Style Gothic Revival
Years built1842-1844
Completed21 August 1844
Specifications
Number of spires 1
Administration
Province Liverpool
Diocese Hexham and Newcastle (since 1850)
Clergy
Bishop(s) Sede vacante
Dean Canon Simon Lerche
AssistantFr William Nicol
Laity
Organist(s) David Allison

The Cathedral Church of St Mary is a Catholic cathedral in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. It is the mother church of the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle and seat of the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle. The cathedral, situated on Clayton Street, was designed by Augustus Welby Pugin and built between 1842 and 1844. The cathedral is a grade I listed building and a fine example of the Gothic Revival style of architecture championed by Pugin.

Contents

There is a monument dedicated to Cardinal Basil Hume in the Monument Garden outside of the cathedral, which was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 2002. St Mary's Cathedral is the sixth tallest structure in the city.

History

St. Mary's Church in Newcastle opened in August 1844, paid for largely through halfpenny subscriptions from the community of poor immigrants on Tyneside. The priest at the mission at Newcastle upon Tyne was William Riddell. [1] The stained glass in the Great East Window, Lady Chapel and Blessed Sacrament Chapel, were done by William Wailes in 1843 to designs provided by Pugin.

By decree of Pope Pius IX on 29 September 1850, the Catholic hierarchy was restored on a regular pattern to England and Wales. Much of what had been known as the Vicariate Apostolic of the Northern District became the new See of Hexham. Bishop William Hogarth was appointed to be the first bishop of the new diocese, and as such, required a church in which to place his seat or cathedra. St Mary's was chosen for this purpose and thus it gained the status of a cathedral church in 1850, [2] becoming the first cathedral in Newcastle, as the Anglican St. Nicholas' Cathedral didn't become a cathedral until 1882.

On 21 August 1860, the cathedral was dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption. The name of the see was changed in 1861 to Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. Since then, eleven further bishops have been installed in St Mary's as Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle.

With a bequest from the estate of Elizabeth Dunn, in 1872 a tower and steeple designed by Dunn & Hansom were added. [3]

Present

The seat of the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle was vacant after the death of the Right Reverend Kevin John Dunn in March 2008. He served in the post for almost four years, having been consecrated a Bishop and installed on the feast of St Bede the Venerable, 25 May 2004. Seamus Cunningham received his episcopal consecration on 20 March 2009 (feast of St. Cuthbert, the diocese's patron), at St. Mary's Cathedral. He is the thirteenth bishop of the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle.

On 21 April 2006 the incumbent Dean, the Reverend Michael Campion, officially left his appointment at the cathedral. He is succeeded by the Reverend Peter Leighton, formerly the Catholic Chaplain to the University of Durham. Under the careful guidance of the Reverend Peter Leighton, the cathedral has undergone a thorough period of renovation restoring much of the beauty of the original design. Phase one of the work was completed in September 2010 and phase two of the work, which included the installation of a new three-manual Kenneth Tickell organ of 46 stops, was completed in February 2013. [4]

On 4 February, Pope Francis announced that Bishop Robert Byrne was to be the next Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle after the resignation of Bishop Seamus Cunningham. Robert Byrne previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Birmingham, he is also a member of the Oratory the St. Philip Neri at Birmingham Oratory.

Controversy

In 2019, Canon Michael McCoy was appointed dean by Bishop Robert Byrne in succession to Father Dermott Donnelly (brother of TV presenter Declan Donnelly). [5] This was despite multiple issues on his record, including being "subject of safeguarding plans regarding boundaries relevant to working with older teenagers". [6] On 10 April 2021, McCoy was found dead: following an inquest, it was found that he had killed himself after being informed of historical sexual abuse allegations against him. [7]

On 22 January 2023, it was reported that the Vatican was investigating rumours of a sex party at St Mary's Cathedral. [8] In May 2023, it was concluded that "Allegations that lewd parties took place at St Mary’s Cathedral during the pandemic are simply untrue." [6] However, there were gatherings for volunteers with wine and takeaways, in contravention to Covid regulations in place at that time. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

The Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle in the Province of Liverpool, known also on occasion as the Northern Province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham</span> Catholic archdiocese in England

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham is one of the principal Latin-rite Catholic administrative divisions of England and Wales in the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church. The archdiocese covers an area of 3,373 square miles (8,740 km2), encompassing Staffordshire, the West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and much of Oxfordshire as well as Caversham in Berkshire. The metropolitan see is in the City of Birmingham at the Metropolitan Cathedral Church of Saint Chad. The metropolitan province includes the suffragan dioceses of Clifton and Shrewsbury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool</span> Catholic archdiocese in England

The Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church that covers the Isle of Man and part of North West England. The episcopal see is Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral. The archdiocese is the centre of the Ecclesiastical Province of Liverpool which covers the north of England as well as the Isle of Man.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston–Houston</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Texas, USA

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston–Houston is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in the south Texas region of the United States.

Dom Ambrose Griffiths was a Benedictine abbot before becoming a Roman Catholic bishop in the Catholic Church in England and Wales.

Hugh Lindsay was a bishop of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Duluth</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Minnesota, USA

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Duluth is a Latin Church diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in northeastern Minnesota in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Fargo</span> Latin Catholic jurisdiction in the United States

The Diocese of Fargo is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in eastern North Dakota in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Armidale</span> Catholic ecclesiastical territory

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Armidale is a suffragan Latin Rite diocese of the Archdiocese of Sydney, established in 1869 and covering the New England and Barwon River regions of New South Wales in Australia.

The Right ReverendOwen Francis Swindlehurst was Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle and Titular Bishop of Cuncacestre under Bishops Hugh Lindsay and Ambrose Griffiths from 1977 until his death.

Kevin John Dunn was the twelfth Roman Catholic Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle</span> Catholic diocese in England

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church, centred on St Mary's Cathedral in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne in England. The diocese is one of the six suffragan sees in the ecclesiastical Province of Liverpool and covers the historic boundaries of County Durham and Northumberland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archibald Matthias Dunn</span> British architect (1832 – 1917)

Archibald Matthias Dunn FRIBA, JP, was a British architect. He was, along with his partner Edward Joseph Hansom, among the foremost Catholic architects in North East England during the Victorian era.

Séamus Cunningham is an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church in England. He was the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle in the north of England from 2009 to 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Arnold (bishop)</span>

John Stanley Kenneth Arnold is the eleventh Roman Catholic Bishop of Salford. He was formerly an auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster and held the titular see of Lindisfarne.

James Cunningham was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle from 1958 to 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Byrne (bishop)</span> English prelate of the Catholic Church (born 1956)

Robert Byrne, C.O. is a prelate of the Catholic Church in England. He was the 14th Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Birmingham and the titular bishop of Cuncacestre. He is the first Oratorian to be appointed a bishop in England since 1874.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Sunderland</span> Church in Sunderland, United Kingdom

St Mary's Church is a Roman Catholic parish church in the city centre of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, situated on the corner of Bridge Street and St Mary's Way. It is a Grade II listed building, designed by Ignatius Bonomi. Built from 1830 to 1835, and is the earliest Gothic revival church surviving in Sunderland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael G. McGovern</span> American cleric

Michael George McGovern is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He has served as bishop of the Diocese of Belleville in Illinois since 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Dominic's Church, Newcastle</span> Church in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, United Kingdom

St Dominic's Church, formerly St Dominic's Priory Church, is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. It was built from 1869 and opened in 1873. It was founded by the Dominican Order. It is located on New Bridge Street, east of Manors railway station, in the Ouseburn area of Newcastle. It was designed by Archibald Matthias Dunn and is a Grade II listed building.

References

  1. ↑ Brady, W. Maziere (1876). The Episcopal Succession in England, Scotland and Ireland, A.D. 1400 to 1875. Volume 3. Rome: Tipografia Della Pace. pp. 345–346.
  2. ↑ "175th Anniversary of St Mary's", Cathedral Church of St Mary
  3. ↑ "St Mary's Cathedral, Newcastle", Co-Curate
  4. ↑ "St Mary's Cathedral, Newcastle upon Tyne", Kenneth Tickell & Company, Ltd.
  5. ↑ Collins, David; Pepinster, Catherine (27 May 2023). "Vatican investigates 'lockdown sex party in British cathedral'". The Times. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 Archbishop Malcolm McMahon OP (3 May 2023). "Canonical Investigation Report – Executive Summary" (PDF). diocesehn.org.uk. The Diocese of Hexham & Newcastle. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  7. ↑ "Dean of St Mary's Cathedral took own life after historical allegation". BBC News. 5 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  8. ↑ "Vatican investigating rumours of 'sex party' at Newcastle cathedral". the Guardian. 22 January 2023. Archived from the original on 22 January 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.