Welcome to St Catherine of Siena Church, Didsbury
St Catherine’s is a well-established and thriving parish in South Manchester, part of the Diocese of Salford. Looking forward to its Centenary in 2028, the roots of the parish can be seen in the Crucifix outside the church on School Lane, erected by soldiers from World War 1 who had seen such shrines across Europe, and wanted to proclaim their Catholic faith to the growing suburb of Didsbury.
Now in 2020, as we face an uncertain future, we take inspiration from our patron, Catherine of Siena, a fiery red-haired woman who took on a divided establishment, wrote numerous treatises and letters challenging both spiritual and political leaders, brought the Pope back from Avignon to Rome, died aged 33, was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1970, and in 1999 was named as one of the patron saints of Europe. We surely need her example, determination, and her prayers now!
St Catherine’s is unusual in that for the moment we have two priests, Fathers John Hitchen and Michael Deas, but our parish is and must be an inclusive community of families and individuals with a range of talents, interests and heritage who worship and work together in our mission of bringing Christ into our lives.
Life is often seen as a journey, a pilgrimage which is so often happy and fulfilling but will have penances on the way. For our children, parents and teachers, St Catherine’s Primary School and The Barlow High School are highlights. Adulthood with its additional responsibilities brings challenges. Our concern at the moment must be the physical and mental health of our parishioners and we need to find new ways to support our children without schools and ensure that particularly our senior parishioners are not isolated.
So traveling together as a parish, strengthened by the example of Catherine of Siena, we ask, “Stay with us Lord on our journey.”
St Catherine’s is a well-established and thriving parish in South Manchester, part of the Diocese of Salford. Looking forward to its Centenary in 2028, the roots of the parish can be seen in the Crucifix outside the church on School Lane, erected by soldiers from World War 1 who had seen such shrines across Europe, and wanted to proclaim their Catholic faith to the growing suburb of Didsbury.
Now in 2020, as we face an uncertain future, we take inspiration from our patron, Catherine of Siena, a fiery red-haired woman who took on a divided establishment, wrote numerous treatises and letters challenging both spiritual and political leaders, brought the Pope back from Avignon to Rome, died aged 33, was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1970, and in 1999 was named as one of the patron saints of Europe. We surely need her example, determination, and her prayers now!
St Catherine’s is unusual in that for the moment we have two priests, Fathers John Hitchen and Michael Deas, but our parish is and must be an inclusive community of families and individuals with a range of talents, interests and heritage who worship and work together in our mission of bringing Christ into our lives.
Life is often seen as a journey, a pilgrimage which is so often happy and fulfilling but will have penances on the way. For our children, parents and teachers, St Catherine’s Primary School and The Barlow High School are highlights. Adulthood with its additional responsibilities brings challenges. Our concern at the moment must be the physical and mental health of our parishioners and we need to find new ways to support our children without schools and ensure that particularly our senior parishioners are not isolated.
So traveling together as a parish, strengthened by the example of Catherine of Siena, we ask, “Stay with us Lord on our journey.”
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Click on the links below to read more about specific aspects of Parish life at St Catherine's:
Children's Liturgy Ministers of Holy Communion Readers at Mass Community Centre The history of the parish and laying of the foundation stone 90th Anniversary of St Catherine of Siena |
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