Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, Marylebone

Introduction

The Church of Our Lady of the Rosary in Marylebone was built in 1963 by Goodhart-Rendel. The church is built in the neo-Romanesque style.

History

The parish was founded in 1855. In 1848 Count de Torre Diaz hired a hall in Cato Street and appointed Father Hodgson to celebrate Mass there. In 1849 Count de Torre Diaz and others bought land in Homer Row on which a church and school would be built. On 9 August 1855 the church was blessed and dedicated to Our Lady of the Holy Rosary by Cardinal Wiseman.

The architect of the church completed in 1855 was a man by the name of Blount. The church was served by the priests of St James', Spanish Place, until 1861 when it was erected as a separate parish. The east wall of the sanctuary is tiled and depicts the joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries of the rosary.

Architecture and furnishings

The organ was built in 1865 by Bishop & Starr and contains over 1,500 pipes. The organ was installed in the new church and has undergone extensive renovations, both in the 1960s and the late 1990s. The parish choir rehearses and sings as arranged.

Sacraments and pastoral care

Baptism instruction classes are held on a Tuesday evening. A confirmation course begins each January for young people of school Year 9 or above, with confirmation in June. Couples wishing to marry must give at least 6 months notice to the priest. Marriage preparation takes place each year in the parish on a Saturday in March.