Corpus Christi, Clifton

Introduction

The architects, Messrs Reynolds & Scott of Manchester and Nottingham, also designed the adjoining Presbytery.

History

Work began on the church in November 1963; due to difficult site conditions it was built on a reinforced concrete base with a precast concrete frame and beams, giving a vaulted roof effect.

Architecture and furnishings

The first organ came from Birmingham; the second was rescued from the Odeon Cinema on Angel Row in Nottingham; the present organ came from the Mary Ward Teacher Training College when it closed. The church is cruciform in plan, with additional extensions to the shape. The South Transept links the Sacristy and the Sanctuary and provides seating for about 70 people. The Choir Loft houses the choir and organ, with a stained glass window in the west wall behind them.

Messrs Varley of Langley Mill were the builders of the church. The church has fourteen Stations of the Cross: four in the North Transept, six in the nave, and four in the South Transept. The font in the Baptistry is made of marble. The Lady Chapel contains an Icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour and a statue of Our Lady. High in the tower there is a single electronically operated bell, and much lower in the tower are six bells hung for manual ringing.

Music and liturgy

The pipe organ was brought from the Mary Ward Teachers Training College when it closed, and the choir loft has a modern stained glass window depicting events from creation to the new covenant. Baptisms often take place in the Sanctuary so that those accompanying the candidate can see and participate. The Baptistry is near the main entrance so that those to be baptised may be brought into the church spiritually as well as physically. The Lady Chapel is used for weekday Mass, exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, and private prayer, with votive candles lit for prayers.

Catholic newspapers and other Catholic publications can be obtained from the porch area and bookstall. Altar servers make a three-fold promise to serve with reverence, regularity and understanding, and are eligible for membership of the Guild of St Stephen. Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion assist the priest at Masses giving Holy Communion and the Precious Blood, and also take Holy Communion to the sick and housebound. Readers have a rota for both Saturday and Sunday Masses to read the two readings and Bidding Prayers.

The RCIA is a weekly course held at the Presbytery on Thursday evenings for non-Catholic individuals interested in learning about the Catholic faith. The confirmation programme is held approximately every 2 years for people in school year 8 and over, including a day visit to the Briars.

Stations 5, 6 and 7 are on the north wall of the nave, stations 8, 9 and 10 on the south wall. The Sanctuary is set off from the rest of the church by a raised floor and contains the altar, tabernacle and lectern. A small crucifix is placed in the centre of the altar because the large crucifix in the Apse is not above the altar. The tabernacle is in the centre of the Sanctuary behind the altar, for the reservation of the Most Holy Eucharist.

The North Transept contains confessionals, each with a small room behind the door for the priest and the penitent. Above the porch is the Choir Loft, and nearby is the bookstall and baptistry.

Parish life

The parish holds fayres each year in June and November in the Blessed Robert Widmerpool School hall, bringing together parish and local communities. A Social Committee of parishioners arranges social events throughout the year including days out, retreats and parish dinners. There are a number of lay catechists in the parish who assist the priest in teaching the faith. Volunteers clean the church once a month and on special occasions.

Bell ringing practice is usually on Thursday evening. Parents wanting baptism for children aged 7+ should contact the Parish Priest to find out about the RCIC.

Notable people and events

In March 2018 the Religious Congregation of the Sacred Heart Fathers of Betharram took over pastoral care, with a priest of that congregation as Parish Priest.

Visiting

The porch is the area first encountered when entering the church, with a glass screen separating it from the nave. The paschal candle is first lit at the opening of the Easter Vigil, on every Sunday in the Easter Season and at Baptisms and Funerals.