English Martyrs

Introduction

English Martyrs in Preston, in the Diocese of Lancaster, was built in 1863-7 by Edward Welby Pugin and enlarged by him in 1888.

Architecture and furnishings

The church is built of rock-faced sandstone with a slate roof, in Gothic style. The elaborate gabled west front has three very prominent pinnacled turrets and a very large 2-centred arched 8-light window with multifoiled circular tracery. Beneath the west window is a tripartite porch of 1888 with a crocketed gabled centre containing a moulded arched doorway. The interior has a 7-bay aisle and 2-bay transept arcades with tall columns with heavily-foliated carved caps, all different.

The 6-bay nave and aisles are very simply treated: the aisles have attenuated arched 2-light windows with plate tracery, and the nave has a clerestory of 18 small lancets. The coupled transepts, projected from the aisles and the same height, have tall 3-light traceried windows; their chapels have windows with geometric tracery; and the chancel has coupled 2-light windows.

Parish life

The parish serves much of central, south and east Preston, from The Harris Building and Flag Market to Preston Cemetery, and from the river Ribble towards Walton-le-Dale to the edges of Fulwood. The parish relies on parishioners to care for the poor in the community.

Parishioners volunteer as catechists, cleaners, sacristans, altar servers, grounds helpers, property upkeep helpers, and social and community event helpers. The parish offers faith formation groups for those wishing to revisit their faith. The parish conducts a parish census, with forms found in the church porch or on the website.

Sacraments and pastoral care

The parish prepares children for First Confession and Holy Communion to take place the following May or June, with applications normally available from late August until early October. The parish prepares children for Confirmation from around year 6 (age 10+), with preparation accompanying them over several months. The parish offers a course for adults, both Catholics not yet confirmed and those not yet baptised, accompanied by the parish priest, sharing the Catholic faith.

The parish asks those considering the Catholic faith, or who know others curious or lapsed, to contact the parish priest, who will assist in learning about the faith. The parish encourages families to ask hospital staff to request the hospital chaplain to visit and anoint a Catholic admitted to hospital, and it is also possible to arrange for a priest to administer the Sacrament of the Sick at home.

The parish encourages those who are housebound or in care to continue receiving the sacraments, and to connect with the parish priest to arrange visits and prayers if they are not in a position to receive the sacraments. The parish requires at least six months notice for marriage to allow for necessary paperwork and marriage preparation.

The parish directs those sensing a call to the priesthood to approach the parish priest, who will help direct them to those responsible for accompanying vocations. The parish requires at least one parent to be a baptised Catholic and normally residing in the parish or regularly attending Mass in the parish for a child's baptism.