Sacred Heart & St. Patrick

Introduction

The church was built using stone from the nearby Southowram quarry and provided seating for approximately 300 worshippers.

History

In 1908, Father Barton Brown, a recent convert from the Anglican Church, restored the celebration of Mass in Sowerby Bridge, using an old mill off Wharf Street. In 1913, a hall beneath the Victoria Assembly Hall in Bolton Brow was opened for Catholic worship, shared with the Salvation Army. In 1919, work began on Sowerby Bridge's first purpose-built Roman Catholic church, with Underbank Hall converted into the presbytery and some of its stone used for the adjoining church. In 1921, Sowerby Bridge was established as a separate parish, with Father Patrick Kealy as its first parish priest.

Father Kealy retired through ill health in 1940 and died in 1953. Bernard Blackburn was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Cowgill in 1928.

Architecture and furnishings

The church was designed in the Romanesque style by Richard Byrom and constructed by W. Parker and Son of Sowerby Bridge. The former church was subsequently converted into the parish hall. The statue of Our Lady in the grounds was given by the widow of Mr David Moore in memory of her husband and their son Edward, killed in the First World War.

Parish life

The largest public celebration was the united Whitsuntide procession, when the churches of the town came together. Parish life was enriched by the Children of Mary, the Guild of the Blessed Sacrament, the Eucharistic League and the Society of St Vincent de Paul.

The parish has a tradition of serving tea and coffee after Sunday Mass. The parish recommends planning funeral arrangements, including Requiem Mass or funeral service, hymns, and Scripture readings. The parish observes the month of June as traditionally dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.