Saint John Henry Newman

Introduction

Saint John Henry Newman, on Knutsford Road in Warrington, houses a parish formed from Our Lady of the Assumption and Saint Augustine of Canterbury. The new church opened in June 2010. Saint John Henry Newman may be the first newly built Catholic church dedicated to Blessed John Henry Newman after the beatification at Cofton Park, Birmingham, on 19 September 2010. A bishop was greeted at a handing-over ceremony before the Mass of Dedication of the church on 5 June 2010.

History

The Our Lady statue is a Walsingham replica carved in Bolivia at a priest's request. The new church was designed with a plinth for the Our Lady statue. The parish retains the records of both former parishes.

Architecture and furnishings

The design of the church is contemporary. A rectangular plan and movable walls allow the narthex to enlarge the worship area or divide into smaller meeting spaces. The exterior is clad in natural stone and has extensive glazing, a corner window and a prominent main entrance. The roof is shaped like a tent.

The font stands in a direct line with the altar. The font is octagonal, representing Christ's Resurrection as the eighth day, and is made of the same Bath stone as the altar and ambo. A star of Bethlehem at the apex of the roof marks the Incarnation. The design on the ambo reflects Isaiah 55:10-11.

The altar is one piece of stone, carved with wheat and grapes. The organ is a three-manual digital organ by Phoenix. A display of organ pipes conceals the speaker systems. The church has a labyrinth for individual and group prayer and reflection.

Music and liturgy

Parish liturgies seek to mirror the particular character of each season and feast in the liturgical year. Individuals may request Anointing of the Sick, and the rite is also celebrated in church from time to time.

Music for a wedding can be arranged with parish musicians. At a funeral, recorded music played in church is limited by parish custom to one piece.

Parish life

Holy Communion is taken to homes, by arrangement, by Eucharistic Ministers and the parish clergy. Home visits are made by both the Legion of Mary and the SVP. The weekly bulletin records the names of people for whom particular prayers have been asked.

A blessing for engaged couples and for engagement rings is given on a Saturday closest to Saint Valentine's Day. Staff, volunteers, fundraising and prayer keep the parish linked with Saint Joseph's Family Centre. Playlists on the Newman Parish Warrington channel include Praying at Home, Faith and Culture and The Adventures of Ceridwen, and the channel holds material from the Covid pandemic.

Sacraments and pastoral care

Early spring is when a Marriage Preparation Day is offered. For a wedding, a parish flower team may make a display that fits the bride's colour scheme.

Concerts, bowling mains, coffee evenings and mornings, an Annual Parish Dinner and parish social evenings are among the community activities. The number of baptism requests can mean that two families share one baptism date. Practical advice about the baptism celebration is given at a monthly meeting to which parents preparing for baptism are invited.

The bishop may formally invite a candidate to prepare for Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist at the Easter Vigil, and as Easter nears that candidate may also be invited to Shrewsbury Cathedral. Where the person who died held a strong attachment to the faith, families are encouraged to arrange a Funeral Mass. A written personal tribute, a short poem or a reading may be given at a funeral by a family member or a friend.