Saint Joseph, Shirebrook

Introduction

From 1900, Mass at Saint Joseph, Shirebrook was said in a converted barn and later in a building intended as an isolation hospital.

History

The early congregation of Saint Joseph, Shirebrook came from the local colliery. During 1905-1906 Father Charles Froes acquired the Langwith Road site from the Duke of Devonshire. The foundation stone laid by Bishop Brindle on October 5 1907 is in the north aisle. Irish labourers built the church of Saint Joseph, Shirebrook.

Father Froes died in 1930 and is buried in the churchyard. On March 25, 2023 the Catholic Parish of Our Lady and All Saints in Mansfield was established, joining Saint Joseph's in Shirebrook with three other churches, each keeping its original patronage.

Music and liturgy

First confession forms part of preparation for first Holy Communion, which the parish Catholic schools organise, Saint Joseph’s primary school among them. A children’s liturgy takes place in all the churches.

Parish life

Each week during term time, Saint Joseph’s school, which stands next to the church, holds a year-group Mass in the church. Ministry in the parish communities, shared with the parish priest and other clergy, is carried out by a sister who lives at the parish with a second sister.

Children’s first reception of Holy Communion comes at about the age of 8. Anyone wishing to marry in one of the churches is asked to speak to the priest or the parish office at least six months before the hoped-for date. People who have been married before, or who married outside the church and want to return, are invited to talk to the parish. Welcome and prayer for the newly elect take place at Sunday Mass during Lent.

Sacraments and pastoral care

An extraordinary minister can bring Holy Communion to the home of a person kept from Mass by serious illness or because they are housebound. Confirmation for the four churches is celebrated roughly every three years, and the parish newsletter advertises the preparation. The first few years of secondary school are the usual age for confirmation. About one month after sacramental initiation, a first confession is usually made.

Visiting

Parking away from the road is available beside the church. Around the beginning of Lent, the Bishop enrols catechumens among the Elect at the Cathedral in Nottingham.