St. Augustine's, All Saints

Introduction

This church is the first built for the Diocese of Salford since the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965).

History

The first church was sold in 1905 to make way for the Manchester Municipal Technical College. The present site previously housed a chapel of ease in a building bought from the Methodists in the 1870s.

The Holy Family Church on the present site was bought from the Welsh Calvinist Methodists in 1876; it had been built in 1844 by architect Edward Nicholson at a cost of £1,600. The church complex took twenty-two months to complete and cost £138,000. The first Church was built in 1820 on Granby Row, at a time when there were only 500 Catholics in the Manchester District. In 1966 the Holy Family Church was demolished and the new Church of St Augustine of Canterbury was built here with money from the War Damage Commission. The new building was opened in 1968 and consecrated in 1970.

Architecture and furnishings

The church is of load-bearing dark brown brick construction with felt roofs supported on Vierendeel girders. The interior has a simple box plan with ceiling of steel trusses clad with timber and clerestory north lights. The sanctuary has three stepped platforms with white marble altar set forward. The windows are of coloured glass chips in free abstract designs by the Whitefriars Studio, with tones ranging from blue at the West end through yellow to red at the East end. The exterior presents a windowless façade, with four full height brick fins to the right of a wide recessed central entrance.

Parish life

The parish covers all of Hulme, Chorlton-on-Medlock (the Brunswick estate), all the Manchester Universities, and some of the city centre with the border going along Portland Street to Piccadilly train station. The church is located in the heart of Manchester Metropolitan University and serves the surrounding community as a sanctuary of peace and prayer.

Sacraments and pastoral care

The piety stall provides a range of items such as bibles, booklets, rosaries and other devotional items to help with daily prayer and learning more about the faith. The piety stall stocks a range of CTS books and booklets and rosaries suitable for First Communion children. The piety stall offers standard and compact edition CTS Bibles, which use exactly the same translation as the one heard at Mass. The piety stall has a wide selection of Mass and Occasion cards for Baptism, First Holy Communion, Anniversary, St Patrick's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, etc.

The piety stall offers a selection of religious jewellery, such as bracelets, medals and necklaces. The piety stall offers handmade Greek icons, wall pictures, crucifixes and holy water fonts.