St. Godric, Durham

Introduction

Saint Godric in Durham, within the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, was built in 1864 and extended in 1909 with a tower added. The church was badly damaged by fire in 1985 and reopened in 1987 after restoration.

History

Edward Welby Pugin designed the church in 1864, and the tower was added in 1909-10 by Pugin and Pugin. Bishop William Hogarth laid the foundation stone on Whit Monday 1863. The solemn opening ceremony took place on 15 November 1864. The tower was not added until 1909, although the original plans by Edward Pugin included a tower with a spire.

The solemn re-opening of the church took place on 27 October 1909. The church was repaired by 1987 and still contains some smoke-damaged items saved from the fire, including Stations of the Cross. The consecration of Saint Godric's church took place on 23 September 1959. The church was often referred to as the 'penny church' because it was paid for by subscription mainly from local working-class Catholic families.

In 1923 electric lighting was installed in the church, replacing gaslight. The Baptismal Font was erected in the church in August 1895 as a memorial to Father Jones. The new high altar was erected in 1914 by Canon Thornton in memory of his parents. The stained glass window in the Lady Chapel was provided from a bequest of £50 left in 1895 by Thomas Madden.

The stained glass window in the Baptistry was installed in January 1913 in memory of Edward Gannen. In 1934 a screen was erected in the Lady Chapel and re-decoration work was carried out there in memory of Canon Thornton. Mgr. McShane died in March 1937.

Architecture and furnishings

The church is approximately 130 feet long with a tower at the West end containing the main entrance. The pillars between the nave and North aisle are made of Aberdeen granite. The style of architecture is early Gothic Revival.

The church has a 4-stage tower with a north door, tall transomed windows, and a pierced parapet with corner pinnacles. The interior has plaster, pink granite columns and sandstone ashlar dressings, with a 5-bay arcade with ballflower capitals.

The church has stained glass windows, a high altar, and black Stations of the Cross memorials of the fire in 1985. Scenes from the life of Saint Godric are depicted in the windows above the high altar. The small chapel dedicated to Our Blessed Lady contains a stained glass window of worshipping angels. After the fire, newly designed stained glass windows, illuminated in the evenings, were added in the tower.

The statue of Saint Godric in the niche of the new tower was solemnly blessed on 26 September 1909. The church is built of coursed squared sandstone with ashlar plinth and dressings.

The organ was installed at a cost of £150 in January 1895, and was formally opened on Tuesday 19th February 1895. In October 1960, one of the windows in the sanctuary was damaged by a gale and repaired at a cost of £247.

Parish life

The parish runs a Homelessness Support Group, International Lunches, a Wednesday Lunch Club, a Memory Cafe, a Parish Youth Group, and an SVP group, among others. The parish has liturgical ministries including Altar Servers, Catechists, Children's Liturgy, a Choir/Music Group, Eucharistic Ministers, and Welcomers.

The parish community celebrates the great feasts of Christmas and Easter together in Saint Leonard's School. The parish has its own Durham Martyr's Mass setting, composed by Roger McCone, first performed in 2018.

The parish has a youth group for children from KS2 age to 15 years old. The parish is part of the D4, Finchale Partnership.

The church regularly hosts concerts and open events including Heritage Open Days, Durham Lumiere and the Celtic Summer School. The church has accessible toilet facilities, a hearing aid loop system, welcomes guide dogs, and has provision for wheelchairs at various points.

Sacraments and pastoral care

The parish runs a Baptism Preparation Programme held three times a year for parents and guardians. The parish's Bereavement Support Group provides church services, home visits and phone calls, and sends Christmas and Easter cards to the bereaved. Eucharistic Ministers take Holy Communion to the housebound. First Holy Communion preparation is done in the three primary schools in the parish.

The parish's SVP group befriends the housebound, helps the homeless, visits the sick, and provides financial support to those in need. The parish's Support Fund supports parishioners in need, including refugees who have come to live in the parish.