St. Mary

Helmsley, North Yorkshire

Diocese of Middlesbrough

Photograph of St. Mary
Image: St Mary's Church Helmsley by Ian S (Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 2.0)

Sunday Mass

09:00

Mass times this week

Regular weekly timetable

Mon

  • –

Tue

  • –

Wed

  • –

Thu

  • –

Fri

  • 12:00

Sat

  • –

Sun

  • 09:00

Parish schedules can change on holy days of obligation.

We do not hold the page these times were published on, so we cannot show you when they were last confirmed. Mass times may change; check with the parish before travelling.

About St. Mary

St. Mary is a Roman Catholic church in Helmsley, North Yorkshire. It is part of the Diocese of Middlesbrough.

Introduction

St Mary's Church in Helmsley was opened by the Benedictines of Ampleforth in 1894. The church is a small late-Victorian building set above neighbouring terraced cottages in High Street, Helmsley.

History

The Prior of Ampleforth and benefactor Austin Ferrers Bateman proposed building a Catholic church for the small number of Catholics in Helmsley and surrounding villages. Lord Feversham gave Ampleforth and Mr Bateman permission to build the first church for Catholics in Helmsley since the Reformation. There was furious opposition from the high-Anglican Vicar Gray of Helmsley, who regarded all Dissenters as heretics and 'Romans' as the worst. St Mary's has always been served from Ampleforth, an Abbey since 1900, and now also in collaboration with St Chad's in Kirkbymoorside.

Architecture and furnishings

Eight relief carvings of the Stations of the Cross, carved in 1981 by Oxford sculptor Rosamund Fletcher, are set in the sanctuary wall around the central crucifix.

Parish life

The church community in Kirkbymoorside and Helmsley supports and participates in events and services with Ryedale Christian Council and Churches Together. The parish council includes elected members from both St Chad's and St Mary's, plus appointed representatives of working groups. Funerals at St Mary's are arranged through the funeral director according to the family's requests.

Sources for this profile

  1. History of St Mary’s – Our Lady and St ChadRetrieved 30 September 2026
  2. Church Community – Our Lady and St ChadRetrieved 9 October 2026
  3. Overview – Our Lady and St ChadRetrieved 9 October 2026
  4. Sacraments – Our Lady and St ChadRetrieved 9 October 2026

Find St. Mary

Map location for St. Mary

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High Street, Helmsley, North Yorkshire, YO62 5AE

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