St Mary on the Hill

Introduction

The church is constructed of brick and limestone and has a tile roof. The church consists of a nave with clerestory, north and south aisles, a north-west tower, and a sanctuary with a three-sided apse.

The parish has a Marriage Encounter Group for Catholic married couples. The parish has a Children's Liturgy.

Architecture and furnishings

The tower is topped by a copper pyramidal spire. The sanctuary windows contain glass dating from the late nineteenth century. The nave has six bays, with aisle windows of two moulded pointed lights and clerestory windows of three lights. The eastern bay has taller windows to aisle and clerestory, both under gables, of two lights with a foiled circle under a pointed head.

The west wall has four stepped lancets above a blocked pointed doorway. The tower has slim angle buttresses and a moulded pointed doorway opening into a porch, with a niche and statue above. The upper stage of the tower is open, with two steeply-pointed openings on each side with a central shaft and shafts as responds. The interior has an arcade of five bays to the nave and one to the chancel, with plastered pointed arches.

The nave arcade arches are chamfered in two orders and spring from octagonal columns with moulded capitals. The north and south arches of the sanctuary open into side chapels, are moulded, and spring from corbelled shafts. The open timber roof of the nave has principals rising from corbels, and arch-braced collars, each with a central iron rod and curved struts. The sanctuary roof is plastered, with ribs springing from wall shafts. At the west end is a gallery with organ.

Sacraments and pastoral care

Children in Catholic schools are prepared for the Sacrament of Penance and First Holy Communion in year three, and for Confirmation in year six. The parish instructs anyone who wishes to become a Catholic with a view to being received into the Church. If you are sick and unable to come to Church, you can contact the Priest to arrange a home visit. The parish offers support to those who have lost loved ones, with the family meeting the Priest to discuss the funeral service after meeting the undertaker.

The priest can help you choose a Funeral Director if you're not sure who to have. The priest can advise on Catholic Funeral choices, and will advise if your loved one wasn't Catholic.

Parents are invited to a meeting to inform them of their and their Godparents' duties during the baptism and their responsibilities in raising the child in the faith. The parish maintains a prayer list for the sick, and names can be added by contacting the priest.