St. Mary's Newhouse

Introduction

Saint Mary's Newhouse in Newsham, within the Diocese of Lancaster, was the gift of William Smith of Newsham House and was consecrated in 1906.

History

The church has changed over the 100+ years since consecration but its original features and interest have been largely retained. The first recorded church was a small chapel on the Hough Estate in 1731, replaced in 1744 by St Laurence's New chapel. In 1805 a new church was built and dedicated to St Mary, serving the local Catholic community for 100 years until 1905.

Parish life

Altar serving is a ministry in the parish, assisting at Mass. St Mary's is a parish of the Diocese of Lancaster, based around the villages of Broughton, Barton and Myerscough.

Parishioners are warmly invited to join the pupils of St Mary & St Andrews at their school and class services held in St Marys, Newhouse church. The parish has a St Mary's Newhouse WhatsApp group for all parishioners to keep up with parish news. The parish appreciates and relies upon the generosity of its parishioners in a variety of roles to contribute towards its life and mission in the community. The Rosary Service schedule for 2026 is available on a separate web page.

Two priests support the three parishes: Saint Mary’s, Newhouse, Our Lady and Saint Edward’s, Fulwood, and Saint Mary’s, Fernyhalgh. St Mary's graveyard is by custom for the use of parishioners or those who have had a longstanding link with St Mary's and supported it in some way. The parish is always glad to help in grave searches or ancestry enquiries. Visitors are welcome to visit the church at any time or attend Mass or other services.

Sacraments and pastoral care

The priest helps arrange funeral details, guiding choices of hymns, readings and prayers from the Church's liturgical books. The Requiem Mass is the most usual form of Catholic funeral, but a simpler service of readings, prayers and hymns may be more appropriate.

Gluten-free hosts are available for Holy Communion if requested in advance. The name of a seriously sick person can be submitted to the newsletter with the submitter's name and phone number. Informative videos can be found on Saint Andrews, Cottam website, including one which includes reference to the Haydock memorial at Saint Mary's. The idea of a joint newsletter was mentioned but not explored.