St Michael

Introduction

In 1798, a church was built in Salutation Field to the west of Esh on land gifted by the Smythe family of Esh Hall. The church was designed to look like farm buildings to keep a low profile, as it was still 40 years before Catholic Emancipation. St Michael's Church is a Grade II listed building. The church is one of the oldest churches in the Diocese.

History

The church was built to replace a chapel at Newhouse which had fallen into disrepair. The parish priest Fr John Yates moved into the presbytery on its completion in 1804. The parish covered 400 square miles and included the present parishes of Lanchester and Brooms. In the 1970s during treatment for dry rot, graffiti and the foundations of the original church were found behind the altar.

Canon Samuel Harris served the parish for over 50 years until his death in 1933. Lanchester was created a separate parish from Esh in 1926. The graveyard was closed in the 1950s. The apse was added when the church was enlarged in 1841. Two parish priests are buried in the graveyard.

Architecture and furnishings

The church organ was built by Harrisons of Durham in 1900. The present lectern and altar are by the Mouseman of Kilburn. The stained glass, particularly that behind the altar and the west window, is of historical significance. An oriole to the left of the altar links the church to an upstairs room in the presbytery.

Music and liturgy

The Prayer and Spirituality Group exists to develop and enrich the liturgical life of the parish. The group helps ensure the liturgical life is well planned and sustainable.

Parish life

At Pentecost 2017, the parish joined a partnership of Catholic parishes in and around Durham City called the 'Finchale Partnership'. The Parish Centre at Newhouse, built in 1998, is used by many groups from within the parish and the wider community. A popular coffee morning is organised by a group of parishioners after Sunday morning mass.

The Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) is presided over by the Parish Priest and enables laity and clergy to share responsibility for parish life. The PPC is an open forum for discussion of parish concerns and advises the Parish Priest, not a decision-making body. Members of the PPC are elected from parishioners and represent all the churches in the parish, with nominations sought annually before the Parish Annual General Meeting usually held in October. The PPC meets at least quarterly, and more frequently if required.

Within the parish, parishioners organise and are involved in activities that aim to foster the dignity of people everywhere and to care for the earth. The parish provides support for parents considering Baptism through Baptism preparation sessions. Baptism preparation sessions are held three times a year at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Parish Centre on a Monday evening. Preparation for First Holy Communion and Reconciliation is open to baptised Catholic children from School Year 4 and above and follows the Diocesan Programme.

Preparation for Confirmation follows the Diocesan Programme, with students in diocesan Catholic schools taught a module on confirmation in their R.E. lessons at the end of year 8. Initial contact for Confirmation is made to eligible baptised Catholic young people via St Leonard's R.C. School, and the programme may be run in conjunction with other parishes in the Finchale Partnership. A timber screen was added to the west end of the church to create a larger porch and a new confessional room.