St. Walburge

Introduction

St Walburge's in Ashton-on-Ribble, within the Diocese of Lancaster, is the largest noncathedral Catholic church in England. The church stands in Preston's historic Maudlands district, on a site associated with St Mary Magdalene since the twelfth century. St Walburge's holds the status of a shrine church rather than a parish.

History

In 1847 architect Joseph Hansom was commissioned to build the church; construction began in May 1850 and it was ready for its opening ceremony by August 1854. The church was extended in 1873 by the addition of a polygonal sanctuary, whose central window is 11 metres high. Since 2014 the church has been in the care of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (ICKSP), an order of priests whose Mother House is in Italy. The first third of the roof was repaired in 2021 following a grant from the government's post Covid Culture Recovery Fund's Programme of Major Works. The steeple is reputedly constructed from limestone sleepers that originally carried the nearby Preston and Longridge Railway.

Architecture and furnishings

Its 94-metre (309 ft) spire is the third tallest in the UK after those at Salisbury and Norwich Cathedral. Beneath the spire, the tower bell chamber contains a single bell of 1.5 tonnes, the heaviest swinging bell in Lancashire. The church has an extensive archive numbering at least 5000 items which dates back to its foundation.

The congregation numbers about 300 and is growing. The tower is usually opened twice a year for public tours, with a view from the top.

Music and liturgy

The church preserves a rare living tradition of Gregorian chant in the Latin Mass, led by its Canons and Sisters, internationally recognised. The church's choir is to be professionally recorded singing core prayers of the Mass, in partnership with the Global Sound Movement. The church's unique liturgical heritage of Gregorian chant is to be safeguarded and shared with the University of Central Lancashire Global Sound Movement.

Sacraments and pastoral care

The shrine has the privilege of administering baptism and marriage in the traditional Latin form for those who regularly attend Mass there. Parents are asked to contact the shrine before the child's birth for pre-baptismal classes, and baptisms are normally held on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Adult baptisms and reception into the Church can be arranged, with personal instruction for those unable to attend regular classes.