St. Austin's Roman Catholic Church - Wakefield, UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 53° 41.226 W 001° 30.121
30U E 598923 N 5949751
St Austin's Church is a Roman Catholic Church building in Wakefield, England. It was founded in 1827 by the Society of Jesus and is a Grade II listed building.
Waymark Code: WM17NEV
Location: Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 03/14/2023
Views: 1
"Our parish is one of the oldest parishes in the Catholic Diocese of Leeds. It serves the city centre of Wakefield and the surrounding areas. We are a large and very active parish with 500 people or more attending Mass every Sunday.
The Parish includes two churches. St Austin’s in the city centre which was built in 1828 and is one of the oldest churches in our Diocese. St Austin’s was the one of the first Catholic churches built in the area since the Reformation and is Wakefield’s “mother church”. The English Martyrs’ Church was built in 1957 to serve the western suburbs area of the City. Beneath and to the sides of St Austin’s is a range of parish rooms and a parish halls built in 1931. There is also a social centre below English Martyrs’ Church in Lupset. We try to keep the churches open during the day for private prayer and reflection."
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Foundation
In 1824, plans were put into motion by the architect Joseph Ireland creating designs for the church. He was previously the architect for the chapel at Houghton Hall and worked with Joseph John Scoles. Two years later, a Jesuit priest, Fr John George Morris SJ, came to the parish to start a mission there. Construction of the church began the next year and on 4 March 1828 by the Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District, Thomas Smith.
Extension
In 1852, the Catholic population had increased to such an extent that the church needed to be extended and a school built to cope with larger congregation. The length of the church was increased and a balcony was added. In 1859, foundations for the school were laid. In the 1860s and 1870s the local Catholic population continued to rise and the church was again extended. The presbytery was moved to a separate house so that the church could be extended into the previous one. In 1878, a lady chapel, designed by Joseph Hansom was added to St Austin's.
Daughter Church
In December 1877, the parish need to expand, because numbers were increasing and it was too spread out geographically. It was decided that the Jesuits would build a new chapel, in South Ossett so the Catholics there would not have to travel to Wakefield for Mass every Sunday. The church was St Ignatius and was dedicated to Ignatius of Loyola. It became a church and a parish in 1910 when it was handed over the Diocese of Leeds. The church that replaced the chapel was built in 1933 and it still remains as a parish.
In 1931, the Jesuits handed over St Austin's parish to the Diocese of Leeds who continue to serve the church.
Parish
In 2008, the parish of English Martyrs (created in 1932) merged with St Austin's to form the parish of St Martin de Porres, which was subsequently renamed St Austin's and English Martyrs Parish. St Austin's Church has four Sunday Masses, one on Saturday evening at 6:15 pm, 8:15 am and 11:00 am on Sunday morning at another at 6:00 pm on Sunday evening. English Martyrs Church has one Sunday Mass at 9:30 am.
The two nearby school, St Austin's Catholic Primary School and English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, have a relationship with the parish and both state that they offer "a Catholic education within a Christian community."
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On the outside wall of the church is a blue plaque commemorating Andrew Monynihan VC whoc was christened in the church on 14 March 1830.
Next to this is a large Calvary cross commemorating church parishioners who died in World War I.