St Michael's Catholic Church, Moor Street
St Michael's Catholic Church, Moor Street | |
---|---|
Grade II listed | |
Completed | 1803 |
Administration | |
Archdiocese | Birmingham |
St Michael's Catholic Church is a
History
![Burnt-out shell of a building](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/PriestleyRiotsNewMeeting2.jpg/220px-PriestleyRiotsNewMeeting2.jpg)
The building itself was first erected in 1726, but was burnt down the 1791 Priestley Riots, which targeted Dr. Joseph Priestley who was the minister at the Unitarian since 1780.[2][3] The Unitarian New Meeting House was rebuilt ten years later and reopened in 1803.[3]
When the New Meeting House became unsuitable for congregation, they started construction on a new place of worship on
Following World War II, the church was adopted by the exiled Polish ex-servicemen and their families, and again has seen an influx in Polish congregations following the integration of Poland into the European Union in 2004, causing the congregation to grow fourfold. This has led to the creation of separate Polish Mass services.[7]
Prior to moving into St Michael's Church, the first Catholic mission in Birmingham was founded in Masshouse Lane in 1687 by the
References
- ^ "Church of St Michael, Birmingham". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
- ^ Green, Andy (2008). "City of Religions: Exploring Faith Diversity Through Archives" (PDF). Connecting Histories. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
- ^ a b Drake, James (1831). The Picture of Birmingham. pp. 57–58.
- ^ The Christian reformer, or, Unitarian magazine and review - Volume 16. London: Edward T. Whitfield. 1860. p. 577. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
- ^ Showell, Walter; Harman, Thomas T. (1885). Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham: A History and Guide. Birmingham: Cornish Brothers. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
- ^ Dargue, William. "Little Italy/ The Italian Quarter". A History of Birmingham Places & Placenames . . . from A to Y. William Dargue. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
- ^ Bawolek, Dorota (2007). "New life in our 'Polish church'". BBC. Retrieved 12 June 2011.