Our Parish

Contact Details:

Parish Priest: Fr Nick Kern
Priests: Fr Sajimon Kuriakose / Fr Thaddeus Opara / Fr Michael Coughlan
Address: St Anthony’s Presbytery, Dunkery Road,
Woodhouse Park, Manchester.  M22 0WR
Telephone: 0161 437 2861
Email: parishpriest298@btinternet.com

Team Ministry Secretary: Mr Leo J Byrne
Telephone: 0161 436 5622
Email: team.ministry@btconnect.com

Parish Sisters: Sr Maura / Sr Damien 0161 428 7572

Wythenshawe Hospital
Hospital Chaplain: Fr Sajimon Kuriakose
Telephone: 0161 998 7070 (The Chaplain is contacted through the Hospital)

Mass Times

Sunday Masses
Saturday Vigil Mass 5pm St. Anthony’s Church, Woodhouse Park
Sunday 10:45am St. Anthony’s Church, Woodhouse Park / Sunday 9:30am St. Elizabeth’s Church, Peel Hall / Sunday 12:00pm Ss Luke’s CE Church, Benchill

Weekly Mass Times
Please see Parish Newsletters

Sacrament of Reconciliation:
Saturdays 11am – 11.45am St Anthony’s Church, Woodhouse Park

Brief History

Sharston Cafe

Fr Bernard Coleman, a priest who was based at St Hilda’s Church in Northenden, was instrumental in establishing Ss John and Thomas parish in Benchill. The parish had humble beginnings in 1933, when Fr Coleman opened a Mass Centre in the Sharston Cafe.  By 1934 the Cafe had 2 Sunday Masses serving the rapidly growing Catholic population.

Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Church, Benchill

The foundation stone for the new church was laid on 2nd March 1935 by Bishop Moriarty, the church being completed later in the same year.  St John Fisher and Thomas More church was to serve the local community for 75 years. This occasion was celebrated by a number of events, the main focus a Mass, with Bishop Brian Noble as main Celebrant.  In September 2010 the closure of the Church was marked by a deeply moving final Mass.  At the end of the service,  parishioners processed through the streets of Benchill, carrying the Stations of the Cross and other artefacts from the church, to their new shared worshipping space, at St Luke’s CE Church, just a quarter of a mile away.  Here the worshippers of both Christian communities greeted each other and attended a Service of Welcome to mark this new beginning.

The Green Hut / St Anthony’s Church

As Wythenshawe continued to grow and expand, St Anthony’s Church was opened on 3rd November 1960, but Mass had been celebrated on the site since 1951, originally in a ‘Green Hut.’  The nissen hut was erected in 1951 with the first Mass offered on 15th April of the same year.  The hut was the first building to be erected in Woodhouse Park, and as well as being a Mass Centre, it was also the hub of the local community. Mass was transferred to the hall of a newly built primary school on 30th August 1954.  The hut was demolished in October 1960, its final use was for storage and a works canteen for those building the Church we have today. St Anthony’s Church is one of the largest in the Shrewsbury Diocese and was used for the Ordinations of Bishop Brian Noble in 1995 and Bishop Mark Davies in 2010.  This year St Anthony’s celebrated it’s Golden Jubilee with a number of events and Masses.  As part of the celebrations, for period of time during the year, the inside of the church was decorated with wonderful floral displays.

St Elizabeth’s Church

The last Catholic Church to be built in Wythenshawe was St Elizabeth’s, Peel Hall, in 1974.  The foundation stone was laid by Bishop Brewer on 6th October 1973. Before the Church was built Catholics had been attending Mass at All Hallow’s school since the 5th May 1957, when over 300 people attended the first Mass at this venue.

One Parish

In September 2010 the Catholic communities in Benchill, Woodhouse Park and Peel Hall became one parish. A consultation took place between all three church communities and it was agreed that the new parish would be called Our Lady Queen of Peace.