St Mary's in Buttermarket Street needs room for pilgrims

St Mary's RC Church wants to improve the current church hall building on Priory Court close to Buttermarket Street.

And a scheme has been approved by Warrington Borough Council to allow it to be used more widely and provide clergy and pilgrims accommodation on the second floor.

Planning documents state: "The Priory Court buildings actually sit on the footprint of the old St Marys School which was in the ownership of the church’s previous incumbents, the Benedictines, so in effect the community has come full circle and bought back the site and re-established facilities which were always part of St Mary's.

"The hall serves the adjacent shrine church of St Mary, also located on Buttermarket Street, which is the most central and prominent RC church in the town centre.

Inside St Mary's

"As a shrine church rather than a parish church, it draws a congregation from the local area and further afield, and has been steadily growing since the FSSP, who own and serve the church, arrived in Warrington in 2015.

"Whilst the FSSP is a national religious charity with missions around the country, Warrington is the main apostolate and attracts many pilgrims for this reason."

The scheme, which was approved by council planners earlier this month, will help the buildings become an integral part of life at the Shrine.

The documents add: "The redeveloped church hall will help strengthen its place in the local and national community."

You can see the application in full on the council website warrington.go.uk and searching 2022/41983