WELCOME

to the Parish of St Catherine's Catholic Church in Penrith, Cumbria. We are a relatively small parish of 200 to 300 at our four Sunday Masses but encompass a large area of 20 by 30 miles or more. Visitors are most welcome and we have many who come from Center Parcs,Whitbarrow Village and the Lake District.

Penrith, a town of about 15,000, is the gateway to the northern and eastern stretches of the Lake District. The Roman remains of Hadrian's Wall are only some twenty miles to the north with the Pennine Fells to the east along the A66.

Catholics, though relatively few in numbers since the Reformation, gave courageous witness to the Faith through its martyrs: John Boste of Dufton, Christopher Robinson of Carlisle, William Ward of Thrimby and Thomas Tunsdall of Whinfell.

Church and School as seen from Drovers Lane

Mass was celebrated at nearby Greystoke Hall, seat of the Howard Family, until 1824.  The town of Penrith became the centre of the parish in 1833 with the present church being opened in 1850.

It was a Fr George Leo Haydock of the old Catholic family of that name from Cottam near Preston who built the church, though he died before it was opened. The parish boundaries are among the most extensive in England.

Sanctuary and altar during Easter Week

ST CATHERINE'S

SCHOOL

Records show the School was opened in 1873 with the first entry in its Log Book being for the week ending May 19th.  Here we read: "This School about to be placed under Government Inspection.  Lessons given according to Times Tables.  The School Manager, Geo E O'Dwyer (the parish priest), visited the school."

It would have functioned as an Elementary School for most of its earlier history which would have meant that our young parishioners received all their schooling from the age of 5 years to that of eventually 14 years within its four walls.  After the changes brought about by the 1944 Education Act it became our Primary School, giving a parish schooling only up to the eleventh year.

The original red sandstone building matching the church was replaced by the one of the present design in 1959.

Find the link to the School's own web site under 'Links' in the Main Menu on the top left of this page.

FINDING CHURCH AND SCHOOL

For Satelite Navigation our postal code is CA11 9EL
Otherwise see 'Contact Us', the last tab on the main menu where a personalised map and directions are given.
See also links to Multimap.com