Welcome to the Catholic Parish

of St Catherine in Penrith

with the Chapel of St Wulstan

in Alston, Cumbria

Please see the foot of this page
for an important message from our Bishop,
The Rt Rev Michael Campbell,
on the issue of child abuse and the Church

We are a relatively small parish with 220 to 320 at our three Sunday Masses but serve a large area reaching from the Northumberland and Durham boundaries to within a few miles of Keswick, from Armathwaite in the north to the south of Shap.  St Catherine's serves most of the Eden Valley and District less Appleby and Kirkby Stephen.

Visitors are most welcome and we have many who visit us from Center Parcs, Whitbarrow Village and the Lake District.

Penrith, the administrative centre of Eden District, has a population of about 15,000 and 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 and the A686.

Alston, the highest market town in England and over the Hartside Pass from Penrith, nestles between Cumbria and Northumberland in the Penine Range.  Along with its surrounding villages it forms Alston Moor with a population of around 2,000.

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.

 Mass was celebrated at Greystoke Hall, seat of the Howard Family, until 1824.  The nearby 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.

ST CATHERINE'S PRIMARY SCHOOL

Records show that St Catherine's Catholic 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."

The original red sandstone building matching the church was replaced by the one of the present design in 1970.

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

The School would have been an Elementary one 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.

ST WULSTAN'S IN ALSTON

St Wulstan's Catholic Church is the Memorial Church in Alston to Bishop Wulstan Pearson, the first Bishop of Lancaster.

In February 1950, Fr Hill from Penrith and Dr Hassan managed to buy this building in King's Arms Lane.  After many delays with planning and contractors the first Mass was offered in August 1953.  Then came the solemn blessing of the structure in September 1953 when the building was set aside for the worship of God.

Meanwhile another change had taken place which affected Alston Moor.  Bishop Flynn had decided that Penrith was already overburdened; he gave the care of Alston to Our lady and St Joseph's in Carlisle which had the extra priests to serve Alston.  Fr Fitzsimmons was the first priest, equipped with a Land Rover, a spade and boundless confidence in the Lord.  When the road over Harside from Penrith, and over Killhope, Yadmoss and Whitfield were deep in snow, the ploughs always managed to keep open the main road from Carlisle and Brampton.

On September 20th 1993 Cardianl Basil Hume celebrated Mass to mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment of St Wulstan's Church.  The Cardinal had long past associations with Alston and so was doubly delighted to come with our own Bishop Brewer to celebrate the anniversary whcih is commemorated by a small tapestry to the right of the sanctuary of the Church.  The Cardinal was also a Benedictine, as was the first Bishop of Lancaster after whose patron saint the Church was dedicated.

Since sonce the beginning of March 2009 the Church and the Catholics in Alston Moor have been served by the priest from Penrith.  

Please rmember in your prayers all who have played their part in making this House of God.  Our weekly Mass is a Vigil Mass for the Sunday on Saturday evening at 6.00pm.  On Holidays of Obligation it is the same.  Why not come along on a Saturday evening?  Visitors are assured of a warm welcome.

For the benefit of those with Sat Nav, St Catherine's Church and School in Drovers Lane, Penrith have the postal code CA11 9EL and St Wulstan's Chapel, Kings Arms Lane, Alston has the postal code CA9 3JF. 

Otherwise see 'Contact Us', the last tab on the main menu where a personalised map and directions for St Catherine's Church in Penrith are given.

See also links to Multimap.com

For those unable to attend in person at Sunday Mass, please use this attached 'Daily Mass Online' - click here

MESSAGE FROM OUR BISHOP
AND THE BISHOPS OF ENGLAND AND WALES

Child abuse in the Catholic Church has been such a focus of public attention recently, that we, the Bishops of England and Wales, wish to address this issue directly and unambiguously.

Catholics are members of a single universal body.  These terrible crimes, and the inadequate response by some church leaders, grieve us all.

Our first thoughts are for all who have suffered from the horror of these crimes, which inflict such severe and lasting wounds. They are uppermost in our prayer.  The distress we feel at what has happened is nothing in comparison with the suffering of those who have been abused.

The criminal offences committed by some priests and religious are a profound scandal.  They bring deep shame to the whole church.  But shame is not enough. The abuse of children is a grievous sin against God.  Therefore we focus not on shame but on our sorrow for these sins.  They are the personal sins of only a very few.  But we are bound together in the Body of Christ and, therefore, their sins touch us all.

We express our heartfelt apology and deep sorrow to those who have suffered abuse, those who have felt ignored, disbelieved or betrayed.  We ask their pardon, and the pardon of God for these terrible deeds done in our midst. There can be no excuses.

Furthermore, we recognise the failings of some bishops and religious leaders in handling these matters.  These, too, are aspects of this tragedy which we deeply regret and for which we apologise.  The procedures now in place in our countries highlight what should have been done straightaway in the past.  Full co-operation with statutory bodies is essential.

Now, we believe, is a time for deep prayer of reparation and atonement.  We invite Catholics in England and Wales to make the four Fridays in May 2010 special days of prayer.  Even when we are lost for words, we can place ourselves in silent prayer.  We invite Catholics on these days to come before the Blessed Sacrament in our parishes to pray to God for healing, forgiveness and a renewed dedication.  We pray for all who have suffered abuse; for those who mishandled these matters and added to the suffering of those affected.  From this prayer we do not exclude those who have committed these sins of abuse.  They have a journey of repentance and atonement to make.

We pray also for Pope Benedict, whose wise and courageous leadership is so important for the Church at this time.

In our dioceses we will continue to make every effort, working with our safeguarding commissions, to identify any further steps we can take, especially concerning the care of those who have suffered abuse, including anyone yet to come forward with their account of their painful and wounded past.  We are committed to continuing the work of safeguarding, and are determined to maintain openness and transparency, in close cooperation with the statutory authorities in our countries.  We thank the thousands who give
generously of their time and effort to the Church’s safeguarding work in our parishes and dioceses.

We commit ourselves afresh to the service of children, young people and the vulnerable in our communities.  We have faith and hope in the future.  The Catholic Church abounds in people, both laity, religious and clergy, of great dedication, energy and generosity who
serve in parishes, schools, youth ventures and the care of elderly people.  We also thank them.  The Holy Spirit guides us to sorrow and repentance, to a firm determination to better ways, and to a renewal of love and generosity towards all in need.

22 APRIL 2010