Welcome to the Catholic Parish

of St Catherine in Penrith

with the Chapel of St Wulstan

in Alston, Cumbria

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