The parish of Saint Kentigern is situated in the south suburb of Manchester called Fallowfield and in the Catholic Diocese of Salford / Deanery of St. Ambrose Barlow. Our Bishop is the Rt Rev. John Arnold.
The Parish Priest is Canon Michael Cleary.
Most of the housing was built before the last war and was called the Wilbraham Estate and managed by the City of Manchester. It began in 1926 in a tin hut on the site of what is now Manchester City F.C.’s Training ground on Yew Tree Road. After the First World War it was government policy to build a “land fit for heroes” and our Parish was built on fallow fields.
The numbers moving into the new housing meant that the established parishes would not be able to cope, hence Saint Kentigern’s was established. The new Church was opened by Father Mortimer Daly in 1938 with Christmas Midnight Mass. It was adapted for the Liturgy of the second Vatican Council by Father Thomas Connolly with a permanent stone Altar, Ambo, Font and Canopy and was consecrated by the Bishop on 28th September 1998.
Since the 1950s many new parishioners moved into the area who originated from the West of Ireland – mostly Mayo, Galway, Roscommon and Clare. This transformed the numbers and caused the need for a new school to be built.
Mr Tim Driscoll was the new Head and the parish, which had shared a Primary School with St Edward’s Parish, began to have a school of its own in Bethnall Drive on the site of and old small-holding pig farm. A social centre was built and many folk got placed in jobs as they arrived from Ireland by “seeing a man at St Kent’s Club“. It still serves as a social focus for the parish.
The parish thrives with Readers, Special Ministers of the Eucharist and many catechetical courses for those having their children baptised and preparing for the Sacraments of Marriage, Reconciliation, First Holy Communion and Confirmation. The parish also has a local school of the same name.
Gallery (click images to enlarge)
