Mount St Mary's Church, Leeds

In 1851, the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate came to Leeds to start a mission to the local Catholics. They were persuaded to do so by a group of men from St Saviour's Church in Leeds, who had left the Anglican church and become Roman Catholics. There were already two Catholic churches in the city, St Anne's Church at one end and St Patrick's Church at the other. There was no church for the Richmond Hill area of the city and the Irish migrants living in the east of Leeds. Fr. Crowe OMI, the first priest of the mission, raised funds for acquiring a site for the church. It was also named the 'Famine Church' because it was built during the recovery of the Irish population from the Great…

On 24 May 1853, the foundation stone of the church was laid by the Bishop of Beverley, John Briggs. The architect was Joseph Hansom. He also designed Plymouth Cathedral and the Church of St Walburge in Preston, both of which, like Mount St Mary's Church, are in the Gothic Revival style. In the same year, Mount Saint Mary's School was founded next door to the church. It was staffed by the Sisters Oblates of Mary Immaculate. They were housed in a nearby convent and also used the church as their place of worship. On 29 July 1857, the church was dedicated in a ceremony presided over by Bishop Briggs. The ceremony was notable, because in attendance were the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal…