| Cathedral of St Mary of the Isle | |
|---|---|
 St Mary's Cathedral, Douglas Isle Man | |
  Cathedral of St Mary of the Isle | |
| 54°09′02″N4°28′57″W / 54.150655°N 4.482393°W /54.150655; -4.482393 (St Mary's of the Isle Catholic Church, Hill Street) | |
| Location | Hill Street, Douglas, Isle of Man. |
| Country | Isle of Man |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | manxcatholic |
| History | |
| Status | Cathedral |
| Founded | 1859 |
| Dedication | Saint Mary &Saint Joseph |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Style | Gothic |
| Groundbreaking | 1857 |
| Completed | 1859 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 1,000(approximate) |
| Administration | |
| Province | Province of Liverpool |
| Diocese | Archdiocese of Liverpool |
| Clergy | |
| Priest | Monsignor John Devine[1][2] |
The St Mary of the Isle Cathedral, also referred to as theCathedral of St Mary of the Isle,[2][1][3] is aRoman Catholic cathedral inDouglas, Isle of Man. It is part of the Roman Catholic Pastoral Area of St Maughold within theArchdiocese of Liverpool. It is one of twocathedrals on the Island, and one of six Catholic churches. It is referred to locally asSt. Mary's.[4][2] In September 2023, St Mary of the Isle was granted co-cathedral status.[5][1]
Prior to the Reformation, the Church on the Island was the independentDiocese of Sodor and Man, which, sincethe Reformation, continues as anAnglicandiocese. It is part of theChurch of England with its own Bishop resident on the Island with its own cathedral, theCathedral Church of Saint German, in the town ofPeel.[1]
The post Reformation Catholic Cathedral on the Island forms part of theArchdiocese of Liverpool and constitutes onethird of the land mass of the Archdiocese.[1]
The first Catholic Chapel on the Island to be constructed afterthe Reformation was built byFather Miles McPharlan who was in situation from 1803 to 1820, on land which was gifted to the church byLieutenant Colonel John Taubman Goldie-Taubman,Speaker of the House of Keys.[6]
Father McPharlan was succeeded in 1820 by Fr. Matthew Gahan who arrived fromDublin, and who opened the church of St. Mary, atCastletown, then the capital of the Isle of Man, in 1826.[6]
However by the 1850sDouglas was far outstrippingCastletown both in population and civic importance, it thereby becoming apparent that a larger church was required which would be situated in the centre of the town.
Fr. Gahan was highly industrious in raising the required funds, and the foundation stone of St. Mary's was laid by theRight Reverend Dr. Alexander Goss,Bishop of Liverpool, on 28 October 1857.[6][7]
The church opened for worship on 4 August 1859.[8][9]
As part of the lateQueen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022, Douglas was awarded city status. Following the granting of city status, on Friday 22 September 2023,Pope Francis granted cathedral status to the Church of Saint Mary of the Isle.[1][5]
The Church is a co-cathedral with theMetropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, and is the first Catholic co-cathedral in theBritish Isles.
Although rare in the Catholic Church, co-cathedrals exist when two dioceses, each with its own cathedral, are merged or when a single diocese spans two distinct civil jurisdictions.[1][5]
Today St. Mary's continues to play an active part in the religious and secular life of the local community. ARegistered Building,[10] the cathedral is situated on the junction of Hill Street and Prospect Hill, oppositeTynwald and the Isle of Man's legislative buildings. The cathedral is regularly visited by theArchbishop of Liverpool and his auxiliary bishops. It is the venue for ordinations to the priesthood, the diaconate and the sacrament ofConfirmation.
St Mary of the Isle is a regular venue for civic occasions such as theIsle of Man GovernmentChristmas Carol Service and the annualHolocaust Memorial Day Mass. These are attended by theChief Minister and his cabinet along with the Island'sLieutenant Governor and civic leaders and officials. The cathedral organ is over 100 years old, and was restored in 2006 by Peter Jones.
