Our Church

Rev. Edward Kenyon acquires two rooms in Backwallgate for Catholic worship, marking the beginning of the Macclesfield mission. Before this, Mass had been said at Sutton Hall and in the home of the Misses Orme.

A French émigré priest, Rev L. Robin, residing in Backwallgate, establishes the first Baptismal register — the earliest record of Catholic life in Macclesfield.

The official opening of St Michael's Chapel on Chester Road, opposite the present church, incorporating a school. Mass is said there every fourth week.

Dr John Hall arrives in Macclesfield and plans a new church to accommodate his growing congregation. A W Pugin is chosen as architect, largely under the influence of the Earl of Shrewsbury, a noted benefactor of the Church.

The church opens on 25th May. The special preacher is the future Cardinal Wiseman. For a time St Alban's serves as a cathedral for the Diocese after the restoration of the hierarchy.

The first Diocesan Synod is held at St Alban's. Rev James Brown is consecrated the first Bishop of Shrewsbury and Fr Hall is appointed Vicar General.

St Alban's is formally consecrated on 22nd October — a landmark moment in the life of the parish, ninety years after the building first opened its doors.

The church is re-ordered to reflect the needs of the new liturgical thinking following the Second Vatican Council. A new parish centre is built on the site of the old primary school.

Conservationists restore the original Pugin wall decoration in the chancel — one of the most significant restorations in the church's modern history.

New Pugin-like light fittings are installed, following work to replace the stonework around many of the church's windows and to restore the wooden floor in the nave.

The parish celebrates 200 years since its founding and the building of St Michael's Chapel. A Mass celebrated by Bishop Mark with past and present priests marks the culmination of a year of celebrations.