I had heard that one of the representative Catholic cathedrals of North Wales was the Cathedral Church of Our Lady of Sorrows in Wrexham. Since I was visiting North Wales, a cathedral was a place I could not leave out.
I was already tired from travelling, and for a moment I was tempted to skip Wrexham. Still, I did not want to come all the way to North Wales and miss a Catholic cathedral.
When I arrived in Wrexham, the city felt smaller and quieter than I had expected. I parked the rental car and walked toward the Cathedral of Our Lady of Sorrows.
Why was this cathedral given the name Our Lady of Sorrows? What sorrow of Our Lady does this cathedral remember?
Wrexham Cathedral of Our Lady of Sorrows
Wrexham Cathedral is located in the centre of Wrexham, North Wales. Its official name is the Cathedral Church of Our Lady of Sorrows, and it is also known as St Mary’s Cathedral or Wrexham Cathedral.
It is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wrexham and serves as the centre of the Catholic community in North Wales. The Diocese of Wrexham covers North Wales, and this cathedral is the church where the bishop’s cathedra is located.
The Meaning of Our Lady of Sorrows
Our Lady of Sorrows is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary that remembers her sorrow as she witnessed the Passion and death of Jesus.
In the Catholic Church, the Seven Sorrows of Mary have traditionally been meditated upon. These include Simeon’s prophecy, the flight into Egypt, the loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple, Mary meeting Jesus on the way to the Cross, Mary standing beneath the Cross, Mary holding the body of Jesus, and the burial of Jesus.
This cathedral is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, the Sorrowful Mother. For this reason, it is a place of deeper meaning for those who wish to pray in times of loss and grief.
A Parish Church Built in 1857
The present church was built as a parish church in 1857. At that time, the Catholic community in Wrexham was growing, and the small chapel that had served the faithful was no longer large enough to hold everyone.
The new church was designed by the English Catholic architect Edward Welby Pugin. He designed it in the Decorated Gothic style of the 14th century, as a church that would become a centre for the Catholic community of North Wales.
From Parish Church to Cathedral
I had heard that this was one of the representative Catholic cathedrals of North Wales, but when I visited, I was a little surprised by its modest size. Later I learned that the church had not originally been built as a cathedral.
It was first built as a parish church in Wrexham. In 1898, when the Diocese of Menevia was established, it became a temporary cathedral, or pro-cathedral. Later, in 1987, when the Diocese of Wrexham was created, it became the official cathedral of the new diocese.
A cathedral is a church that contains the cathedra, the official seat of the diocesan bishop. So even if a cathedral is not large in size, it still holds the meaning of being the central church of a diocese.
Gothic Architecture and Stained Glass
The exterior of the cathedral was made up of red brick, pointed arches, and Gothic windows. It was not overwhelming in size, but it had the quiet atmosphere of Gothic architecture.
Inside, stained-glass windows from the late 19th and early 20th centuries remained. Some of the windows are said to be connected with John Hardman & Co., a firm known for church decoration and stained glass in England.
The stained glass of the east window, behind the altar, was also very beautiful. This window is known as a work by Joshua Clarke of Dublin.
Although the cathedral was not very large, it felt like a place that quietly showed the Catholic history and local faith of North Wales.
Santo Niño de Cebu
In one corner of the cathedral, there was a small statue of the Child Jesus wearing a splendid mantle and crown. On its base were the words Santo Niño de Cebu, meaning the Holy Child Jesus of Cebu.
Santo Niño de Cebu has a special meaning for Filipino Catholics. According to tradition, this devotion began with the statue of the Child Jesus that Ferdinand Magellan gave to the queen of Cebu in 1521. Since then, the statue has been venerated as an important sacred image symbolising the beginning of the Catholic faith in the Philippines.
The image of the Child Jesus wearing a crown and a rich mantle seems to express faith in Christ the King, even in the form of the child Jesus.
It was moving to encounter, inside a small Catholic cathedral in North Wales, a statue that carried the devotion of Filipino Catholics.
A Space Honouring St Richard Gwyn
Inside the cathedral, there was a space honouring St Richard Gwyn.
Richard Gwyn was a Welsh Catholic martyr who was executed in 1584 for keeping his faith during the period of persecution after the Reformation. In 1970, he was canonised by Pope Paul VI as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
Each year, Wrexham Cathedral holds a commemoration and pilgrimage on the Sunday closest to his martyrdom day, October 15. This space showed that the Catholic faith of North Wales is connected not only with the history of a building, but also with the memory of a martyr.
A North Wales Pilgrimage Site to Visit with St Winefride’s Shrine
Wrexham Cathedral is a good place to include in a Catholic pilgrimage itinerary in North Wales together with St Winefride’s Shrine.
If St Winefride’s Shrine and Well is a place of healing and pilgrimage, Wrexham Cathedral is the central church of the Catholic Diocese of Wrexham. Visiting both places allows one to see both the old pilgrimage tradition of North Wales and the present centre of the diocese.
Related post:
St Winefride’s Shrine and Well — A Pilgrimage Continued for More Than 1,300 Years in Wales
https://stella-mum.tistory.com/344
Mass Times
According to the current official website, the Sunday Masses at St Mary’s Cathedral, Wrexham, are as follows.
Sunday 10:30 a.m.
Sunday 7:00 p.m.
Weekday Mass and Confession times should be checked through the weekly newsletter. Mass times may change according to liturgical schedules or parish circumstances, so it is best to check the official website before visiting.
Visitor Information
Name
Cathedral Church of Our Lady of Sorrows
St Mary’s Cathedral, Wrexham
Address
Regent Street, Wrexham, LL11 1RB, Wales
Wrexham Cathedral is located on Regent Street in the centre of Wrexham. It is also fairly close to the railway station, and the National Churches Trust notes that the cathedral is within about 250 metres of the station. Before visiting, it is best to check the official website or weekly newsletter for Mass times and opening information.
Our Lady of Sorrows in North Wales
Wrexham Cathedral of Our Lady of Sorrows was not a vast cathedral crowded with tourists. It was the central church of a diocese, where Mass and prayer still continue today.
Because this cathedral remembers the sorrow of Our Lady, it also has a deep meaning for pilgrims who wish to pray after losing a family member, or to offer a Mass for the dead.
In the small city of Wrexham in North Wales, I encountered not a grand and dazzling cathedral, but a quiet, living church. Before the name that remembers the suffering of Our Lady, I thought again that the sorrow of loss can also remain within prayer.
On a pilgrimage path towards my mother, now a star
– Little Star
#CatholicPilgrimage #WalesTravel #CatholicChurchInEngland #CatholicPilgrimageUK #WrexhamTravel #NorthWalesTravel
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