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Thank you for being part of our parish community. May God Bless you all.
Prayer
Lord God, we thank You for the gift of the Holy Angels Parish, a place of worship, refuge, and grace. Pour out Your blessings upon all who enter this sacred space—parishioners, visitors, and all who seek Your guidance.
May Your holy angels watch over our parish, protect our families, and draw us ever closer to Your loving care. Fill our hearts with generosity, kindness, and mercy, that we may reflect Your love within our community and beyond.
May those who have walked before us rest in peace, and may their example lead us along Your path. May Your abiding presence here strengthen us in faith, unite us in love, and lead us in hope. May each of us play our part as living stones of this community, and be a beacon of God’s grace, through Jesus Christ, who is Lord forever and ever. Amen.
Holy Angels: Pray for us
A Short Introduction
The Catholic Church of the Holy Angels in Hale Barns, Cheshire, was established in 1958 as part of the Diocese of Shrewsbury. Designed by parishioner Arthur Farebrother, the church reflects a distinctive architectural style reminiscent of Quarr Abbey, characterised by its modern use of pale brick. Although founded in 1958, the church was formally dedicated in 1964.
From its beginnings, Holy Angels has developed a strong sense of community and a rich musical tradition. The parish has long enjoyed an active choir and was formerly home to the much-loved “Little Angels” children’s choir. Close ties with local schools continue to strengthen the church’s role at the heart of the community.
In 2023, a new Parish Hall was added, providing much-needed space for parish life and wider community use. The hall now supports a variety of activities, including weddings, celebrations, and social gatherings, enhancing the church’s mission as a welcoming and vibrant centre of faith and fellowship.
Key Historical Dates
Year of Establishment: 1958
Foundation Stone Laid: 1962 by Bishop Eric Grasar
Dedication of the Church: 1964
Visit of the Apostolic Delegate, Archbishop Bruno Heim: 1975
Opening of the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes: 2013
Opening of the Parish Hall: 2023
The first Parish Priest was Fr Gerald McDonald, whose leadership helped shape the early life of the parish. Today, the Church of the Holy Angels continues to thrive as a place of worship, pilgrimage, and community life. We commend to God all those who have been, and continue to be, connected with the parish in any way. May God’s blessings rest upon all who are drawn to this place of peace, prayer, and pilgrimage. Let us conclude this short introduction with a few paragraphs from Pope Francis’s apostolic exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate (The Call to Holiness in Today’s World)
“Let us not forget that Jesus asked his disciples to pay attention to details. The little detail that wine was running out at a party. The little detail that one sheep was missing. The little detail of noticing the widow who offered her two small coins. The little detail of having spare oil for the lamps, should the bridegroom delay. The little detail of asking the disciples how many loaves of bread they had. The little detail of having a fire burning and a fish cooking as he waited for the disciples at daybreak. A community that cherishes the little details of love,[107]whose members care for one another and create an open and evangelizing environment, is a place where the risen Lord is present, sanctifying it in accordance with the Father’s plan. There are times when, by a gift of the Lord’s love, we are granted, amid these little details, consoling experiences of God. Contrary to the growing consumerist individualism that tends to isolate us in a quest for well-being apart from others, our path to holiness can only make us identify all the more with Jesus’ prayer “that all may be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you” (Jn 17:21)”.
List of Parish Priests- Holy Angels
Fr Gerard McDonald: 1958-1987
Fr Roger Clarke: 1987-1991
Canon Christopher Dwyer: 1991-2002
Canon David Roberts: 2002-2012
Canon Jonathan Brandon: 2012-2015
Fr (Dr) Martin Onuoha: 2015-2020
Fr Humphrey ( Assistant Priest)
Fr Thomas Cunnah JCL: 2020-2024
Fr Mathew Thomas CMI: 2024-
Please keep them in your prayers.
Fr Martin, Fr Thomas and Fr Mathew
His Holiness Pope Leo XIV
Pope Leo XIV, formerly known as Robert Francis Prevost, was born on 14 September 1955 in Chicago, Illinois. His Holiness is the 267th Pope of the Catholic Church and the first American-born successor of Saint Peter. Prior to his election as Supreme Pontiff, he was a member of the Order of Saint Augustine (OSA), founded in 1244—over 782 years ago.
Pope Leo XIV’s religious formation has been shaped by Augustinian values of community, humility, and service. These principles have consistently guided his pastoral approach and leadership style throughout his ecclesiastical career. In 1998, Prevost served as Prior Provincial of the Order of Saint Augustine’s Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel, based in Chicago. In 2001, he was elected Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine, a position he held for two consecutive six-year terms, until 2013.
Before his election to the papacy, Pope Leo XIV served as a missionary in Peru and later as Archbishop of Chiclayo. During the pontificate of Pope Francis, he was appointed Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, where he was responsible for overseeing the selection of bishops worldwide. A close collaborator of Pope Francis, Pope Leo XIV is widely regarded as continuing a similar vision for the Church—one that emphasizes mercy, inclusivity, and a pastoral presence rooted in dialogue and care.
Pope Leo XIV’s global experience, missionary background, and administrative expertise help him to be a pope who is attentive to the spiritual and social challenges facing the modern Catholic Church and the wider world.
The Right Reverend Mark Davies, the 11th Bishop of Shrewsbury
The Right Reverend Mark Davies was born in Manchester on 12th May 1959 and baptised at St Richard’s Church, Longsight. Bishop Davies was educated at St Richard’s Infant School and St Robert’s Primary School in Manchester and at Broadstone Hall County Primary School and St Anne’s High School in Stockport before beginning his training for the priesthood at Ushaw College, Durham.
Ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Thomas Holland of Salford on 11th February 1984 he served as an assistant priest at Our Lady of Grace, Prestwich, and St Mary’s, Swinton, before he was appointed private secretary to Archbishop Patrick Kelly (then Bishop of Salford) in 1988. From December 1992 until September 2003 the then Father Davies was parish priest of St. John Bosco, Manchester, and was also appointed Dean of North Manchester in 1999.
In January 2003 Bishop Terence Brain of Salford appointed the then Monsignor Davies as Vicar General of the Salford Diocese. As Vicar General he served as the parish priest of St Teresa Little Lever between 2003 and 2006, St Joseph Longsight between 2006 and 2007 and Holy Family, Wigan, between 2007 and 2009. In December 2009 Pope Benedict XVI appointed Monsignor Davies as the Coadjutor Bishop of Shrewsbury. He was ordained Bishop on 22nd February 2010 at St Anthony’s, Wythenshawe, Manchester. On 1st October 2010 Bishop Davies became the 11th Bishop of Shrewsbury in succession to Bishop Brian Noble. (Source: Diocese of Shrewsbury Website)