Catholic Shrines & Sites of Interest in the United Kingdom: (England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland)

Christianity came here in the First Century and spread throughout the country over the ensuing centuries. The Church and the Crown became closely inter-related. Henry VIII was once a defender of the Faith, but after the Pope refused his request for a divorce, he became one of the Church’s greatest enemies.

The faith was brutally repressed for over 250 years, severely punishing and executing Catholics and resulting in many martyrs, but the faithful did persevere.  In some cases, manor houses had “priest holes”….specially concealed rooms that allowed priests not only to hide, but also to celebrate Mass.  You can find many of them listed here on the National Trust Website (link will open in new window, this page will stay open).

In the United Kingdom some important sites of interest for Catholics include the following:

                   England

Aylesford: The Brown Scapular & Shrine of Saint Simon Stock

Bedford (Turvey):  Turvey Abbey

Canterbury: the Shrine of St. Thomas BecketView Page

Consett: Minsteracres Retreat Centre

Cornwall:  Saint Michael’s Mount

Faversham: National Shrine of Saint Jude

Glastonbury (coming soon)

Hereford:  Shrine of Saint Thomas Cantilupe

Isle of Wight: Quarr Abbey, Saint Cecilia’s Abbey

Leicestershire:  Mount Saint Bernard Abbey

London: Westminster Cathedral; Saint Dominic’s Parish and Our Lady of the Rosary Shrine; Shrine of Corpus Christi

Oxford: Carmelite Priory at Chilswell House

Pinner (London):  SPEC Residential Catholic retreat centre

Ramsgate: Shrine of Saint Augustine

Walsingham: Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham & the Slipper Chapel

West Grinstead:  Shrine to Our Lady of Consolation

York: The Bar Convent Heritage Center

Yorkminster: Cathedral and Tomb of Saint William of York

               Northern Ireland

Belfast:  Saint Mary’s Roman Catholic Church; Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Downpatrick:  Down Cathedral, tomb of St. Patrick and St. Brigid of Ireland

                Scotland

Dalmally (Argyll): Craig Lodge Family House of Prayer

Dunfermline:  Dunfermline Abbey (tomb of Saint Margaret, Queen of Scotland)

Glasgow:  Glasgow Cathedral (tomb of St. John Ogilvie)

Isle of Iona: Roman Catholic House of Prayer

Motherwell: The Carfin Grotto (Our Lady of Lourdes)

Shetland:  Catholic church, Lerwick Cruise port, tourist destination

                Wales

Cardigan: Our Lady of the Taper

Holywell:  Shrine of St. Winifried ( “The Lourdes of Wales”)

               Crown Dependencies

There are three island territories within the British Isles that are known as Crown Dependencies; these include the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey which make up Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man. The Crown Dependencies are not part of the United Kingdom, but are self-governing possessions of the British Crown.  Yes, we know….it is a bit confusing!

The Isle of Man:  Saint Mary of the Isle Co-Cathedral plus other Catholic places of interest

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