A magnificent Gothic structure stands before you. This is Saint Mary’s Church in Douglas. Its history stretches back further than you might think.
Saint Mary’s wasn’t always a cathedral. Before the Reformation the Isle of Man had its own independent Diocese of Sodor and Man. This was later continued as an Anglican diocese. The Anglican cathedral is Saint German’s in Peel. After the Reformation Catholicism on the island was part of the Archdiocese of Liverpool.
The first Catholic church built after the Reformation was thanks to Father Miles McPharlan. He served from 1803 to 1820. The land was a gift from Lieutenant Colonel John Taubman Goldie-Taubman. He was the Speaker of the House of Keys. Father McPharlan’s successor was Fr Matthew Gahan. He arrived from Dublin. He opened a St Mary’s church in Castletown in 1826.
By the 1850s Douglas was growing fast. It needed a larger church. Fr Gahan worked hard to raise money. The foundation stone of the current Saint Mary’s was laid in 1857. The Right Reverend Dr Alexander Goss Bishop of Liverpool did the honours. Saint Mary’s opened for worship in 1859.
In 2022 Douglas was given city status. Then in 2023 Pope Francis made Saint Mary’s a co-cathedral. This was a rare honour. It’s the first Catholic co-cathedral in the British Isles. It shares this title with the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King. Saint Mary’s is a vibrant part of Douglas. It hosts events like the Isle of Man Government Christmas Carol Service. Its organ is over a century old restored in 2006. So next time you visit Douglas remember the story of Saint Mary’s Church its perseverance and its recent elevation to cathedral status. Its a testament to the enduring faith of the people of the Isle of Man.