1803 Anniversary
celebrated at
Ss Mary & Joseph Church
A special evening of prayer and thanksgiving took place on Tuesday 7 April as the parish community gathered to celebrate the historic foundation of Ss Mary and Joseph’s Church, Hedon, first established on 7 April 1803.
The commemorative Mass, celebrated at 6.30pm, marked more than 220 years of Catholic worship and witness in Hedon and brought together parishioners and visitors in a spirit of gratitude, reflection and shared faith.
The occasion was especially significant because the church’s original blessing in 1803 was carried out by Rev. Dr Charles Howard, who travelled from Marton. His name remains familiar and deeply meaningful in the wider Catholic story of this area, not least through its association with St Charles Borromeo, Hull, where the legacy of Catholic mission in East Yorkshire continues to be remembered and honoured. The official historical record of St Charles confirms that Fr Charles Howard of Marton played an important role in the development of Catholic worship in this region in the late eighteenth century, linking Hedon’s story closely with the broader Catholic history of Hull and the surrounding district.
The celebration served as a powerful reminder of the courage and perseverance of the Catholic communities who established and sustained places of worship at a time when Catholic life in England still carried the legacy of penal restrictions and social difficulty. The foundation of a Catholic church in Hedon in 1803 was therefore not simply a practical event, but a profound expression of faith, hope and continuity.
During the Mass, there was a clear sense of continuity between past and present — a recognition that today’s worshippers are part of a much longer story. Over the generations, Ss Mary and Joseph’s has been a place of prayer, sacrament, community and consolation, serving families through baptisms, marriages, funerals and the ordinary rhythms of parish life. Anniversaries such as this one offer an opportunity not only to remember the past, but also to give thanks for the faith that has endured and been handed on through the years.
The church today continues as part of the wider Catholic family of parishes within the Diocese of Middlesbrough, and its enduring presence stands as a testimony to the strength of local faith and devotion. The anniversary Mass was therefore not only a historical commemoration, but also a celebration of a living parish community still rooted in the same mission and hope that inspired its foundation more than two centuries ago.
For those who attended, the evening was a fitting and prayerful tribute to the generations who have worshipped there before us, and to those who continue to keep that witness alive today.
As the parish gave thanks for the foundation of Ss Mary and Joseph’s, Hedon, it also honoured the enduring legacy of faith that links Hedon, Marton and St Charles itself — a shared story still being written in the life of the Church today.
