Bicentennial Celebration

Our church is one of the oldest in the Archdiocese of Birmingham. On Sunday 1^st June 2025 we celebrated its 200^th anniversary with a day of faith, reflection and community led by Archbishop Bernard Longley.

After much preparation and planning the bicentennial celebrations began with a solemn High Mass, during which Archbishop Longley paid tribute to the generations of worshippers who have gathered within St Mary’s walls for 200 years. He spoke of the church’s role as a spiritual home, recalling how it once served as the mother church for the wider area, embracing communities far beyond Harvington.

Following the Mass, Archbishop Longley blessed a newly installed plaque, recognising the milestone and the unwavering faith of the parish.

Going outside, he consecrated the new cemetery before planting a mulberry tree within the church grounds. Assisted by Fr Richard and Fr John, children were then invited by His Grace to shovel a few spades full of earth around the tree. The mulberry tree symbolises resilience and faith – qualities that have defined St Mary’s journey through history, from its early days of serving a scattered Catholic population to its consecration in 1985 under Archbishop Maurice Couve de Murville.