The Catholic Church of The Holy Name of Jesus

Despite not being religious in any way now, I still have a soft spot for churches because they often look so grand, and The Holy Name is no different in this regard. It casts a rather imposing presence over the area, but I think this is a great thing because it makes a nice contrast to the ugliness of the Stopford building next door, or the University Union across the street. It adds a sense of culture that drunk students in fancy dress try so hard to destroy.
Like all good churches you can go inside to pray or attend mass, or simply to wander around admiring the architecture. The choice is entirely yours, and all the better for it.

Until today the only real association I had to this church were the church bells which usually chimed just as I was leaving my flat in Whitworth Park, reminding me that yes, I was going to be late for my lecture.
Due to unforeseen circumstances (which may or may not have involved me guiding my Catholic other half to a local church which had been converted into a boxing club!) today I attended the Ash Wednesday mass in this lovely ornate church.
The congregation was a mixed bag ranging from infirm pensioners at the front to students in University of Manchester hoodies at the back. It wasn’t particularly full, but maybe the evening services are more popular. The atmosphere was not particularly sociable compared to other churches I have been to — most people sat alone and in silence. The mass only lasted half an hour — my boyfriend said it was the shortest mass he’d ever been to, but again, maybe this was because it was a daytime service.
As an atheist I can’t really comment further on the religious aspects of the mass, but I really liked the way that the priest mentioned his recent visit to the Catholic-​funded Cornerstone Centre for homeless people on Denmark Road. I have visited the centre myself and it’s nice to be certain that your donations are going to a good cause and that the priests and nuns are doing loads of good work in the community.

OK, before I write this review, a disclaimer. I am a huge atheist with pretty much a 0% chance of conversion. As in, there’s more chance of me turning gay for Anne Widdecome and becoming spontaneously Spanish, than there is of me ever, ever believing in God. So why do I like this church? Well, three reasons:
1) I can hear it chiming from my office. And on the hour, every hour, it chimes a lovely little tune. Sometimes it’s a different tune, and the one it plays at 5pm (hometime!) is particularly lovely. And at Yuletide, it chimes carols such as God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen and O! Little Town of Bethlehem.
2) The Smiths’ song Vicar in a Tutu namechecks this church. (I was minding my business/​Lifting some lead off/​The roof of the Holy Name church), which has been one of my fave facts since a girl in my poetry class told me in 2^nd year.
3) In Summer, there’s an ice cream van nearby, and it’s nice to sit on the steps with a Fab and watch the world go by.
So, there you go. A church that’s even good for a big old atheist like me. Must be good!
(NB: If you actually prescribe to a monotheistic faith which encourages the worship of an anthropomorphic deity, namely Catholicism, and want to, like, pray here, have a look at their website for Mass and confession and a whole other bunch of Goddy stuff. Enjoy!)

This church is a peculiar building in the university campus, it stands triumphantly in between the knackered medics building and the languages centre. I’m not a believer or anything but walking inside is a very numinous; it grabs you and makes you consider our insignificance in the awe of the hugeee infrastructure.
The church bells can be heard for most of south Manchester when they toll to every hour. Come Christmas if you step inside after being disenchanted with the Christmas markets up in the city centre, you can instantly be reminded of when you were a kid in the carol service. The church is also the hubbub of the local Christian community and they work hard to create awareness of issues within the student groups, as church people are, they are very nice folk. So even if God isn’t your cup of tea this is a very very good escape from the madness of the world outside.