A question perhaps little asked or imagined: is Consett the most God-fearing place in the North-East? It is known for other reasons, of course, chiefly riding on the ferrous wheel of fortune but also as the home of Susan Maughan, who all those years ago wanted to be Bobby's Girl.

New figures from the Roman Catholic diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, however, show that St Patrick's, Consett, not only has the biggest congregation between Tweed and Tees but is now the region's only church with a Sunday attendance of over 1,000.

An average 58,327 attended Mass throughout the diocese, just 25 per cent of the Catholic population and a fall of 1,644 on the previous year. St Patrick's attracted an average 1,058.

The smallest congregation was at Whittingham, Northumberland, a weekly average of just 26, though the figures probably exclude our friends St Aidan's, Middleton-in-Teesdale whom the diocese appears keen to forget.

Morning mass in Consett is at 10am, the town centre steel shuttered, sundry shops displaying the crime prevention information that they are part of Operation Pat.

It is probably as naught compared to the remarkable exercise that is Operation St Patrick's.

"Fortunately I'm good at faces," says Fr Jeffrey Dodds, the tall, friendly, Wallsend- born priest who arrived in Consett from Sunderland last August and had the initial job of trying to put a name to every one of them.

There though may be little room to swing a censer - were such instruments still generally in use - he sees no room for complacency, either.

"My big vision is that within ten years there will be 2,000-3,000 people in this church every Sunday.

"Consett is out on a limb, a community which is self-sufficient in many ways and where, for many people, coming to church is a natural part of growing up.

"It's a caring community and a very special community, but one where still only a minority attends church on a Sunday. Two thousand? Three thousand? Why not?"

Not 100 yards away, the Anglican Christ Church begins its service 15 minutes earlier, though with rather fewer participants.

Frozen snow still lies piled in the gutters. "If it rains anywhere else, it snows in Consett," says Fr Dodds, clearly learning fast.

Though he also reckons St Patrick's folk "marvellously faithful", he believes that they are conservative, adding wholly unnecessarily that he means conservative with a small c. As if the Consett party would be anything else.

Though there is the usual Catholic last five minute rush, the church is well filled - wall to wall, front to back - when the Mass begins on the stroke of ten.

Many are good Catholic families worshipping together, one or two youngsters seem to have been out all night or to have slept where they fell. They are in church on Sunday nonetheless, Consett's biggest profession of faith since the town's football club played Mansfield in the 1996 FA Cup and equally large numbers vowed to support them ever more.

In that case, alas, it was seed on stony ground. At St Patrick's, it is more deeply rooted. "Be on your best behaviour, the man from The Northern Echo is here," Fr Dodds tells his swelling band.

The homily is four minutes on compassion, the communion a major exercise in population movement impeccably conducted with the help of ten lay ministers. A small boy aged about two shakes endless hands as he returns from the sanctuary.

"A proper little gentleman," someone says, proudly.

Outside, a line of taxis awaits, like turning out time at the bingo. Within minutes almost everyone has gone, as if someone's shouted "Fire".

The parish was formed in 1927, the first priority to build a school, not a church. For years the faithful met in the old school before St Patrick's, partly funded by weekly deductions from the steel workers' wages, opened in 1959.

A photograph at the back of the church shows that it was pretty crowded then, too.

Though many of the early iron workers were Irish immigrants, they're all north Durham accents now. "There is a traditional, very solid faith about this town," says John Donnelly, baptised at Blackhill - then the nearest Catholic church - in 1924. My brother used to say that it was easy being a Catholic in Consett and for a long time I didn't know what he meant. I suppose, comparatively, it is."

Judith Welford, 17, says that one of the good things is that so many families bring their children - "no one gets teased for coming to church in Consett" - Fr Dodds talks about "empowering" the people.

"It's not just about a priest caring for them. With a regular congregation of over 1,000 they have to care for one another."

Apart from daily masses and numerous parish organisations, the three "Sunday" services are the 6.30pm Saturday vigil, and the 10am and 6pm services the following day. "This is the big one, though?" we suggest as Fr Dodds prepares for one of his many baptisms. "Oh no," he says, "the big one's tonight."

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