PEOPLE from Bishop Auckland churches will be united under the same roof when St Mary's RC marks its 50th anniversary next week.

Priests, vicars and ministers across the town have been invited to a celebration Mass on Thursday, February 2, which will launch anniversary events.

Parish priest Father Simon Weymes is only the third priest in the church's half century.

The first, Father Peter Jarrett, grew up in Witton Park as did many of his congregation. The church opened to serve the Woodhouse Close Estate, which had been built to offer modern homes to people from surrounding pit villages.

Until then, St Wilfrid's, in Hexham Street, had been the town's main Catholic church for a century, opening in 1846 to offer a place of worship to Bishop Auckland's growing population of Irish immigrant workers.

St Mary's was the seventh parish to grow from St Wilfrid's thanks to the determination of Father William Malone, who persuaded members of his own choir to switch to the church.

In 1987, the congregation commissioned a circular stained glass window for Fr Jarrett's jubilee, designed by another native of Witton Park, artist Tom McGuinness.

Eight more of Mr McGuinness's windows, illustrating God feeding his people were added in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel to mark the reordering of the church in 1988.

Fr Jarrett retired in 1985 and was succeeded by the late Father Michael Finnigan, who left to move to Washington, Wearside, in 1998.

Fr Simon said: "We have a strong congregation of about 400 every week and that has not changed since it opened.

"There are strong links with our local schools and the choir from St Wilfrid's Primary will be singing at the service."

Episcopal vicar Monsignor Gerard Lavender, from the Holy Family Church, in Darlington, leads 14 priests celebrating next week's Mass, at 7pm.