A Parish within North East Hampshire Pastoral Area
Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth
Bringing people closer to Jesus Christ through His Church
St Mary's Church
ST MARY'S CHURCH
BELLE VUE ROAD GU12 4RX
St Mary's Roman Catholic Church was built in 1962/63. It is a simple modern building but built on a traditional cruciform plan. Inside, the church is of a simple design with a raised main altar and two side chapels. The east wall is dominated by a huge Calvary of the crucified Christ flanked by the Blessed Virgin Mary and St John the Apostle.
The church was originally designed in line with the liturgical practice of the time, with a high altar at the liturgical east end of the church (against the wall) for ad orientem celebrations of the Holy Mass where the priest faced the same direction as the people - towards the east, leading the people in prayer towards God rather than facing them as is popular modern practise.
In line with the revisions following the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, the church was modernised (or re-ordered). The main altar was moved further away from the east wall so that Holy Mass could be celebrated versus populum (facing the people) in line with those liturgical revisions. Unlike the re-ordering of St Joseph's the alterations made very little change to the appearance of St Mary's as it was still a relatively new church when the changes were made.
St Mary's Church was dedicated on 25th March 1963, the Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord.
St Mary's Church, Belle Vue Road, Aldershot GU12 4RX
Please use the car park at St Mary's wherever possible to avoid disruption to our neighbours.
St Mary's is normally used on Saturday evenings for the First Mass of Sunday, for Mass on Monday and Wednesday mornings and for the Wednesday evening Holy Hour.
Please note: CAFOD Portsmouth's Office is no longer at St Mary's.
