A DOUBLE celebration was in order for St Mary's Church, Burnley, when a special Mass was held to mark the 150th anniversary of the present church and the work of Canon Francis Deeney.

Canon Deeney was parish priest for 24 years until he took over at St Peter's and Paul's, Ribchester.

The vestments used in the concelebrated Mass were part of the reformation vestments used at Whalley Abbey and which have been preserved over the centuries by the Towneley family.

The Book of Gospels was printed in Manchester by Catholic printer Haydock in 1812 and the chalice used was presented to former parish priest Father James Rimmer in 1849 on his move from Manchester to Bury shortly before he came to Burnley. After the Mass, attended by Sir Simon Towneley and Lady Mary, head teachers of St Mary's and St Hilda's, priests who had come from the parish, priests who had served as curates and some from the deanery, a buffet was served at the Vincent Farrell Centre.

Father David Lannon took over at St Mary's on January 11.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.