St Mary’s Church meets for worship in the hall of the St Mary’s Community Centre, Chequerfield. We’re very friendly and welcoming to all visitors.
Services
There is one service at St Mary’s every Sunday, generally following the pattern below:
1st Sunday of the month: 9am Morning Worship
2nd Sunday of the month: 9am Holy Communion
3rd Sunday of the month: 4pm Messy Church
4th Sunday of the month: 9am Holy Communion
5th Sunday of the month (where applicable): 9am Service
About Us
We are a small, faithful community, holding our services in the hall at St Mary’s Community Centre in the heart of the extensive Chequerfield estate. Our morning services have a simple and traditional character.
Our congregation is a close-knit community keen to see our church grow and thrive. We organise various initiatives to connect with the local community, such as the Christmas Fair and a food collection at Harvest, and also run a monthly coffee morning at St Giles’ Church in order to raise church funds
For more information about St Mary’s, visit our ‘A Church Near You‘ page.
Messy Church
Messy Church is a monthly event for people of all ages, taking place here at St Mary’s. It includes crafts and other activities; an informal service with music, storytelling and prayer; and free shared food. Children very welcome (please bring a grown up!)
Messy Church generally takes place from 4pm on the third Sunday of every month.
For more information, email stgileschurchpontefract@gmail.com, or contact Fr Sam Fletcher on 07938 517350
History
In 2017 we celebrated our 60th Anniversary. The original St Mary’s Church on this site was built in 1957 to serve the Chequerfield estate which was built after World War II to provide new council housing in Pontefract. In 2003 the church was demolished and the St Mary’s Centre was built on the site and opened in 2004.
Pontefract has a long association of having a church dedicated to St Mary. An earlier church on the site of St Giles’ Church in the town centre which was called St Mary de Foro translated as ‘St Mary in the Marketplace’. From the latter part of the 19th Century and through the early part of the 20th Century there was a Mission dedicated to St Mary on Watergate (near where the Haribo factory now stands). From there local clergy and the Church Army ministered to the residents of Tanshelf area of Pontefract.