St Theresa Catholic Church

St Theresa of the Child Jesus Catholic Church is a Catholic church in the Diocese of Birmingham located at 1394 Ashville Court in Leeds.

Prior to the establishment of St Theresa, Catholics in Leeds typically attended Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Gate City and St Barnabas Catholic Church in East Lake. In 1941, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Becker invited Father Frank Giri to offer Mass in their home. As the congregation grew, the mission rented the second floor of Evans Department Store and converted it to a chapel, selecting St Theresa of the Child Jesus as the patroness.

On June 21, 1947, Reverend Joseph Adams was appointed the first resident pastor of Holy Infant of Prague Catholic Church in Trussville and St. Theresa was attached as a mission. In 1951, Reverend James Gallagher succeeded him, overseeing the 30 families at St Theresa. But by the end of the year, the congregation had doubled to 60 families due to industrial growth in the area. Bishop Thomas J. Toolen approved purchase of property for a church and a building fund drive was begun.

Reverend Gallagher led first Mass in the new brick structure, which cost of $19,600 and seated 150, on July 27, 1952. The church was dedicated by Bishop Toolen on February 15, 1953. On October 2, 1959, Reverend Desmond Regan was appointed resident pastor, raising the church from mission to Parish.

Since then, a parish house was added in 1960, a church hall in 1987, and a bell tower in 1989. An expansion project was completed in 2011 which increased seating capacity by over 80%. By the mid-2010s, the congregation numbered over 385 families.

A new parish life center was completed in 2017 and dedicated by Bishop Robert Baker on March 4, 2017.

Pastors

• James Gallagher (1950–1958, administrator)
• Owen Connaughton (1959, administrator)
• Desmond Regan (1959–1966)
• Robert Bauler (1966–1972)
• Michael J. White (1972–1974)
• Robert Bauler (1974–1982)
• Peter MacCarthy (1982–2000)
• James Naughton (2000–2013)
• Gray Bean (2014–present)

References

• Lody, Father Joseph, ed. (2009). History of the Diocese of Birmingham. Strasbourg, France: Éditions du Signe.
• "St. Theresa of the Child Jesus History." (n.d.) St. Theresa Catholic Church. Accessed June 2, 2015.

External links

• St Barnabas Catholic Church website