Different Histories, One Faith

The parish of St George's dates back to the Jesuit mission founded in Worcester in 1590.  Our Lady Queen of Peace was founded in 1948 by Fr Bernard Grafton who left his estate for the building of a church in the St John's area of Worcester.  Despite the differences in the history of these two parishes, they have been a home to the Catholic community of Worcester for centuries and continue to build the Kingdom of God in the city today.

St George's

The current St. George's church  was opened on 16th July 1829 by Bishop Thomas Walsh. The church was designed by Worcester architect Henry Rowe (1787-1859) and stands on the site of an earlier church.

Father Brian Doolan, former Parish Priest at St. George's, has written a comprehensive guide entitled 'St. George's Worcester 1590-1999' which is available from the church. 


Sir Edward Elgar

Edward Elgar was born in the small village of Lower Broadheath, outside Worcester.  Edward was the fourth child of William and Ann Elgar. Ann Elgar had converted to Roman Catholicism shortly before Edward's birth, and he was baptised and brought up as a Roman Catholic.

William Elgar held the post of organist of St. George's Roman Catholic Church, Worcester, from 1846 to 1885. For a number of years Edward was assistant organist to his father and succeeded him for four years from 1885. During this period Elgar wrote his first liturgical works in the Catholic tradition, beginning with his three motets Op. 2 (1887) for four-part choir (Pie Jesu, Ave Maria and Ave Maris Stella), and followed by a setting of Ecce Sacerdos Magnus.

Our Lady Queen of Peace

The parish of Our Lady Queen of Peace was founded in 1948.  Fr bernard Grafton, who was parish priest of Our Lady and St Alphonsus at Blackmore Park near Malvern, left his estate to the building of a new church in the St John's area of Worcester.  This may be because he was aware of the Catholic Mission there during the 1930s.

Fr John James Clancy was the first parish priest.  When he arrived Mass was celebrated in the Assembly Hall or on the ground floor of the hotel.  A temporary structure was completed in 1951.

In 1958, Fr John Garvey was appointed parish priest and worked on the building of the presbytery, parish hall and began plans on the building of a Catholic school.

Archbishop Dwyer appointed Fr Patrick O'Sullivan to Our Lady Queen of Peace in 1981 with the instruction to make the church feel less temporary and more permanent.  The works were completed in 1984.

More information can be found in a pamphlet at the back of Our Lady Queen of Peace church commemorating the solemn dedication in 1984.

In 2015 the pastoral care of Our Lady Queen of Peace was taken up by St George's.  They now work in partnership continuing the  work the work stated by the predecessors in both churches.