New church opens on St Michael’s School grounds in Burghclere, which is owned and operated by the Society of St Pius X

A new church has been built on the grounds of a Catholic school in North Hampshire.

St Michael’s School on Harts Lane in Burghclere is owned and operated by the Society of St Pius X, a global fraternity of priests dedicated to the preservation and promulgation of the traditional teachings and liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church.

The school – which currently has 80 pupils, 25 members of staff, three priests and a brother – was established in 1991 when the society opened a small boarding school for its members and their children.

St Michael’s headmaster father John Brucciani said: “We’ve been dreaming of a church for quite a long time, for over a decade.

“We had a private chapel that was inside the school buildings, but our growing community needed to be looked after and the school itself needed a decent place of worship as well.

“It’s a separate building that can cater for both the needs of the school and the parish community.”

The Society of St Pius X embarked on the new church project two years ago, and after one-and-a-half years of construction, St Michael Archangel Church was officially completed and blessed earlier this month.

Around 300 society members from all over the country attended on Saturday, December 16 when district superior and building project leader father Robert Brucciani solemnly blessed the new church.

The romanesque-style building, which seats 230 people, was designed by notable British architect Julian Bicknell, in collaboration with the Bramley-based firm Morse Webb Architects.

The main focus of the church is the altar, which can be seen from anywhere within the building.

Discussing the altar, Father Brucciani added: “It has quite striking prominence because Catholic liturgy is centred around the sacrifice of the mass.

“It is a church dedicated to the celebration of the old ancient liturgy in Latin, with Gregorian chants, solemnity and beauty.”

In early December before the church was officially completed, nearby residents from Burghclere and Highclere were invited to come see the new space and experience a concert from St Michael’s parish choir.

Father Brucciani said: “They were just blown away. The acoustics are just extraordinary.

“Everybody is absolutely welcome. It is a Catholic church so we are here for the people.

“We’ve had people who were born here and baptised here and now they’re bringing their children to be baptised here and they worship here every Sunday.

“People moving into the area and local people are discovering they can have beautiful liturgy by coming to us. It is open to all.”