SAINT Mary's Church in Cleator Moor are celebrating their 150th Anniversary celebrations. 

The parish held a special Thanksgiving Mass as last Thursday was the exact date that the church opened back in 1872. 

Many people from around Cleator Moor came along to share in the history of St Mary's. 

Many priests who have served at the church over the years also came along to the mass.

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Mr Johnstone said: "I've found today a really enjoyable experience, initially I was concerned that it may not go as well as planned but it has all came together very well. 

"It was nice to see the church full and see all of the priests who have served here coming along to celebrate. 

"We'd planned for around a year now to have it fall on the exact date so we knew this was the night that it had to be."

Canon John Watson gave the sermon and gave a full history of St Mary's explaining how it all came to be. 

In 1872 the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle opened the church before the parish later joined the Diocese of Lancaster. 

Prior to this there was a smaller church where the car park now sits that was built sometime in the 1850s, but thsi was too small for the growing congregation. 

Due to problems in Ireland, many people came to live in England, with a lot coming to west Cumbria to work in the iron ore mines. 

They were mostly working class people and didn't have much money but they all had a strong catholic faith. 

Canon Watson gave a moving speech in which he said: "We are standing on the shoulders of generations who went before us."

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Sean Close, a volunteer at the church added: "Tonight was something very special for me because my parents on both sides were Irish and came over here in the 1850s. 

"They would have been people who contributed to the building of the church, even though there was a lot of poverty around they some how managed to build this magnificent building."