St Joseph's RC Parish, Birtley

The parish of St Joseph's Birtley is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. It was first established in 1696 and is one of the oldest parishes in the diocese.

The current church was designed by the well known Newcastle upon Tyne architect John Dobson and it was built in 1843.

The parish was served by the Benedictine order from 1723 until 1977.

The geographical area of the parish straddles two local authority areas, Gateshead MBC and Durham County Council and there are three main towns and villages in the parish, Birtley, which is the largest and Kibblesworth (both in Gateshead) and Ouston (in Durham).

The parish is served by three Catholic primary schools, St Joseph's Infants and Juniors School in Birtley and St Benet's Primary School in Ouston.

Click here to read a more detailed history of the parish compiled by Abbot Geoffrey Scott.