Church Tour Introduction The Lady Chapel Chapel of the Cross The Chancel Screen The High Altar The North Aisle The South Aisle The Main Body of the Church The Nave Altar The Font

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From the Chapel of the Cross to the Sanctuary

This chapel is located on the north side of the church; it contains a small altar and, like the Lady Chapel, is used for worship during the week. The name derives from the life-sized crucifix which is normally mounted on the west wall.

  

Since 2006, this space has also been employed as a Children's Chapel, with furnishings, resources and decorations bought and installed for the purpose. Its main use is as a (partly screened-off) centre for the use of the children (and teachers!) of our Junior Church when they come into church during the Sunday morning Sung Eucharist, and as a refuge for parents and small children!
 
 
The life-sized crucifix which forms the centre-piece of this Chapel was bought by the founder of Saint Faith`s, Mr Douglas Horsfall, whilst on holiday in Italy during 1928. It has recently been established as being the work of the company of Ferdinand Stuflesser, of Ars Sacra, still operating in Ortisei, northern Italy, and to have been individually carved of Zirbel wood, a type of pine wood. For many years the crucifix was only displayed during Passiontide, being stored in its wooden case for most of the year. Fr Charles Billington suggested that the crucifix should be permanently on display and the Chapel of the Cross was created on the north side of the church where the crucifix hangs on the east wall except for Lent when it is moved to a position behind the High Altar, and brought down on Maundy Thursday to a position just east of the chancel screen until its return to the Chapel of the Cross for Easter. Follow this link to read more about the provenance of our Great Crucifix.


Hung on the walls in the Chapel of the Cross and around the church are fourteen striking modern embroideries of the Stations of the Cross. These were designed by Sister Anthony of Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral and are the work of a team of embroiderers, including members of Saint Faith's congregation, at the Metropolitan Cathedral. The complete set of Stations may be seen at another page on Saint Faith's Web site, with a link to the devotions used during Lent when they are the focus of a processional service.. They were paid for by members of the congregation.


Since 2007, the walls of the chapel also house eleven framed posters of the new Stations of the Resurrection. These are displayed round the church in the season between Easter and Pentecost when, like the Stations of the Cross, they are the focus of devotions during weekday processional services. They may be seen by following the link, with an associated page giving the text of some of the devotions we use.

     

In the chapel may be seen the  banners of the Junior Church, the processional one was designed and worked by Mrs Diana Waters; the other was made by Junior Church children.


Newly positioned at the entrance to the chapel is the fine statue of Saint Faith, our patron: one of the most siginificant recent additions to the furnishings of St Faith's. Follow this link to read about how it came to us, and to see pictures of its installation and blessing.

The passage leading from the Chapel of the Cross to the Sanctuary is home to two statues, pictured below. In the first window recess may be seen a statue of Jesus as a boy. This was given in memory of Neil Brook, a server at St Faith's, and was originally positioned in the Chapel of the Cross, which was for some years a focus of worship and activities for children, as it is again today.  In the same passage is a small but beautiful statue of Mary holding the infant Jesus; this is the work of the famous Liverpool sculptor Arthur Dooley and was given to the church by him following a visit. Set in the wall are stones recording the names of those whose ashes are interred here.