St. Mary of the Isle Church

Fr. Gahan was highly industrious in raising the required funds, and the foundation stone of St. Mary's was laid by the Right Reverend Dr. Alexander Goss, Bishop of Liverpool, on October 28, 1857.[14][15]

The church opened for worship on August 4, 1859.[16][17]

As part of the late Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022, Douglas was awarded city status. Following the granting of city status, on Friday September 22, 2023, Pope Francis granted cathedral status to the Church of Saint Mary of the Isle.[18][19]

The Church is a co-cathedral with the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, and is the first Catholic co-cathedral in the British Isles.

Although rare in the Catholic Church, co-cathedrals exist when two dioceses, each with its own cathedral, are merged or when a single diocese spans two distinct civil jurisdictions.[20][21]

Today St. Mary's continues to play an active part in the life of the local community. A Registered Building,[22]the cathedral is situated on the junction of Hill Street and Prospect Hill, opposite Tynwald and the Isle of Man's legislative buildings. The cathedral is regularly visited by the Archbishop of Liverpool and his auxiliary bishops. It is the venue for ordinations to the priesthood, the diaconate and the sacrament of Confirmation.

St Mary of the Isle is a regular venue for civic occasions such as the Isle of Man Government Christmas Carol Service and the annual Holocaust Memorial Service. These are attended by the Chief Minister and his cabinet along with the Island's Lieutenant Governor and civic leaders and officials. The cathedral organ is over 100 years old, and was restored in 2006 by Peter Jones.