The Blessed Sacrament Shrine, Liverpool

The Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament has served in Liverpool since the late 1950’s at the initial invitation of Archbishop John Carmel Heenan. From that time, SSS communities have administered in two adapted city-centre buildings that became Eucharistic shrines to serve the worshiping needs of the workers and shoppers in the commercial centre of Liverpool.  The first of the these was a cinema that was based in the Clayton Square area of the city. Surrounded by shops and a department store it served as the Congregation’s base until 1985.

In October that year the Blessed Sacrament community relocated to its present site on Dawson Street, just off Williamson Square, and acquired and adapted a large four-story furniture warehouse. In essence it is an industrial building, but it was successfully transformed into a living building to provide public worship in its chapel, a meeting-place and piety shop for the city’s people in its basement, and community space to house the many Blessed Sacrament brothers and priests who have served here for nearly forty-years.

The culture and life of the Shrine represents something of the pulse of the city’s life.  In-sight of both regional and national railway stations, as well as being situated opposite the Queen Square bus station which serves the Merseyside area on both sides of the River Mersey, worshipers who populate the Shrine travel vast distances and integrate their prayer, worship, and devotions with being in Liverpool for working and shopping.  This is evidenced by the Mass schedule that is offered at the Shrine with the times of masses arranged around lunchtime working breaks as well as evening masses which reflect with evening bus timetables.

One important dynamic about the Blessed Sacrament Shrine is that it is not a parish. Existing in the centre of the city and operational within the
Metropolitan Cathedral parish at the top end of the city, there are no parochial activities as such and no idea of geographical boundaries to form our identities as SSS religious serving here. Merseyside, -like a lot of regions in the United Kingdom, -is a made-up of people from across the world, which is represented by the many cultures and countries that make up the worshiping community here. 

Therefore, one important contribution that the Shrine makes to the local church is to offer Eucharistic worship, certainly, and a haven of peace for quiet prayer with the Blessed Sacrament, most definitely, but also a home for many respective apostolate groups who make up the mission of the Church.  Third Order members of religious orders and congregations, lay apostolates such as Jesus Youth and New Dawn as well as social outreach projects that are motivated by faith have all found a home here and meet regularly during the week.

The spirit of St. Peter Julian Eymard is alive in the Shrine.  Through our many initiatives during the year such as teaching and retreat occasions that we offer to the people, Darren, Dennis, Gerard and Melville are conscious of our responsibility to proclaim the reign of God in the Holy Eucharist and people do respond. There is also a sense that for everyone who comes to the Shrine they are part of a Eucharistic family comprising both lay people and the ordained. The importance of this is fundamental as we have a team of around thirty volunteers who administer the mass office, tearoom, piety shop, as well as assist us in the animation of worship through serving, reading, and the offering of music.

How a building that used to accommodate furniture has been transformed into a house for the living legacy of our Eucharistic charism and the abiding presence of the Lord in his Holy Eucharist is testimony to our ongoing adaptability with God and the fulfilling of his purposes as we continue to travel along the pathway forged by our saintly founder. 

At present Fr. Dennis SSS is assisting here from India, catering to the needs of the people along with Fr. Daren SSS. He is also the treasurer of the local community.