Church History

The origin of the Parish Church goes back to 1905 when a small Chapel of Ease was built on the present site. This chapel became a Mass Centre as a sister church of St. Marie's, now the Cathedral Church of the Diocese of Hallam.

The chapel was extended in the early 1930s (pictured below) when the present presbytery and previous parish hall were also built. St. William's became a parish in 1932 when Father Moloney became the first parish priest. Father Keegan succeeded Father Scanell in 1960 and undertook the second large extension to the church, which was completed in 1971 to accommodate a growing parish. Mass attendance had increased from around 200 to about 800 during this time. The Church was dedicated on 7th October 1982. Fr Keegan retired from parish ministry in 1996 when Fr Tolan became parish priest. He supported by parishioners saw through the demolition of the old hall and the construction of a Parish Centre; opened in 2003 by Bishop Rawsthorne. Fr Tolan retired from parish ministry in 2011 and was replaced as parish priest by Fr Lowden. Fr Lowden, having overseen the enlargement of the narthex, new church lighting and sanctuary flooring moved back to his own diocese in 2014.

Although largely hidden from the outside by hillside, terraced housing and a busy shopping precinct, the inside of the church is bright, open and modern in appearance, much admired by those who use or visit it. St. William's is also one of the founding parishes of St.Wilfrid's and All Saints' Schools.

St William's is now a large suburban Catholic Parish in the Diocese of Hallam, situated in the south-west of Sheffield in South Yorkshire with a population of about 30,000. The church is situated in the densely populated area covering Greystones, Hunter's Bar, Eccelsall and Banner Cross and reaches out to the Peak District on its western flank