[citation needed] From November 2015, the church has been owned and served by priests from the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) as a shrine church dedicated to the celebration of the sacraments of the pre-Vatican II form of the Roman Rite.

The parish was established from St Alban's Church, Warrington by the Benedictine priests from Ampleforth Abbey who served there.

John Placid Hall OSB is credited with conceiving the idea to build the church and to have chosen the site.

On Saturday 4 July 2015, the Archbishop of Liverpool, Malcolm McMahon, OP announced: "I have invited the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter to come to the Archdiocese and to have responsibility for St Mary’s Church, Warrington.

"[6] The first public Mass by the FSSP in the church was celebrated by Fr Armand de Malleray on Sunday 15 November 2015.

[7] The formal Inaugural Mass, attended by the Archbishop of Liverpool Malcolm McMahon and Abbot Cuthbert Madden OSB of Ampleforth Abbey was held on 21 November 2015.

"[8] For the first time in many decades, priestly ordinations in the traditional rite were conducted at St Mary's on 17 June 2017.

Deacons Alex Stewart and Krzysztof Sanetra FSSP were ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop McMahon.

The sculptures are of St Benedict and St Scholastica (1891) against the chancel arch, of Our Lady of Lourdes by Philip Lindsey Clark, and in the north aisle, of Saint Joseph designed by Geoffrey Webb and sculpted by Harold Youngman, in the north transept.

The main reason for this pre-eminence is that, as sacred song united to the words, it forms a necessary or integral part of the solemn liturgy.

Holy Scripture, indeed, has bestowed praise upon sacred song, and the same may be said of the fathers of the Church and of the Roman pontiffs who in recent times, led by St. Pius X, have explained more precisely the ministerial function supplied by sacred music in the service of the Lord.

Since its foundation in 1877, St. Mary’s choir occupied a unique and enviable position as a leading exponent in Sacred Music.

Unlike many Churches at this time, St. Mary’s maintained a tradition of performing Plainchant and Renaissance polyphony.

Turner, along with Sir Richard Terry, Organist at Westminster Cathedral, was instrumental in the revival of the traditional chants of the church, as well as polyphonic masters such as Palestrina, Byrd and Lassus.

At the time of the Diamond Jubilee, the choir boasted 22 boy trebles, and 18 men, directed by Mr Aaron Kilburn.

The Church was fortunate to have boy and girl choristers, an adult Schola, and was home to Warrington Choral Society, and was proud to continue this ancient tradition that is part of our nation's cultural heritage.

On Sunday 4 November 2018 it was announced that, as of 26 October, the Director of Music was to stand down, due to redundancy, and the post could be fulfilled by a volunteer.

[14] As a result of this, most of the Shrine choir resigned, the boy and girl choristers were abandoned, and the Choral Society ceased to exist.