It was endowed in 1799 by the Catholic philanthropist Thomas Weld (of Lulworth) and staffed by members of the Society of Jesus.

He resided in the nearby Stonyhurst College which was the great gift of Thomas Weld of his family seat to the recently returned English Jesuits from 200 years of European exile, and it was from there they did most of their work in the area.

[3] A letter was found in the 21st century in which Thomas Weld requested that the parish priest at Clitheroe say Mass annually for the repose of his and his wife Mary's souls.

[3] In September 2008, the Jesuits handed the church over to the Diocese of Salford who continue to serve the parish.

St Mary's was built in 1877 and it was made into a parish in 1909, so that the parishioners did not have to travel the sizeable distance to attend Mass in Clitheroe.