1954, celebrated in the Catholic world as a ‘Marian Year’ since it marked the centenary of the definition of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, marked also the establishment of Scunthorpe’s second parish dedicated to St. Bernadette, the visionary of Lourdes.  Fr Albert Lakin of Holy Souls (1929-1949) bought, in 1940  a site in Ashby sufficient for a new church and priest’s house. In 1939 he opened a Mass-centre, which was housed in hired rooms (an Anglican church hall served the purpose at one time) until 1950. A temporary chapel was then built with voluntary labour, and opened on 26 October 1950. 

The present church was consecrated in December 1980, and a parish centre, originally built as St. Bernadette’s Catholic Social Club in 1965 , was rebuilt and enlarged in 1999 .

From April 1951, the temporary chapel served also as a school.  It began with forty-eight pupils.  Numbers increased rapidly.  In 1954, three Infant classrooms were added, built by voluntary labour including that of the first parish priest, Fr. Jeremiah McGillicuddy, in the space of five weeks !  In July of the same year, the foundation stone for the present St. Bernadette’s School was laid and the school opened its doors to more than three hundred pupils in September 1955 .

Prior to the opening of St. Bede’s Secondary School in September 1961 with 191 pupils and thirteen teaching staff, (including three Presentation Sisters) Catholic children of secondary age had to go to the all-age school in Crowle, twelve miles from Scunthorpe .