Our Church
Brief History
The First Mass
It was in 1865 that Mass was said for the first time by Father Macdonald in a cottage in East King Street, Helensburgh. He himself lived in Dumbarton, and the title first given to the new parish was that of St. Bridget, due perhaps to its being an offshoot of St. Patrick’s, Dumbarton.
The Arrival of the Passionists
In 1867 the Passionists, who had arrived in Glasgow from Ireland in 1865 to start their mission in St Mungo’s, Glasgow were asked to take over the Helensburgh parish. The title of the parish was changed to St Paul of the Cross, named after the Passionist who had just been canonized that year in Rome. However their stay was short, as they left the following year in 1868.
Church and School at Grant Street
Three secular Parish Priests followed until the arrival of Father Louis McIntyre, a curate in St Laurence’s, Greenock, who really laid the foundations of the parish as we know it to-day. He was appointed in 1877, and in August 1878, he opened the first Catholic school in Helensburgh, with a teacher from Liverpool Training College, Miss Annie McLaughlin. Then in 1879 he secured the site in Grant Street for a school and church. The church was opened in 1880 by His Grace Archbishop Eyre of Glasgow, who then changed the title of the parish to St Joseph, and fixed the patronal feast for the third Sunday after Easter, with a minor festival to be held on the Sunday after the feast of St Joseph on the 19th March.
The Church and Chapel House at Lomond Street
With the appointment of Father Angus Mackintosh in 1906, a new phase in the parish history began. Father Mackintosh bought Lomond Cottage and the site for the present St Joseph’s Church in 1908 for £1,400. The house Lomond Cottage was built in 1835. He then pushed ahead with plans for the new church, which was designed by Charles Menart and was to cost £3,000. The generous contribution of Mrs Rosina Blair towards the church building is recognised by an inscribed plaque situated on the church wall next to the side door.
The Church was formally opened on the 6th August 1912, by Father McIntosh’s uncle, Archbishop Mackintosh of Chersona who was Co-adjutor Archbishop of Glasgow.
The Solemn Consecration of the Church
The next key milestone in parish history was in 1965 when St Joseph’s Church was Solemnly Consecrated on Wednesday, 28th April, by His Grace James Donald Scanlan, Archbishop of Glasgow. To conform to the laws of the Church, certain changes had to be made to the interior of the church prior to the Consecration. Chiefly we had to have a permanent fixed altar, and so we had to say goodbye to the beautiful oak altar that had served for over fifty years. The replacement was a simple marble table altar, resting on mosaic flooring.
The supporting block depicts a pelican feeding its young from its own blood, a scene inspired by a passage in St Thomas Aquinas, describing the action of Christ in feeding his people in Holy Communion from His own flesh and blood. It was carved by Mr Frank Tritschler, D.A. of Glasgow, who was also responsible for the carvings of the crucifix and the plaque of St Joseph. These carvings were moved in 2005, the carved cross now beside the twelfth Station of Cross. The Cross unusually presents the figure of a dying Christ with eyes and mouth open and head erect – here the artist endeavoured to show the unity of the action of the Mass on the altar below with the Sacrifice of Calvary. It takes time and consideration to understand the fullness of these intended implications in the figure on the Cross.
The carving of St Joseph is now sited beside the third Station of the Cross and is done on a scroll, with his name at the top split into JO and SEPH from its meaning in Hebrew, Servant of God, and at the bottom his description in the New Testament, VIR JUSTUS a just man. With his hand resting on Our Lord’s shoulder it brings out his position as foster father and also Protector of his Church. With his carpenter’s tools it depicts him as Joseph the Worker, who guided Our Lord in His work, the work of our salvation shown by Our Lord’s hand resting on the top of a Cross.
The painting of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, by Frank Tritschler was also added to the Church at this time. The painting is currently situated on the pillar left of the Our Lady’s Altar, the encrusted coloured stones were added later.
The Calvary Shrine
Canon James Meehan PP organised the construction of the Calvary Shrine and rockery in the Church Garden to celebrate the Solemn Consecration of the Church. The formation of the shrine followed completion of major refurbishment and modernisation works inside the Church. Prior to the refurbishment a classic crucifixion scene fixture hung from an overhead cross-beam in front of the main altar. This was removed, to be replaced by the altar crucifix carved by Frank Tritschler.
Canon Meehan had intended that the classic crucifixion scene would form the garden Shrine, however this proved impossible and consequently statues were purchased and the Shrine and rockery at St Joseph’s was completed by parishioners in 1967.
Millennium Project
Monsignor Maurice Ward PP took forward significant refurbishment of the Church between 1998 and the year 2000, this work made possible by a substantial legacy to the parish from Mr Rene and Mrs Leda Taverne. Major structural repairs were carried out to roofs, guttering and windows and the complete redecoration of the Church and chapel house was undertaken. A new entrance porch, religious stall, choir loft and toilet facilities were constructed. Improved access to the church for the disabled and those with prams was achieved by the laying of paving blocks at the front and side door entrances. A new church organ was purchased and a public address system with a loop facility for the hard of hearing was installed. A Madonna and Child plaque is displayed on the wall of the porch to commemorate the Millennium and to right of this an inscribed plaque acknowledges the generosity of Mr & Mrs Taverne.
The altar crucifix you see in the sanctuary today was gifted to Saint Joseph's by Our Lady Star of the Sea, Garelochhead when that church was closed in 2005.
