St. Joseph's Church, Park Street

St. Joseph's Church, Park Street, 1900

  • Foundation stone laid: 15th May 1898
  • completed by 1900 and blessed on Sunday 18th March 1900 by Cardinal Logue. Parish Administrator was Rev. Patrick Keown.
  • Architect for St. Joseph's Church was William Hague, County Cavan (1836 - 1899). He also designed the spire of St. Macartan's Cathedral, the Bishop's House, Cathedral Lodge and presbytery adjoining St. Joseph's Church
  • The site of St. Joseph's Church and Presbytery was acquired by Bishop Owens from Lord Rossmore in September 1897.
  • Previous church on Park Street, known as the Old Town Chapel, built in 1824, stood on the site of St. Macartan's Hall.

St. Joseph's Church, March 2011

  • Closed on Sunday March 6th 2011 after Sunday Masses for an 18 month period.
  • Architect: Gerry Loughrey, Derry, specialist in church architecture
  • Building Contractor: Francis Mc Guigan Builders, Clontibret

Type of work:

  • New heating, lighting, plumbing, electricals, plaster on walls, roof insulation,
  • Refurbishment of seats, gallery, sanctuary, boiler house , St. Joseph's Hall underneath the church sanctuary and church porch.
  • Pointing and cleaning of the exterior walls
  • Demolition of St. Macartan's Hall (The Catholic Hall) replaced by a new parish centre. 

Architect's drawing of the Church and new parish centre

The people of the parish and surrounding parishes gather on Sundays and weekdays at St. Joseph's parish church to celebrate the Eucharist, light a candle and make quiet devotion. This church was erected in 1898.

Photo by Donal Mc Enroe

A smaller church stood on the site of St. Macartan's Hall . This church was built in 1824 and is shown in the photo immediately below. A plaque positioned above the door of the old church is inset on the front of St. Macartan's Hall,  reads 'this chapel was erected by the people of the parish in 1824.'

After the completion of the cathedral in 1892 a decision was taken to build a larger church and a presbytery.  The cathedral's architect, William Hague designed the new St. Joseph's Church and on Sunday 15th May 1898 the foundation stone was laid. The new church was named St. Joseph's at a dedication ceremony celebrated by Michael Cardinal Logue, Archbishop of Armagh (1840 - 1924) on Sunday 18th March 1900. The presbytery adjoining the church is of the same period.

Photo above by Donal Mc Enroe

Christmas Day 2008

Tuesday evening 8th March

 

 

 

The tower adjoining the roof at the front of the St. Joseph's

St. Macartan's Hall during demolition

Archtect's drawing of the new parish centre from the carpark behind the church