St Mary’s’ Greencastle
Dedicated on 20th May 1832
History of St Mary’s Greencastle
From early times Greencastle belonged to the parish of Shankill (‘old church’) or Belfast.
Shankill extended from Dundrod to the boundary of the diocese of Down where the Glas-na-Bradan
(‘salmon stream’) flows past Whitehouse.
On the 20th May 1832 Bishop Crolly dedicated the new church of St Mary’s Greencastle
on a site provided by Andrew Nash who lived at Seaview Cottages. St Mary’s was served
by one of the Belfast curates who travelled from St Patrick’s on horseback
for Mass at 9am and then on to Ballyclare for Mass at 12.30pm.
In March 1854 Fr Patrick Ryan was appointed Administrator of Greencastle and Ballyclare. James Magill,
a protestant, gave him a site at Whitehouse to build St Mary’s Star of the Sea and on 12th May 1867
the new church was dedicated by Bishop Patrick Dorrian.
By June 1869 Ballyclare was separated from Greencastle/Whitehouse and made a parish in its own right
and because of its size Star of the Sea Whitehouse began to supercede St Mary’s Greencastle
so that eventually the whole parish was known as Whitehouse.
In 1877 Fr Ryan opened a school near Greencastle railway station. He died on the 16th May 1883
and was buried inside Star of the Sea Church Whitehouse.
On the 15th August 1897 St Mary’s on the Hill, built by Fr James Hamill, the first Parish Priest of Whitehouse,
was dedicated by Bishop Henry.
The parish of St Mary’s Greencastle was established on the 15th July 1969
when the then Bishop of Down & Connor, Dr William Philbin divided Whitehouse parish into the parishes of St Gerard’s,
St Mary’s on the Hill, St James’ Whiteabbey, Whitehouse and Greencastle.
Fr Robert Denvir was appointed parish priest of the new parish of Greencastle.
The much-promised new church had been long delayed and this left the people of Greencastle very dispirited.
Fr Robert Denvir then purchased the Lido Cinema in February 1970 but plans to convert it into a church
were held up due to serious unrest in the area.
Houses were stoned and petrol-bombed, many were shot, families were forced to leave their homes
and the builder was to opt out of the project.
The Lido was destroyed by fire twice in 1972, the new parochial house was demolished by a bomb in July 1973
with the Primary School severely damaged by a bomb in September of that same year.
On 15th September 1974 the new Parochial House was occupied and in June 1976
work began on the conversion work of the new St Mary’s. Fr Denvir was appointed parish priest of St Agnes’s in 1976
and it was then left to his successor Fr Brendan McGee to complete the work.
On the 27th March 1977 the new church was blessed and its granite altar consecrated by Bishop William Philbin.
The ‘new’ St Mary’s served the parishioners of Greencastle well for many years
with 1673 baptisms and 456 marriages recorded since the establishment of the parish.
However the years were to take their toll on the old cinema structure of the church and in 1997
a condition report highlighted some serious defects which had to be addressed at once.
A Parish Finance Committee was then set up to advise the parish priest Fr Peter O’Hare,
and various options were looked at and presented to the Diocesan Building Committee.
After due consideration by the Parish Finance Committee, the Diocesan Building Committee
and the Diocesan Finance Committee it was decided to demolish and rebuild.
St Mary’s Greencastle
Dedicated on 24th June 2001
by
Most Rev. Patrick Walsh D.D.
Bishop of Down & Connor
Parish Priest Rev Peter O’Hare
Architect Donnelly & O’Neill
St Mary’s Greencastle
The "new" St Marys Greencastle was dedicated on Sunday 24th June 2001 by Most Rev Bishop Patrick Walsh,
Bishop of Down & Connor. Concelebrants were Very Rev Peter O'Hare PP, Very Rev John Forsythe,
Rev Peter Owens, Rev John Wright OFM, and Rev John Blaney SMM.
The Very Rev. Jim Donaghy was MC assisted by Alister McNally. The music director was Dr. Brendan O'Hare.
The use of art in our church is designed to create an environment that facilitates and encourages liturgical celebration.
The actual images are derived from the history and location of St Mary’s itself.
In 1832, when the first St Mary’s was opened, Bishop Crolly’s homily based on Revelations: 4-11;
referred to ‘nature giving glory to God’, and, in the same way that Jesus used nature in some of his parables,
the stained glass windows depend on nature to tell their story.
The cockleshell has been the symbol of the pilgrim from the Middle Ages to today,
and because this place has been known as ‘cockletown’, it is used as a recurring theme throughout the church.
Our journey begins in the gathering space of the church. The space is welcoming, spacious, inviting,
encouraging an attitude of recollection and calm.
There we feel drawn to move on into the worship space.
The Font is placed at the entrance of the church to signify that baptism is the first step in our ‘entrance’
or initiation into the people of God.
It is made from sedimentary rock (the little marks are the fossils of shells).
It bears five symbols in enamel representing the elements earth, fire, air and water.
The middle enamel (red) represents humanity and reminds us
that we need more than physical elements to fully live,
but that we must make the faith journey in and out of the living waters of baptism.
The moving ‘living’ water gives life to the spirit.
The stained glass window, which overlooks the font, is a triptych
that shows an Irish salmon on its journey up a salmon stream (Glas na Bradon).
The salmon, reminiscent of the ‘salmon of knowledge’ from the old Celtic legend is a metaphor for Christ,
his baptism, death and resurrection.
The mighty leap upwards is part of its journey which leaves behind broken reflections.
We should be able to see parallels in the way that baptism changes our lives.
The sunburst gives life to the new day just as the waters of baptism give life to the soul.
Due to the configuration of the space, each part of the triptych can be viewed individually,
while together they show the Way, the Truth and the Life.
As you enter the nave, the stained glass window to your left depicts the Star of Bethlehem
that was followed by the Magi, who represent the universal witness to the birth of Christ.
The star is seen above Cavehill and the shores of Belfast Lough.
We go next to Christ’s journey into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.
Amidst all of the excitement and activity we have to find Christ,
just as we need to find Him in our daily life and in each other.
In the large window we find Our Lord under Cavehill with arms outstretched inviting his people to come to him.
An old Brehon law required a signal light for the guidance of travellers [aghasolas - a ford of light]
and likewise this large window shines out its message to the busy road and guides the modern traveller.
The windows on the right speak of the qualities that we need for our journey.
They are abstracted from two parables in which Jesus draws on nature to illustrate his teaching.
One window tells us that we should have faith, we should not be anxious for tomorrow
and that we should not be concerned about worldly things.
As the lilies of the field and the birds of the air are looked after so well
by God then how much more will he care for us?
The next window depicts the parable of the sower. The seeds do not always fall on fertile soil
but when they do they grow straight and tall.
The seed is the Word of God.
This window tells us that we must carry the Word of God with us on our journey.
The space for the central action of the liturgy is marked by the use of tiling
and is distinguished by the elements it contains the chair,
marking the place of presidency; the ambo, from where the word of God is proclaimed;
the altar, centre of the eucharistic banquet/sacrifice.
The whole worship space is such that the whole assembly is clearly seen to be a single priestly community,
actively involved in the worship.
The entire assembly celebrates the liturgy as we are called to full and active participation.
The Chair, Ambo and Altar are made from a single Irish elm, which fell in a storm.
The altar is both altar of sacrifice and table of the sacred banquet.
It is therefore the focal point of the church and the centre of the eucharistic celebration.
The Altar helps us to appreciate the roles of the priest and people in the celebration of the Eucharist.
Traditionally, we may have considered ourselves as onlookers at Mass
placing all of the responsibility on the priest,
but we, the assembly, are the Body of Christ and must play a conscious, active role.
So while the priest presides at the head of the table, we gather around as a family sharing the meal.
The Ambo, from which the Word of God is proclaimed, is positioned in its own space
helping us to appreciate the importance of the Liturgy of the Word. It is the table of the bread of the word,
just as the altar is the table of the bread of the eucharist. When the scriptures are proclaimed in the liturgy,
Christ himself is speaking to his faithful and they are celebrating his presence in the word.
The Chair is a sign of the priest’s presidency. The priest presides at Mass ‘in the person of Christ’.
While presiding over the assembly he is himself is a member of that assembly and is in fact its servant.
The tabernacle is to be found within its own space, the place of reservation.
It is linked visually and physically with the altar reminding us that the presence of the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament
derives from the celebration at the altar. A space for private prayer in the permanent living presence of the Lord.
Made from cast aluminium, the sides of the tabernacle depict a journey on which there are alternative routes
but only one path leads all the way around to the entrance, decorated by enamels fired in the primary colours.
The images are grain and grapes which become the bread and wine used in our celebration and a cockleshell
which reminds us that we are always on a pilgrimage.
The Processional Cross, also made from the same elm, spans the gap in the main wall
and completes the church in readiness for celebration.
It calls to mind the paschal mystery of Christ, that is his passion, his triumphant resurrection
and his final coming in glory to which Christians look forward.
The twist in its stem represents the double helix of DNA and refers to Christ as man,
while the simplified figure rising from the wood of the cross celebrates the resurrection.
The concave curve of the arms of the cross gathers us up and invites us to follow.
The Stations show the way of the cross as seen through the eyes of Jesus.
They are based on scripture and adopted by Pope John Paul ll in 1991.
Each station with its own particular colour assists the meditative journey.
As you meditate on the stations you are asked to stand in place of the person of Christ.
On that journey Jesus is confronted by false legislators, betrayal, denial, hands that hurt and hands that help,
the faith of another dying man, the despair of death; but then - the glory of the resurrection.
|
