5th Class History Project 2005
St. Peter's Church
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The building of the Church
The
building of St. Peter’s Church began in 1923 and was completed in 1925.
Conroy left the land to the church for the new building. The money to build the church was raised by a woman called
Mary
McNellow from Bogtown who left money in her will.
Another
person who raised money to build the church was Canon
Johnson. He went to America
and other countries to raise the money. When the church was being built, they
used the railway line. A train
would stop at Whiterath to unload the materials they used.
To build the church everyone around the area helped but the children
stayed at home. It cost £30,000 to
build the church.
The
first Mass was celebrated on the 8th of December 1925 when
Cardinal
Logue opened and blessed the church.
Description
of St. Peter’s
Church
The
design of the church, by Messrs. Ashlin and Coleman, is a striking specimen of
the Romanesque style with Celtic ornamentation. The church consists of nave,
aisles, chancel, organ gallery, Baptistry, two sacristies and a heating chamber.
The interior is 110 ft. wide. The walls throughout are constructed of bright
granite.
A Tour of the
Church
v The walls outside the church are made from Wicklow dressed granite and
the Altar is made from marble.
v As you go down the side aisles you will see the 14 Stations of the Cross.
v People donated these Stations of the Cross to the church.
v As you go in the side door
of the church you will see stairs leading up to the gallery.
v At the bottom of the stairs
there is an old holy water font. This is built into the wall and came from the
old church. It is approximately 207 years old.
v
The tiles on the floor were bought new. People travelled from other
countries to see the church because it was the only church with a tiled floor.
v
In front of the Altar
on the ground there are four pictures of the four Apostles, named Matthew, Mark,
Luke and John.
Parish
Priests of St.
Peter’s Church
1922-1955
Canon Peter Johnson
1955-1972
Monsignor Henry Tohall
1972-1983
Canon James Clarke
1984-1998
Father Michael Dorman
1998-
Father Patrick McEnroe
The
Rev. Peter Johnson was appointed Parish Priest of Dromiskin on the Feast of All
Saints, 1st November, 1922. He
immediately set to work to build a badly-needed new church. This called for huge
fund-raising efforts at home and abroad. On
2nd September, 1923, His Eminence Cardinal Logue laid the foundation
stone. The first Mass was said in the church on December 8th,
1925.
Some
Interesting
Facts
ü
St. Peter’s Church is built of pleasant white
granite through which the mica glows in the sunshine.
ü
It can accommodate nearly 1,000 people.
ü
Around the Church there are drainage pipes but they are not the same as
the pipes we have today: they are French drainage pipes. They are wide and made
out of stone.
ü
The occasions on which the church was full were on the first day it was
opened and also for the funerals of the Priests who worked there.
ü
Twenty priests have worked there from 1621 to 2005.
ü
The first child baptised was Winifred Hoey.
More Interesting
Information
ü
Judith Neary donated the statue of St. Joseph, and Peter Markey of the
Red Barns (Dundalk) donated the statue of Our Lady.
ü
John Kenlon, born in Co. Louth, spent a good deal of
his boyhood years around Dromiskin and Annagassan. He went to the U.S.A. and
became a Chief of the Fire Department of New York City. When he returned home to visit Dromiskin, he was welcomed as
a conquering hero in the village by the Canon and the people.
ü
Up to the late 1960’s the priest said Mass with his back to the people.
ü
When Fr. Dorman died he donated his Bible to the church.