Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
parish church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...
in
Aberavon
Aberavon ( cy, Aberafan) is a town and community in Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. The town derived its name from being near the mouth of the river Afan, which also gave its name to a medieval lordship. Today it is essentially a distr ...
,
Port Talbot
Port Talbot (, ) is a town and community in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, situated on the east side of Swansea Bay, approximately from Swansea. The Port Talbot Steelworks covers a large area of land which dominates the south ...
, Wales. It was built from 1930 to 1931 for the Benedictines in the Romanesque Revival style. It is located on Water Street on the west side of the
River Afan
, name_etymology =
, image = The_Afon_Afan,_Cymmer_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1001060.jpg
, image_size =
, image_caption = The Afan near Cymmer
, map =
, map_size =
, map_caption ...
. It is a Grade II listed building.
History
Foundation
In 1849, a
mission
Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to:
Organised activities Religion
*Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity
*Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...
was started to serve the Catholic population of
Aberavon
Aberavon ( cy, Aberafan) is a town and community in Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. The town derived its name from being near the mouth of the river Afan, which also gave its name to a medieval lordship. Today it is essentially a distr ...
. The priest was the
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
Fr Charles Kavanagh. he came from St David's Priory Church in Swansea. Various location in the area were used as a chapel, such as a
Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...
Chapel, Capel Moria, from 1852 to 1860. From 1860 to 1862, Fr Edward Glassbrook served the mission. During that time, a church that also housed a school was built on the site of the current church. The architect and builder was a local, John King. From that church Fr Glassbrook went out and founded missions in the surrounding area. Some of those missions grew and went on to become churches in their own right, such as Our Lady and St Patrick Church in
Maesteg
Maesteg is a town and community (Wales), community in Bridgend County Borough, Wales. Maesteg lies at the northernmost end of the Llynfi Valley, close to the border with Neath Port Talbot. In 2011, Maesteg had a population of 20,612. The English ...
. In 1870, a separate school was built next door. In 1905, Fr Philip Kelly was the priest and a larger presbytery was built next to the church. In 1928, a parish hall was built.
Historic England
Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked w ...
On 11 September 1930, the foundation stone for the current church was laid by
Archbishop of Cardiff
The Archbishop of Cardiff is the ordinary of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cardiff.Francis Mostyn. The architect was Cyril Bates, who also built St Patrick's Church in Newport. He designed the church to be in the Romanesque Revival style. The total cost was £12,864. On 29 October 1931, the church was opened by Archbishop Mostyn.
Parish
St Joseph's Church is its own
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...
. At some point after the church's construction, the Benedictines handed over the
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...
to the
Diocese of Menevia
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Menevia is a diocese of the Catholic Church in Wales. It is one of two suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Cardiff and is subject to the Archdiocese of Cardiff.
History
On 12 May 1898, the Apos ...
who continue to serve the
congregation
A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship.
Congregation may also refer to:
* Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship
*Congregation (Roman Curia), an administr ...
. Every weekend the church has Masses at 5:00pm and 6:00pm on Saturday and at 8:30am and at 10:00am on Sunday.StJosephs-PortTalbot.co.uk retrieved 21 June 2022