St Malachy's Church, Belfast
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Saint Malachy's Church is a
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
church in
Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
,
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
. It is located in Alfred Street, a short distance from
Belfast City Hall Belfast City Hall (; Ulster-Scots: ) is the civic building of Belfast City Council located in Donegall Square, Belfast, Northern Ireland. It faces North and effectively divides the commercial and business areas of the city centre. It is a Grad ...
, although it precedes that building by over 60 years. The church is the focal point of the local parish community, also Saint Malachy's, one of the 88 parishes in the Diocese of Down and Connor. It is second oldest Catholic church in the city of Belfast continuously in use. St Mary's is the oldest: both St Mary's Church, Belfast and
St Patrick's Church, Belfast St. Patrick's Church, Belfast () is a Catholic church located in the Donegall Street area of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is built in the Romanesque Revival style, with a four-stage tower and spire rising from the front west elevation.https://ap ...
having been substantially or totally rebuilt. In the beginning Saint Malachy's was served by priests from St Mary's Church, Belfast, until the Parish of Saint Malachy was created in 1866 and Fr Geoffrey Brennan, a native of Kilkenny, was appointed administrator. The first parish priest of Saint Malachy's, a post created in 1909, was Fr Daniel McCashin.


History

The Bishop of Down and Connor Dr Cornelius Denvir had for a long period during the 1830s sought an appropriate location for a third church to provide increased sacramental support for the burgeoning Catholic population. Mr Adam McClean, a Protestant merchant and owner of the large expanse of property behind
Donegall Square Donegall Square is a square in the centre of Belfast, Northern Ireland. At its centre is Belfast City Hall, the headquarters of Belfast City Council. Name Each side of the square is named according to its geographical location, i.e. Donegal ...
South known as 'McClean's Fields', offered the Bishop a site on attractive terms. A lease was signed on 1 May 1839, whereby Adam McClean leased to Mr Hugh Magill (a prominent linen merchant) in trust for the Catholics of Belfast the parcel of building ground fronting Alfred St. The site actually consisted of three plots, Dr Denvir having previously negotiated purchase of a small block, and a block gifted by Mr McClean. On 3 November 1841, the feast of
Saint Malachy Malachy (; ; Modern ; ) (11th century in Ireland, 1094 – 2 November 1148 in Ireland, 1148) is an Irish saint who was Archbishop of Armagh, to whom were attributed several miracles and an alleged vision of 112 popes later attributed to t ...
, the foundation stone for Saint Malachy's Church was laid. On 15 December 1844 Dr
William Crolly William Crolly (8 June 1780 – 8 April 1849) was the Bishop of Down and Connor from 1825 to 1835, and the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh from 1835 to 1849. Early life and education A native of Ballykilbeg near Downpatrick, Crolly was b ...
,
Archbishop of Armagh The Archbishop of Armagh is an Episcopal polity, archiepiscopal title which takes its name from the Episcopal see, see city of Armagh in Northern Ireland. Since the Reformation in Ireland, Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic success ...
and
Primate of All Ireland The Primacy of Ireland belongs to the diocesan bishop of the Irish diocese with highest precedence. The Archbishop of Armagh is titled Primate of All Ireland and the Archbishop of Dublin Primate of Ireland, signifying that they are the senior ...
, dedicated the building. Dr Crolly was a native and former bishop of the Diocese of Down and Connor. Originally - and briefly - Saint Malachy's was intended to be the
cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...
church of the Diocese of Down and Connor: however, due to financial difficulties, a smaller building was constructed. Consequently, the church is regarded as one of the finest examples of
Tudor Revival Tudor Revival architecture, also known as mock Tudor in the UK, first manifested in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture, in rea ...
churches in Ireland.


Interior

The church was designed by Thomas Jackson of
Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...
, and it is in the ecclesiastical style of the
Tudor period In England and Wales, the Tudor period occurred between 1485 and 1603, including the Elizabethan era during the reign of Elizabeth I (1558–1603). The Tudor period coincides with the dynasty of the House of Tudor in England, which began with ...
. the builder responsible for the interior was Peter Lundy whose offices were nearby in 11 Joy St. It is cruciform in shape, 113 feet long, 52 feet wide and 40 feet high. The original high altar, pulpit and altar rails were of Irish oak; however, they were replaced with marble when the church was renovated in 1926 under the designs of Padraic Gregory. All that remains of the original ornaments is the canopy over the pulpit which has been painted white to match the marble of the present altar furnishings. The sanctuary floor is mosaic, dating from the 1926 refurbishment, the principal colour being blue. At the foot of the altar is a pelican, a common Christian symbol of sacrifice. This work is recorded as being from the studio of Ludwig Oppenheimer in Manchester. Dictionary of Irish Architects
/ref> Saint Malachy's is, perhaps, best known for its fan vaulted ceiling which is an imitation of the
Henry VII Chapel The Henry VII Lady Chapel, now more often known just as the Henry VII Chapel, is a large Lady chapel at the far eastern end of Westminster Abbey, England, paid for by the will of King Henry VII. It is separated from the rest of the abbey by br ...
in
Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...
. Sir Charles Brett stated: ''It is as though a wedding cake has been turned inside out, so creamy, lacy and frothy is the plasterwork.'' There are two side altars in the church, on either side of the sanctuary. One is dedicated to
Saint Joseph According to the canonical Gospels, Joseph (; ) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. Joseph is venerated as Saint Joseph in the Catholic Church, Eastern O ...
, the other to the
Blessed Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...
. The church also has statues of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus () is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus Christ is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devotion to Christ is p ...
,
Saint Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone ( 1181 – 3 October 1226), known as Francis of Assisi, was an Italian mystic, poet and Catholic friar who founded the religious order of the Franciscans. Inspired to lead a Christian life of poverty, he ...
,
Saint Anthony of Padua Anthony of Padua, OFM, (; ; ) or Anthony of Lisbon (; ; ; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese Catholic priest and member of the Order of Friars Minor. Anthony was born and raised by a wealth ...
,
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Orth ...
,
Saint Philomena Philomena ( ), also known as Saint Philomena (; ) or Philomena of Rome ( 10 January 291 10 August 304) was a virgin martyr whose remains were discovered on May 24–25, 1802, in the Catacomb of Priscilla. Three tiles enclosing the tomb bore a ...
, Saint Malachy himself, and Saint Benedict Joseph Labre, known as "The Ragged Saint" by the people of Belfast and throughout Ireland.


World War II

During the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
there were a number of raids on
Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
by the
Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...
, the German Air Force. On one occasion, during the infamous
Belfast Blitz The Belfast Blitz consisted of four German air raids on strategic targets in the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland, in April and May 1941 during World War II, causing high casualties. The first was on the night of 78 April 1941, a small atta ...
of
Easter Tuesday Easter Tuesday is the third day of Eastertide and is a holiday in some areas. Easter Tuesday in the Western Christian liturgical calendar is the third day in the Octave of Easter and analogously, in the Byzantine Rite, is the third day of Brigh ...
, 15 April 1941, a bomb landed in front of the church and, while it did not cause any structural damage to the church, many of the windows were blown in. A second bomb landed at the nearby Gasworks. The explosion caused a huge vacuum in the local area which literally sucked out the remainder of the windows and the original Irish oak frames were destroyed. Being a time of war, it was impossible to replace the oak window frames and so they were replaced in concrete, something that was to prove more damaging than the German bombs. Over 60 years the strength of the concrete destroyed the bricks surrounding these frames (the church was built with handmade bricks) and by the time the restoration work was complete upwards of 80,000 bricks needed to be replaced. While the church suffered a great deal of damage during the War it was still kept open by doing the work in stages, sometimes with half the building closed off.


Restoration

The area of the city around Saint Malachy's was dramatically re-developed from the early 1980s. That period of urban planning, and the age of the church itself, led to a deterioration in the condition of the brickwork meaning a full-scale restoration programme which began in January 2008 and was completed in 2009 at a cost of £3,500,000. The interior of the church was also restored. The ornate stencilling around the sanctuary, painted over in the 1950s, was restored as were the altar rails and the intricate mosaic floor. The Solemn Re-Opening and Dedication of the
altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...
was celebrated on 29 March 2009 by the Bishop of Down and Connor, Dr
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, in the presence of the Bishop
Emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...
Dr Patrick Walsh. This was the first time that Saint Malachy's had been closed for an extended period since the church was opened in 1844. During the restoration, nuptial and Requiem Masses were celebrated in neighbouring churches. * Sunday Masses are: Vigil (Saturday) 6pm; 10.30am. * Weekday Masses are at 1pm, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday. * There is no Mass on Wednesday. * Confessions are 5.15 to 5.45pm each Saturday.


Clergy

Administrators and parish priests * Rev. Geoffrey Brennan Adm. (1866–1882) * Rev. John P. Greene Adm. (1882–1889) * Very Rev. Daniel McCashin PP (Administrator 1889 – 1909; PP 1909 –1919) * Ven. Archdeacon John McKinley PP VG (1919–1934) * Right Rev. Monsignor Canon James Clenaghan PP VG (1934–1940) * Ven. Archdeacon John Macaulay PP (1941–1955) * Right Rev. Monsignor Dean Francis Kerr PP VG (1955–1967) * Very Rev. Canon John McSparran PP (1967–1973) * Very Rev. Canon James Close PP (1973–1978) * Very Rev. Alexander Darragh PP (1978–1982) * Very Rev. Canon Peter McCann PP (1983–1997) * Very Rev. Anthony Curran PP VF (1997–2010) * Very Rev. Michael McGinnity PP (2010–2022) * Very Rev. Thomas McGlynn PP (2022- ) Curates 1866–1910 * Rev. J. Hamill * Rev. J. Canavan * Rev. J. Ryan * Rev. P. Magorrian * Rev. M. Hamill * Rev. J. Moore * Rev. E. Hassett * Rev. B. McCann * Rev. J. O'Boyle * Rev. R. Crickard * Rev. T. Twomey * Rev. J. McArdle * Rev. J. McIlvenny * Rev. R. Smyth * Rev. J. Kennedy * Rev. D. McGorrian * Rev. A. Quinn * Rev. J. Quinn * Rev. W. McCourt * Rev. P. McErlean * Rev. H. Heffron * Rev. A. Tully * Rev. M. Laverty * Rev. F. C. Henry * Rev. W. J. Kelly * Rev. J. Nolan * Rev. D. Magennis * Rev. M. Leahy * Rev. G. Crolly * Rev. B. Laverty * Rev. J. F. Shiels 1910–1925 * Rev. B. Laverty * Rev. J. Boylan * Rev. G. McKay * Rev. T. McGowan * Rev. J. Walsh * Rev. T. H. McAuley * Rev. D. Tuathail * Rev. J. Gillan * Rev. J. McSparran 1925–1947 * Rev. J. Gillan * Rev. J. McSparran * Rev. E. Diamond * Rev. F. Kerr * Rev. V. Davey * Rev. D. J. Morgan * Rev. R. Rogan * Rev. J. Dean * Rev. A. Connolly 1947–1965 * Rev. J. Dean * Rev. A. Connolly * Rev. F. Scullin * Rev. J. Moloney * Rev. F. Corr * Rev. A. Scott * Rev. J. Fitzpatrick * Rev. J. Kennedy 1965–2011 * Rev. Vincent Leonard * Rev. Denis McAteer * Rev. Patrick McCrea * Rev. Aidan Kerr * Rev. Denis Newberry * Rev. Andrew McGrattan * Rev. Anthony McHugh * Rev. Anthony Curran ''(Succeeded as Parish Priest)'' * Rev. Michael Sheehan * Rev. Brian McCann * Rev. Martin Graham


The Great Bell

The church houses the largest bell in Belfast. Close to the church stood a
whiskey Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from Fermentation in food processing, fermented grain mashing, mash. Various grains (which may be Malting, malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, Maize, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky ...
distillery, and its owners claimed that the peal of the bell was upsetting the distillation process. Contrary to popular belief, the bell was not removed. Instead, it was wrapped in felt to soften its peal and vibration; however, by the time of the restoration work in 2008–2009, the felt had long since rotted away and the full peal of the bell can be heard at least three times daily.


Awards

Since the church reopened in 2009 the restoration work has won high praise and a number of awards from groups within
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
, in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
and in the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
. These include The Aisling Award 2009 (Northern Ireland) for Belfast Brand; The
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is a global professional body for those working in the Built Environment, Construction, Land, Property and Real Estate. The RICS was founded in London in 1868. It works at a cross-governmental ...
Award 2010 for Building Conservation; The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Award 2010 for Project of the Year; The
Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...
Award 2010; the Civic Trust Award 2010; The
Royal Society of Ulster Architects The Royal Society of Ulster Architects (RSUA) is the professional body for registered architects in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1901. Chartered Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) members in Northern Ireland are automatically m ...
Conservation Award 2010; The
Irish Georgian Society The Irish Georgian Society is an architectural heritage and preservation organisation which promotes and aims to encourage an interest in the conservation of distinguished examples of architecture and the allied arts of all periods across Ire ...
Award 2010.


References


External links


The Diocese of Down and ConnorOfficial WebsiteThe Holy See
{{DEFAULTSORT:Belfast, Saint Malachy Churches in Belfast
Saint Malachy Malachy (; ; Modern ; ) (11th century in Ireland, 1094 – 2 November 1148 in Ireland, 1148) is an Irish saint who was Archbishop of Armagh, to whom were attributed several miracles and an alleged vision of 112 popes later attributed to t ...
Grade A listed buildings 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom Gothic Revival church buildings in Northern Ireland Recipients of Civic Trust Awards 19th-century churches in Northern Ireland