0
 |
| click picture to expand |
Sacred Heart parish was formed out of what was a town centre school problem in 1850. The development of industry in the town had led to a population explosion and a growing population meant an increase in child numbers. This required an increase in schools, not the schools of today, but justa collection of buildings where children could be given the new "novelty" of education. Lowe House School had been open for a year at this stage and was packed, not in terms of class numbers which were at about 70 per class, but in terms of space. Father Thomas Ullathorne, who had become Superior of Lowe House in 1954, decided to tackle the problem and opened another school in Finger Post called St Josephs in 1857. He then decided to tackle the Greenbank problem, which housed the famine victims from Ireland and was very much seen as a Catholic problem. He purchased an old Methodist Chapel in Mount Street and established a school under the care of the Sisters of Notre Dame in 1958. After vthis he bought a plot of land off Liverpool Road and in 1862 he built the Victoria Schools.
He then decided to build a church and the project was taken over by the diocese. Father Powel from Birchley called a meeting in October 1876 above Mr Dromgooles shop and another meeting was held a month later in the Town Hall where £2000 was pledged by the people of St Helens. The foundation stone of the church was laid by Bernard O'Rielly, third Bishop of Liverpool on Easter Monday, April 2nd 1877, under which was placed a sealed bottle containing a certificate and coins of the realm.
Father Daniel Harrington was the first priest but was relaced by Father Patrick O'Reilly in Sept 1877. The church was officially opened on Whit Sunday June 9th 1878, fourteen months after the laying of the foundation stone.
The church was described by a reporter at te time as being of 14th century architecture, consiting of nave aisles, sacristies, confessional and cloisters. It has six bays and is 133 feet long, by 31 feet wide and the height to the ridge of the roof is 59 feet.
The total cost of the church was £9,000, of which £3,000 was raised and £6,000 was left as a debt on the church. In 1880, Fathers William Walmsley and John Martin took over the parish and built the house next to the church at a cost of £600.In 1925 the Jubilee Hall was built by a Father Hearne. He had a house in Borough Road which he reffled off for the parish and to fund the construction. The tickets were 6d each and a lady in Raglan Street won it. He died in 1920 and is buried in Windleshaw Abbey Cemetary.
Over the next 50 years a succession of priest came and went, probably the most noticable was Father Kennedy, who funded the construction of Edmund Campion and Carmel High Schools. The priest that everybody remembers is Canon Fitzpatrickwho came to the parish in 1960 and retired in 1979. The final mass took place on June 27th 2003 and the church is being demolished in June 2004.
