This
post has been prompted by an email and a photograph which we received several
months ago from Enid O’Brien. The photo
is of St Patrick’s Deanery. Enid thought
that it might be of interest to former students and parishioners who are living
away from home. I quite agree with
Enid! Enid’s sister worked at the
Deanery around 1955, operating the switchboard.
Her sister was still attending school and worked there after school
and on weekends. Enid observed that it
is hard to believe that they would have been busy enough to need a switchboard
operator. Good point Enid!
 |
| Historic St Patrick's Deanery |
It
was the dream and the firm intention of Bishop John Thomas Mullock to establish
at Riverhead in the west end of St John’s a fine Church to minister to the
spiritual needs of the people of that area.
His Lordship determined that this Church would be dedicated to St
Patrick, the Apostle of their “ancestral
land”. The Bishop recorded in his
diary for 23rd March 1852 that he had “Paid Mr Little £341 for land at
Riverhead for church, schools, and a convent”. On a rainy 17th September 1855, as part of the
celebrations for the consecration of the Cathedral, the foundation stone for
the new church was laid by Archbishop John Hughes of New York.
For
various reasons, it was quite a few years before the actual construction of the
church could begin. So, in 1860, Bishop
Mullock decided to build a temporary church until the more fitting edifice
could be erected. No time was lost in
building the wooden church that would serve the Catholics of Riverhead for more
than twenty years. On Sunday, 9th
September 1860, the first St Patrick’s Church was dedicated to the glory of
God. This time the ceremonies were
carried out in brilliant sunshine!
This ‘temporary’ Church stood where St
Patrick’s Deanery stands today and it served the people well until our
beautiful and long awaited St Patrick’s Church was dedicated in August 1881. St Patrick’s Deanery was erected in 1884. It
is a Registered Heritage Structure. To
learn more about the designation of St Patrick's Deanery, click here.
Our
thanks go to Enid for once again providing us with material for an informative
post about our St Patrick’s Parish.
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