St Columba's Church, Long Tower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Columba's Church, Long Tower |
|
|---|---|
| Long Tower Church | |
|
Séipéal Naomh Cholumba ar an Túr Fada
|
|
Pictured in 2009
|
|
 St Columba's Church, Long Tower
Location in Derry
|
|
| 54°59′34″N 7°19′43″W / 54.9929°N 7.3285°W | |
| Location | Longtower Street, Derry |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Churchmanship | Roman Rite |
| History | |
| Dedication | Columba |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | active |
| Style | vernacular |
| Years built | 1783–88 |
| Groundbreaking | 12th century |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 53 m (174 ft) |
| Width | 21 m (69 ft) |
| Number of floors | 1 |
| Materials | limestone, slate, cast iron, stained glass |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Templemore |
| Diocese | Derry |
| Province | Armagh |
St Columba's Church, Long Tower is a Roman Catholic Church in the city of Derry, Northern Ireland. It is part of the Diocese of Derry. This church stands on a site where people have worshipped for a very long time, possibly since the 12th century.
The church you see today started small in 1783. Father John Lynch, a local parish priest, helped raise money to build it. He received donations from both Catholic and Protestant people in Derry. The church officially opened its doors in 1788.
Contents
How the Church Changed Over Time
Early Updates: 1810 and 1908
The church was made bigger and improved in 1810. They added gallery seating and changed the main Altar to the northern side. The High Altar was built from marble and supported by four pillars. At first, these pillars were made of wood. However, they were not strong enough for the heavy marble altar. So, they were replaced with marble pillars.
The church's main design has stayed mostly the same since 1810. But in 1908, the Long Tower Church had a big makeover. This included adding beautiful new stained-glass windows, statues, and special shrines. They also added a baptismal font and moved the High Altar again. A new room for priests, called a sacristy, was also built. The church's improvements finished in 1909, and it reopened to everyone.
Changes After Vatican II
In the 1960s, the Vatican II brought some changes to church services. However, the priests and people at Long Tower Church did not want to change their church's layout too much. This was because the Council's rules did not force churches to change their main worship areas.
In 1964, a temporary wooden altar was put in place. This allowed the Mass to be said with the priest facing the people. In 1979, this wooden altar was replaced. A new marble altar, a marble stand for readings (lectern), and a special stand for the priest (ambo) were installed. These changes were kept small to keep the rest of the church's original look. While other churches removed things like altar rails and old confession boxes, the Long Tower Church kept them. In 2012, the marble ambo was removed. Its marble was used to create a new chair for the priest in the worship area.
Cemetery Wall Collapse
On January 8, 1934, a wall around the church's cemetery fell down. This caused a part of the graveyard to slide onto Lecky Road. Luckily, no one walking by was hurt. However, many graves were moved, and some bodies were found among the fallen earth. Lecky Road has changed a lot since then. But you can still see the area where the graveyard collapsed from the Lecky Road flyover.
The Long Tower Church Today
Many people in Derry City feel that the Long Tower Church is very important to Catholicism in the area. Even when St Eugene's Cathedral became the main church of the diocese in 1873, people's strong feelings for the Long Tower Church did not change.
The church serves a large community. In December 2015, the local church area had 6,761 people.
Priests and Leadership
Due to a shortage of priests, changes were made in 2010. Father Michael Canny, who was in charge of St Eugene's Cathedral, also became the administrator for Long Tower. An administrator is like a manager for the church. Father Paul Farren later took over this role in 2011.
In October 2013, the Long Tower church area became independent again. Father Edward Gallagher was appointed administrator, with Father Brendan Collins as curate. The main priest for both Long Tower and St Eugene's Cathedral is Bishop Donal McKeown.
Later, Father Eamon Graham became the administrator in August 2015. In September 2016, Father Aidan Mullan was appointed the new administrator. He was the only resident priest for a while, getting help from the nearby cathedral when needed. Sadly, Father Aidan Mullan passed away on September 10, 2021.
After his passing, Bishop McKeown appointed Father Patrick Baker as the new administrator on September 15, 2021. Then, on August 20, 2022, Father Gerard Mongan was appointed administrator. He had been a curate at Long Tower from 2007 to 2013. Most recently, in October 2023, Father Stephen Ward joined as a curate. This means the Long Tower church area now has two priests again, which is the first time since 2016.
Funeral of Martin McGuinness
On Thursday, March 23, 2017, the Long Tower Church held the funeral service for Martin McGuinness. He was a well-known political leader in Northern Ireland and had been the Deputy First Minister. He passed away on March 21, 2017, at age 66.
Many important people attended the funeral. These included former US President Bill Clinton, Irish President Michael D. Higgins, and Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny. Northern Ireland's First Minister Arlene Foster was also there. Many other leaders, government representatives, and church members from different faiths also came. After the service, Mr. McGuinness was buried in Derry's City Cemetery.
Long Tower Church Timetable
Mass Times
- Sunday: 6:00 PM (Saturday evening); 8:00 AM, 10:00 AM & 12:00 PM.
- Holydays: 7:30 PM (Vigil); 10:00 AM & 7:30 PM (unless announced otherwise).
- Mondays to Fridays: 10:00 AM & 7:30 PM.
- Saturday mornings: 10:00 AM.
Confessions
- Confessions are heard on Saturdays from 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM & 5:00 PM to 5:45 PM.
- Confessions are heard Mondays to Fridays from 7:00 PM to 7:25 PM.
Eucharistic Adoration
- Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament takes place every Wednesday from 10:30 AM until just before the 7:30 PM Mass.
- Adoration is also held at the Adoration Chapel at 18 Pump Street. This is open Monday to Saturday from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
- Special prayers are held during Lent on Sundays.
- A special prayer series called a Novena, dedicated to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, is held on the nine Sundays before Christmas at 6:00 PM.
- The Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet are prayed before all daily weekday masses.
Baptisms
- Baptisms are held in the church on Saturdays at 3:30 PM.
Celebrating 100 Years
The church celebrated its 100th birthday on St Columba's Day, June 9, 2009. To prepare, the church leaders set aside the 9th day of each month from June 9, 2008, to June 9, 2009. During this time, they completed many repairs and renovations.
Since June 2008, several improvements were made:
- A memorial was installed for Bishop Raymond O'Gallagher, who died in 1601.
- Water fonts in the balcony area were fixed.
- The old water font near Our Lady's grotto was repaired.
- Floor tablets showing where the High Altars used to be were fixed.
- Statues were restored.
- The renovated tomb of Bishop John Keys O'Doherty was revealed.
In November 2008, three large panels from the High Altar were taken down for urgent repair. These panels show Christ going to heaven, with Saint Peter and Saint Paul on either side. They are made of lead and were installed in 1909. Experts said they were in danger and needed fixing. The repair work cost about £20,000 and had to be done in Belfast.
In February 2009, these newly fixed panels, called Opus Sectile, were put back in the church. They were officially shown during a special Mass on March 9, 2009. Opus sectile is a Latin name for painted glass "tiles." What makes these panels special is that they are set in lead, which is very rare.
A special Mass to celebrate the centenary was held on June 9, 2009. Cardinal Keith O'Brien attended this event. On that day, a Latin Mass was celebrated at 8:00 AM. This was the same type of Mass said when the church first opened in 1909. After the evening Mass, the annual blessing of Saint Columba's well took place. This well is a short distance from the church. The next day, Cardinal O'Brien planted an oak tree in the church graveyard. This was a symbol of the graveyard's renovation for the centenary.
Long Tower Parochial House
In August 2009, it was announced that the Long Tower parochial house would become home to the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. These friars were starting a new community in Derry. This meant the parish priests and staff would move to the Convent of Mercy on Pump Street. The sisters who lived in the convent for 161 years had moved to a new home. So, the Long Tower church used this new city centre location as their parochial house.
In January 2014, the friars moved out of the old Long Tower Parochial House. They moved to the Galliagh Parochial House in Derry. The old Long Tower Parochial House in Victoria Place became empty. However, in October 2014, the parish decided to move back to the Victoria Place Parochial House. The priests returned on October 16-17, 2014.
Renovation and Restoration Work
In June 2016, the church announced that major renovation work would happen inside the church during the summer. This work included painting the entire church inside. They also planned to fix and improve the lighting, both inside and outside. All the windows were to be restored and repaired. This work was planned to last until the end of September. The goal was to cause as little disturbance as possible. Updates on the work were shared on the church's website and Facebook page.
In November 2017, Father Aidan Mullan, the administrator, shared that a lot of repair work was needed on the church's stonework. The stone was wearing away, and parts were falling off. A special fundraising event called "SOS Save Our Stonework" was launched. By May 2018, enough money was raised to start the repairs. The project will happen in stages, fixing different parts of the church's outside at different times. The total cost for all the restoration work was estimated to be £400,000. It was expected to be finished by 2020.
Images for kids
-
The churchyard
