Saint Malachy's Church, Belfast

Saint Malachy's Church is a Catholic Church in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is located in Alfred Street, a short distance from Belfast City Hall. The Church is the focal point of the local parish community and Saint Malachy's Parish is one of the 88 parishes in the Diocese of Down and Connor. After Saint Mary's Church in Chapel Lane and Saint Patrick's Church in Donegall Street, Saint Malachy's is the 3rd oldest Catholic Church in the city of Belfast.

History

On the November 3 1841, the feast of Saint Malachy, the foundation stone for Saint Malachy's Church was laid. On December 15 1844 Dr William Crolly, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland dedicated the building. Dr Crolly was a native and former Bishop of the Diocese of Down and Connor. Originally Saint Malachy's was intended to be the Cathedral Church of the Diocese of Down and Connor and was to seat 7,000 worshippers but in the time when the Great Famine took hold in Ireland it was decided that the funds would be better spent elsewhere to alleviate the suffering of many. What was intended to be the vast sanctuary of the new Cathedral was remodelled to serve as the local Church. The Church is regarded as one of the finest examples of Tudor Revival churches in Ireland.

Interior

The Church was designed by Thomas Jackson of Waterford and it is in the ecclesiastical style of the Tudor period. It is cruciform in shape, 113 feet wide, 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. 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, the principal colour being blue. At the foot of the Altar is a pelican, a common Christian symbol of sacrifice. Saint Malachy's is, perhaps, best known for its fan vaulted ceiling which is an imitation of the Henry VII Chapel in Westminster Abbey. Sir Charles Brett stated: "It is as though a wedding cake has been turned inside out, so creamy, lacy and frothy is the plasterwork."ref|1 There are two Side Altars in the Church, on either side of the Sanctuary. One is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the other to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Church also has statues of Saint Joseph, Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Anthony of Padua, Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, Saint Philomena, 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 there were a number of raids on Belfast by the Luftwaffe, the German Air Force. On one occasion, during the infamous Belfast Blitz of Easter Tuesday, 15th 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 bomb. The strength of the concrete has, over the last 60 years, destroyed the bricks surrounding these frames (the Church was built with handmade bricks) and it is estimated today 30,000 bricks need to be replaced.

Restoration

The area of the city around Saint Malachy's has been dramatically developed in the last number of years. That, and its age, have led to the deterioration in the condition of the brickwork which has meant that a full scale Restoration Programme began in January 2008 and is due to be completed in 2009 at a cost of £3,500,000. The interior of the Church will also be restored and so the Church is currently closed until February 2009.This is the first time that Saint Malachy's has been closed for an extended period since the Church was opened in 1844. Although the Church suffered a great deal of damage during the Second World War it was still kept open by doing the work in stages, sometimes with half the Church closed off.

Liturgies

The liturgy of the Catholic Church is varied and as a working Church Saint Malachy's has celebrated most, if not all, of the various liturgical celebrations. However, during the period of Restoration, Nuptial and Requiem Masses will be celebrated in neighbouring Churches.

Sunday Masses are: Vigil (Saturday) 6pm, in the Parish Hall and also in Saint Malachy's Primary School; 9.30am in the Parish Hall only; 11.30am, in the Parish Hall and also in Saint Malachy's Primary School; and 5pm in Saint Mary's Church, Chapel Lane.Weekday Masses are at 8am and 1pm, Monday to Friday in the Parish Hall.

Trivia

The Church houses the largest bell in Belfast. Close to the Church stood a whiskey 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.

Footnotes

Charles Brett, "Buildings of Belfast".

External links

* [http://www.downandconnor.org The Diocese of Down and Connor]
* [http://www.saintmalachys.org The Parish of Saint Malachy]
* [http://www.vatican.va The Holy See]