Songs of praise
The official reopening
Joy as St Bride’s Church is officially reopened
A church which has undergone a multi-million pound renovation was officially reopened last week.
Members of St Bride’s, schoolchildren and dignitaries gathered for a special service to mark the reopening last week.
More than £2million has been spent on restoring the A-listed building to its former glory.
Father Rafal Sobieszuk, the parish administrator at St Bride’s, told the News: “The evening started with the celebration of Holy Mass at which Bishop Joseph Toal was the principal celebrant.
“During the Mass, Bishop Toal preached about thanksgiving, a theme which was very apt for our celebration that evening.
“He also spoke about the great enthusiasm when the church was first built with many catholics going to mass in the church.
“And he acknowledged the challenge today as the congregations have dropped off.”
Fr Sobieszuk went on: “The evening continued after the Mass with some interesting talks given by those involved in the renovations.
“It was noted that the church renovations were completed on time and in budget which was a great achievement given the complexity of the task.
“Much of this was down to Guy Logan, the estate manager of Motherwell Diocese and special thanks must go to Eric Blair, the site manager of CCG company who carried out an outstanding job.
“We also heard from our generous benefactors Viridor and Historic Scotland, who helped complete this project.
“Some of those who spoke that evening expressed their own fascination with the building and their happiness to be associated with it.
“The pupils from St Andrew’s and St Bride’s High School and St Kenneth’s and St Hilary’s primaries entertained the gathering with song, drama and poetry.”
However, renovations are far from over as there are plans in the pipeline to restore the church’s balcony and rebuild the bell tower, which was demolished by the diocese when it was deemed unsafe – despite a campaign from local people to save it.
The church has also been visited by architects and students from all over the world including California, South Korea, Sweden and Australia, eager to find out more about the building.
The evening was completed with refreshments in the parish hall prepared by ladies of the church.
St Bride’s was designed by the architects Gillespie, Kidd and Coia and completed in 1964. It is believed to be one of the most outstanding examples of British 20th century ecclesiastical architecture.