Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, Newcastle

History

Construction of the earlier St Mary's Church in Newcastle began in 1845 under Rev Hugh Hanna, and it was opened on 20 August 1854 by Dr Denvir. An entrance porch, choir loft, steeple, belfry and spire were added in 1911 by Rev James McIlvenny. By the 1950s the congregation had outgrown it, spilling out onto the street.

A decision to build a new church in Newcastle in honour of Our Lady's Assumption was made in 1958. An unofficial cutting of the first sod took place on 15 August 1963 and the site was blessed on 1 January 1964. The church was officially opened on Sunday 12 June 1966 by Dr William Philbin, Bishop of Down and Connor. St Mary's closed as a place of worship in June 1966 following the opening.

The building

The church is listed on the Northern Ireland register of buildings judged to be of sufficient architectural or historic interest to merit preservation. The parish reports it as the first circular church in Ireland.

Notable features

The organ was enhanced by Skrabl, an organ builder from Slovenia, to mark 50 years of sacred music at the church. The anniversary of the church's first 50 years, from 1966 to 2016, was marked by a year of events closing with a Mass of Thanksgiving on 15 August, and by a parish magazine on the building of the church and parish life over that period.