Church of the Holy Spirit

History

The Church of the Holy Spirit was blessed and opened on 3 December 1967. The parish of Ballyroan was constituted the following year, in 1968, out of the ancient parish of Rathfarnham. The architect was Raymond F Mac Donnell, working with the engineer Donald St J Keogan, and the main contractor was Laurence Murray & Sons Ltd.

Refurbishment work carried out after 2000 has included repainting of the interior, electrical work, a new heating system, fire and safety measures and improvements to the grounds. The altar rails have been removed, the baptismal font moved to a more central position near the sanctuary and a ramp installed to give access to the sanctuary.

The building

The church has a traditional cruciform plan carried out in wholly modern construction. The transepts bring a large proportion of the congregation close to the altar, and a strip of stained glass at high level in each gable separates the major walls from the arches.

The altar, of white Carrara marble, stands well forward in the sanctuary. Behind it a marble screen designed by the architect encloses the tabernacle under its own canopy and carries a dual symbol of the Tree of Life and the Cross of Christ. Full length glass windows flank the altar.

The spire is of tubular steel with plywood and copper, supported at four points only at the apex of the roof, and the cross on top stands 100 feet above ground level. Silver birch trees 20 feet high were transplanted in front of the main façade to soften the lines of the structure.

Notable features

The walls of the transepts carry two murals by the artist Seán Keating, RHA, who lived nearby, showing the Baptism of Christ in the Jordan and the Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The planning, drawing, trials and composition were done in his studio, and he placed the murals on the walls himself, finishing the work from a scaffold 40 feet high.

The life size Stations of the Cross are stained glass by John Murphy and give the church enough light for general use in the daytime when no ceremony is taking place. The crucifix over the tabernacle was designed and executed by Imogen Stuart in the medieval technique of polychromed carved wood.

The main entrance doors are sheeted with bronze and surrounded by a bronze symbol of the Holy Spirit. The words "Come O Holy Spirit fill the hearts of thy faithful" are hammered on them, and the handles are cast bronze depicting Pentecost in pattern form.