St. Joseph

Introduction

The first marriage at Saint Joseph's was solemnised on 24th August 1901 between Michael Daly and Emma Rider. Father Versteylen died on 2nd October 1933, two weeks after the opening of the new church, having been parish priest for twenty-five years.

Architecture and furnishings

Charles Fox of Dewsbury designed this church of rustic bricks with a red-tiled roof, opened on 17 September 1933. A new porch was built and the outside bell and bell tower were refurbished to mark the new millennium.

Music and liturgy

Daily exposition of the Blessed Sacrament began during a priest's time in the parish. An annual Novena to Our Lady with Benediction was re-introduced by a priest. The children's liturgy serves primary school children from reception upward, who process out after the entrance hymn and rejoin the adult Mass at the offertory.

Parish life

In September 1983 the Golden Jubilee of the present church was celebrated, marked by the presentation of the Bene Merenti medal to four recipients. In 2008 the parish celebrated the 75th anniversary of the church and the 125th anniversary of the founding of the Parish. The Parish has long had a branch of the UCM (Union of Catholic Mothers), which since the 1980s became an independent parish-based group.

The parish has had an active theatre group for many years, open to anyone over 14, with younger children occasionally recruited for a particular show. The theatre group produces two shows a year, one a musical revue and the other a pantomime. The toddler group welcomes any child from birth to nursery age and offers an opportunity for parents and childminders to meet and spend time together. The Tuesday Club for seniors meets in the Parish Hall every other Tuesday.

The Mothers group organises parish fundraising events, social outings, catering and continues to be relied on to support the parish. The parish participates in the annual sponsored walk for St Vincent's Support Centre.

Sacraments and pastoral care

A team of catechists in the parish leads preparation for First Confession, First Communion and Confirmation for Catholic children living in the parish.

Visiting

A timber framed temporary church obtained from Belgium in March 1913 served the parish for twenty years. The church cost over £3,500 to build. The first Saint Joseph's cost £1,200. The church has a Blessed Sacrament chapel added to the north side of the sanctuary.

The church car park was enlarged in 1997. The Undercroft was made into a meeting room for various parish groups. The church's High Altar was cut from Bolton Wood stone. The porch acts as a children's room during Mass and is also home to various parish displays and meetings.