Golden Jubilee of
St Constantine's Church,
Govan, Glasgow,
on Sunday
19th December 1971.
To read a letter from the Archbishop - Click here *
ST CONSTANTINE'S PARISH
Govan claims to have a longer history than Glasgow itself and, although it is now part of that great city, the Govan area remains pretty well defined. St Constantine's is the youngest of the parishes belonging to that area, although the parent parish of St Anthony once served a wider area where Our Lady of Lourdes, Cardonald, and several thriving younger parishes are now situated.
Fr. Malachy Bergin 1949-1967
Father Fletcher undertook a great work of reconstuction on the church. Besides having the new presbytery built he had it linked with the church through a new and much enlarged sacristy. He provided a new High Alter and Side Alters and commissioned new stained glass windows, designed by Douglas Hamilton, and Stations of the Cross by the asrtist Walter Pritchard.
St Constantine was a local ruler in Cornwall.
Article submitted by Collette MacKenzie
* Take me back to Index Page please.
St Saviour's had already been detached at the turn of the century to serve the needs of the people of the eastern end of Govan; but the Catholic population of this busy industrial area continued to grow, and there were housing developments too on the western side of Govan.
In 1921 the new parish of St Constantine was established to serve a part of old Govan, the outlying community of Linthouse, and the new housing schemes of Drumoyne, West Drumoyne and Shieldhall.
The new parish started out with high hopes, and in course of time these have been realized; but in the early years there were problems of administration and finance, which in those days of increasing unemployment proved insoluble.
The Parish Priest, Father Daniel Colvin, found no alternative after three years but to resign.
The curate Father Kearns was transferred to St Anthony's - he was the second curate of St Constantine's, having been preceded by Father Munnelly.
The Parish Priest of St Anthony's, Father Collins, assumed charge also of St Constantine's, and from that time the two parishes were administered from St Anthony's presbytery until the happy day when in 1945 St Constantine's recieved its own priests back into it's own Presbytery.
During those long years St. Constantine's was never regarded as a chapel of ease; the parochial spirit was preserved. The parish retained its own sodalities and its own devoted corps of church confessionals, the full rota of Sunday and week-day Masses and devotions, the administration of Confirmation, the Forty Hours' Adoration - all these and many more outward signs testified to the continuous existence here of a living parish.
The successive Parish Priests of the combined parishes never failed to assign certain of their curates to concentrate their efforts on St Constantine's and foster the parochial spirit here.
Father Kearns and Father Ryan for a short time fulfilled this task; then in 1926 came Father John Charles Battel who for nine years with Father John Cusick and for eleven years with Father Bartholomew Burns continued this work until he was appointed first curate to the new Parish Priest, Father James Fletcher, in 1945.
The names of Fathers Battel, Cusick and Burns have therefore a special place in the history of St Constantine's.
The Parish Priest who succeeded Father Collins in administering the two parishes was Father John Devine, who in turn was succeeded by Father Edward Douglas, later Bishop of Motherwell.
Within a year of the appointment of Father Douglas came the appointment of Father Fletcher. The other curates of St Anthony's assisted in the work of St Constantine's during those years.
They were; Fr. Conlon, Fr Hogan, Fr Sweeney, Fr Healy (later a curate in St Constantine's), Fr Meechan - now Parish Priest - and Fr Fisher.
In 1945 Father Charles Duffin was appointed to St Constantine's but he had to lodge with a parishioner in the beginning as the house that had been acquired in Cruden Street could not accommodate three priests.
Father Michael O'Sullivan replaced Father Battel very soon and then the three priests moved to the house in Craigton Road which had been acquired as a presbytery and remained in use as such until the new house was built and occupied by Father Fletcher and his assistants in 1959. Father Duffin left in 1950 and Father O'Sullivan in 1951.
Father Fletcher died in 1967 and was succeeded as Parish Priest by Father Michael Meechan.
The other priests who have served in St Constantine's are;
Fr James O'reilly 1950- 1957
Fr Daniel O'Leary 1951 - 1952
Fr Thomas Healy 1952-1955
Fr Thomas Reilly 1955- 1958
Fr Samuel McGuinness 1957 - 1967
Fr John McAveety 1958-1963
Fr Sabatino Tedeschi 1959-1971
Fr John Conway 1963-68
Fr Denis A. Hurley 1967 - present
Fr Anthony Donnelly 1967 - present
Fr Hugh McGinlay 1968-69
Fr Angus MacLean 1969-70
Fr Brendan Foley 1970 - present
Fr James Lafferty
1971 - present
As part of the re-decoration of the church he commissioned Brother Woods, a monk of Pluscarden, to adorn the arches of the Alters and the Baptistry with Celtic scrollwork.
Last year the floor of the Sanctuary was renewed and the High Alter brought forward; so that in this Jubilee year we feel that in our Parish Church there have been brought forth things old and new in a happy conjunction for prayerful participation in the liturgy.
In 1965 Father Fletcher and his parishioners achieved a long-held ambition when the fine new Parochial Hall was opened, taking over from the old Pavilion that had served a useful purpose for a number of years.
When the priests of St Constantine's moved into the new Presbytery the staff was increased in order that they could take over from St Anthony's the care of the Southern General Hospital in addition to the smaller hospitals they already served.
The priests of this busy parish have a special apostolate here.
Hospital visitation is also a field in which our parish has been and is distinguished in lay apostles.
As indicated earlier we have been blessed, even in the darkest days, by the devotion of a long succession of church workers. Nor must we ever forget the Headmasters and Teachers of our School, whose history coincides almost exactly with that of the Parish. It has recently been modernised and been granted the use of an annexe in the Old Govan High School grounds.
On this historic occasion we thank God for so many blessings. We remember to pray for the repose of the souls of the priests, teachers, benefactors and all parishioners who have been called by God to their account and reward.
We thank all, living and dead, for their contributions, spiritual and material, to the well-being of our parish. And we pray that by the grace of God we may take inspiration from the efforts and achievements of these fifty years, so that we in our turn will give due honour and glory to God, and help to carry on a glorious tradition.
On the death of his wife he gave himself to the religious life.
He joined St Columba in Ireland. St Columba sent him to evangelize this part of Scotland.
Eventually he was put to death for the Faith in Kintyre.
Some of the Christian Community recovered his remains and buried him in Govan where his sarcophagus remains to this day in the Old Parish Church which also rejoices in the title of St Constantine.
St Constantine's feast is held on 11th March.
Cardinal Winning