Bicentenary history of St Mirin’s Parish published

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"This history of St Mirin's parish isn't only a history of Catholicism in the area," explained historian Tom Dowds, who is tutor at Strathclyde University, and previously was a teacher at appropriately enough, St Mirin's Academy in Paisley.

"It's also the story of social, economic and educational change and of the strong sense of pride in the community."

The Right Rev. Philip Tartaglia, Bishop of Paisley, said: "This volume is a valuable record of the history of St Mirin's Parish, Paisley, both for its focus on its subject matter and also for providing an insight into the history of the town of Paisley. Readers will also be invited to reflect on the broader context of Scottish history over this period and on the modern history of the Catholic Church. As such, this book is capable of serving diverse interests and is a credit to local author and historian T.J. Dowds and to those who sponsored this publication."

Renfrewshire's Provost Celia Lawson who wrote the foreword to the book, said: "As Provost of Renfrewshire, I am delighted to send greetings to make the 200^th anniversary of St Mirin's Parish. I am sure that this interesting and informative history will be enjoyed by parishioners and all those with an interest in the development of our community."

St Mirin, who the parish and church was to be named after, was the first named Christian preacher associated with Paisley and the surrounding area in the year 580.

Indeed, it's possible that St Mirin was responsible for Paisley getting its name. The word 'Paisley' can be taken to refer to a 'major church' – possible the shrine of St Mirin in what is now the Seedhill area of Paisley.

Towards the end of the 18^th century, in the decades leading up to the founding of the modern parish, when a priest visited Paisley he would be met outside the town by Catholics who took him to a safe house to say mass.

New legislation improved the situation of Catholics and permitted the opening of a church at East Buchanan Street, Paisley, by Father William Rattray – the first Catholic church to be built in Scotland after the passing of the Catholic Relief Act of 1791.

Father Rattray was Paisley's first priest since the Reformation. The church was important not only as a place of worship but as a focal point for the coming together of the town's Catholic community. At the time it numbered around 5,000, having increased with the arrival of Highland and Irish immigrants.

The original St Mirin's church held 700 worshippers with another 200 people accommodated in the gallery. It was the first stone-built Catholic Church built in Scotland since the Reformation and the largest in Scotland at that time.

The parish of St Mirin's originally took in not just Paisley and Renfrewshire but also parts of Ayrshire and as far as Dumfries.

The development of Catholic education was a main priority for the parish. The opening of the town's first Catholic school in 1816 revealed a spirit of religious tolerance.

The subscription to fund the school for 100 pupils came overwhelmingly from Protestant residents of Paisley following an appeal by a French priest Father Despréaux.

And the school's pupils were also provided with free or reduced cost bibles by the East Renfrewshire and Paisley Bible Society.

Social concerns, and particularly the impact of poverty and ill health, were major concerns for the Church. Father John Bremner gave evidence to a parliamentary inquiry criticising the eligibility for poor relief which limited access by recent Irish immigrants.

Although the parliamentary inquiry didn't immediately change the system, the publicity that Paisley attracted from Father Brennan's evidence led to donations being sent from many parts of Britain and Ireland. With those funds, it was possible to give financial assistance to the needy of Paisley.

Among the other notable priests in the parish's history was Father, later Dean, Alphonsus Ooge, a Belgian priest who was appointed to St Mirin's in 1914. For his work with the Belgian Refugee Committee during the years of the First World War, he was awarded the Bronze Medal by King Albert of Belgium.

As the parish developed, the modern St Mirin's Cathedral Church opened in 1932 with seating for 1300 people. Unusually for the time, it was designed so that the large pillars did not obscure the view of the altar.

In 1948, St Mirin's saw the installation of James Black as the first Bishop of the Diocese of Paisley. He was succeeded by Bishop Stephen McGill, Bishop John Mone and the current Bishop Philip Tartaglia.

Press release: Wednesday 3 September 2008