St. Francis Church
1868-1993
The Memories live on
Fr Leonard and Fr Campion Appreciation Page
Originally opened in 1868 by the Franciscan Order to enable them to work with the poor, the Friary was designed by George Blount of London. The church building was soon too small and was rebuilt to a design by the great Gothic Revival architects, Pugin and Pugin, in the Decorated Style. It's nave was completed in 1881 and chancel and chapels were added in 1895.
St. Francis Church 1980's
St Francis Centre 2000
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This page is dedicated to the memory of a once proud Gorbals community whose very lives revolved in and around the nucleus of St.Francis Church Gorbals. Every religious persuasion appeared to be made welcome and that no one that I am aware of, was turned away from their organised youth clubs, religious ceremonies and their help at the point of spiritual need. The priests were often seen walking around the streets with their brown habits and held the utmost respect from all. I am sure that the demise of these once vibrant clubs that helped fill our void are a tremendous loss to us all in the area. Many youngsters were kept off the streets and shown that there is an alternative lifestyle to be had from their bleak and harsh poverish surroundings that they were being exposed to.
Fr. Campion I am glad and now extremely proud that I was part of it all in the early 70's in some small way by attending all the nightly clubs that ran and I must pay tribute to all those who gave their free time and tremendous effort towards the success of these clubs , obtaining ten years as an altar server and being present at most of the big church events either on the altar or playing in the pipeband, playing the solo pipes at Fr.Campion's Requiem Mass which I consider an honour, marrying Clare my lovely wife on 1.9.90 and my son, Kevan Christened there on 7.3.93.looking back on it all with fond memories. Little did I think following my son's christening that only 8 months later, St.Francis Church Gorbals was to be no more. Even at the Final Mass with standing room only in the church, the Pipeband sat on the High Altar during the proceedings, still it didn't bring home to me that this magnificent church was closing and it was a surreal and moving experience for me. After the service all the parishioners went to the church hall for tea etc. Everyone appeared
My Wedding Day 1.9.90.
Kevan Harrison being Baptised 7th March 1993. Little did I imagine that the church that captivated me for nearly thirty years would eventually close. The first Franciscan friary and church in Glasgow was dedicated in 1477, on a site almost opposite the offices of the Glasgow Herald and the Evening Times in Albion Street in the City Centre. There was a long gap between its suppression at the time of the Reformation and the reappearance of the Friars in 1868. True to the tradition of serving where poverty attacked most keenly, they bought land in Hutchesontown, and the first church, a small brick temporary structure, was opened in 1868. The friary, designed by Cilbert Blount, was started in 1870 and the foundations of the present church building were laid in 1880. This replacement building, by the architects Pugin & Pugin, in Early Decorated style, was magnificent, visually and acoustically, but it was vacated by the Franciscan Order in late 1993 much to the displeasure and protest from most of the local community .
Father Leonard The Franciscan Order have now moved to the former St.Luke's Church on Ballater Street and renamed it Blessed John Duns Scotus but it is, in the opinion of many, a fraction of its former self. The Church in Cumberland Street, renowned by some as the best and visited from parishioners far and wide is sorely missed , maybe part of the psyche and the longing of the old ways that are being laid to rest by the regeneration. Thankfully, some foresight has preserved the building that was gradually being run down and targeted for demolition. It is currently operating as a local community centre following extensive renovation to transform the former friary into flats but it is my wish that possibly someday, the Franciscan Order will relocate back to its former glory.
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Closing of Church 1993
Franciscan Mission in Glasgow
The earliest reference to the presence of Franciscan Friars in Glasgow was from 1432 where they carried out their vocation and good deeds for the city on the site now occupied by The Glasgow Herald until around 1559 when the Reformation led to their suppression. It was not until the mid 1800's that they became a presence again, the Franciscan Sisters who were based in Charlotte Street in the Calton were the first religious order to re-establish itself in 1847.This eventually led to setting up of a mission in 1868 consisting of 5 friars based in the Calton. A piece of land across the Clyde from Calton in the Gorbals was acquired in Cumberland Street in 1868 costing £4000. A small temporary chapel on 13.12.1868 in the same year was opened, the first baptism carried out on the 18.12.68 and the first marriage on 1.1.1869.
St. Francis Church 1920's
May Queen early 1920's (Pic by Joe Daniels) Peter Bonnar Welsh is holding the Pillow
Thanks again to Norah Daniels in Canada for background.
On the 2.2.1880, the first sod of earth was turned on the same site as the smaller original church with the foundation stone being laid at a ceremony on the 25.5.1880. The original drawings submitted were altered due to a lack of funding with the proposed massive tower and side transepts taken out. The building is constructed entirely of Rock-Faced Cream Sandstone. The formal Opening took place on the 1.6.1881 the building having taken only 16 months to construct.
Silver Band 1920's
St. Francis Boys Guild 1957-58
St.Francis Pipeband and Highland Dancers 1957-58
May Queen 1965
One of the busiest days of the Gorbals Calendar was the annual May Procession. This was a day where the streets and window ledges of the tenements were thronged with people from all denominations. Streets were around 3 deep throughout the route, everyone including the 'Windae Hingers' watching as a long parade of school children and other groups of the parish led by the pipeband wound it's way around the Gorbals and back to the church for the crowning of a statue of the Virgin Mary, by the May Queen, a young girl selected from the local primary school. You really were something if you were picked for a page boy or may queen and my brother Pat was chosen in 1965 as a page boy. This feast was celebrated for 50 years and for some years was actually filmed and re-shown in The Paragon the cinema formally situated across the road from the church.
My Memoirs as an Altar Boy
St.Francis Church had always fascinated me. For me, it had taken on some superior place of mythical proportions; a church on par with any great building on this earth, which drew me to it and somewhat, transfixed me. How this occurred I still don’t know to this day. I remember going aged seven down to the church and ringing the Friary doorbell, similar to the one that rang Ding Dong in the sitcom, 'Bless this house' along with a school friend and asking one of the Franciscan Brothers if I could be an altar boy. This was all happening for me around the year 1973. All the other boys would ring the bell and then runaway like Postman’s knock and I think I may have been nabbed and becoming scared, made the excuse that I wanted to join up.
St. Anthony Novena
I was asked to come back and attend the weekly rehearsals held after school hours. This was the done thing, your classmates were joining in droves and you did not want to be left out. Anyone who was anybody became an altar boy and there were a lot of them. I remember coming into the family home and excitedly proclaimed my good news to all present much to my father’s disgruntlement. However, I was encouraged by my mother and gran to attend and who knows, I may shortly grow out of it. I remember attending rehearsals with my mum sitting in the crying area of the church. If I’m correct, I was thrown into the deep end as I commenced a short while later on the rota which consisted of you and another boy attending all of the 8am masses for that week, then you would move onto the 10am mass all week the following week and finally the 6pm to round off your turn. Initially, the cassocks were kept in a large wooden box which were thrown in after each mass or pegged along the wall which had your name on beside them but nobody paid attention to the names but put on the cleanest one nearest to them or one that fitted you the best. Some of the mothers including my own started to launder their own vessels by taking them home to be washed and ironed as before, they were not allowed to leave the church premises. The red cassocks and black ones were made of rough materials that felt like crimpling, which tore at your neck and made things uncomfortable for you around the collar. The Black cassocks were universally worn at all times and red was for special occasions like Christmas and Feast Days. You also had to make sure the hemline was spot on as, if you walked up the steps in the church, you could not fail to trip. My mum always made me wear a shirt and tie, fully buttoned under the cassock and black polished shoes. I remember my first bell ringing and that was scary as if you got it wrong, one of the Brothers who was much older than the rest would shout at you after the mass and always seemed grumpy.
St.Stephens Guild 1976
One of the big church occasions when being young was the Midnight Mass especially at Easter Vigil which started at the stroke of midnight. This was a killer for young boys to keep their eyes open and with most of us regularly going to bed at around 9pm for school, I used to watch numerous altar boys going off the high altar as they were in a state of collapse and were not used to this punishing schedule. Most often, some of the older boys had to attend mass the next day to ensure that all of the masses were covered. Within months, with the large pool of altar boys split into seven groups became a group leader. I can’t remember what my actual duties were but I was extremely proud of myself as your name included in the respective groupings were always displayed at the back of the church along with your rota so that everyone including parishioners had access.
St Stephens Guild 1976
I enjoyed the Christmas Vigil as it always has a feel good factor about it. In those days, you had to attend church early or you would be turned away due to the massive crowds that would attend. I used to watch people standing outside in all weathers listening to the ceremony coming through the speaker PA system. People from far a field attended. I remember always the long collection plates that was a sea of pound notes, very few gave coins as it was a special occasion and they always had two collections, the latter usually a local charitable cause. It was always good to return home and open your Christmas presents and savior the moment. In later years it was always a good time to be acquainted with the Church Folk Group that was predominately female and you would try and catch their eye and hopefully spring a date. I remember receiving the Church’s St.Stephens Medal which followed on Boxing Day and I believe we were the first to apply for that particular honour in the Glasgow Region.
Cardinal Winning and Altarboys 1980's
The renowned Tuesday Night Novena
Church at Bellahouston Park 1982