Wigan Album
A sad, sad, occasion.
4 CommentsPhoto: Albert.
Item #: 29954
I am not a Catholic but I lived next door to this church and its presbytery for the first eighteen years of my life and it holds many memories for me. I remember waiting at the gates whilst my Catholic friends ran in to "confession", and they were back "playing out" on the street so fast that I used to think they couldn't have confessed to much! I remember Jumble Sales in the schoolyard and Miss Dunne's "socials" in the Parochial Hall, (1/- entrance and 3d for tea-and-biscuits)....such simple, innocent days. There is a video of St. William's Walking-Day around 1957 on Facebook, ("Characters of Ince") ; if you don't go on Facebook, someone you know is bound to do so....get them to show you. I guarantee it will bring a tear. God Bless, St. Williams. x.
What a sad time for those parishioners and what a wrench they will experience now. No doubt they will make their way to St. Patrick's church or St. Benedict's at Hindley whichever they make it to, the fact is they will still be able to attend mass and that is the important thing. I feel for them because most of them will have attended there all their lives. It's as if their home is being demolished and they have to start anew.
What will happen to the church now ?
The future of catholic churches in Wigan looks bleak. St Williams has relunctanly closed. St Patrick's hangs in the balance. St Marys and St Johns built in 1818 and 1819 approaching bicentenary celebrations are safe, but St Edwards at Newtown isn't. Don't know about St Cuthbert, Sacred Heart and St Jude.