The first Catholic church in Inglewood was opened on 14 January, 1878 on the same Standish Street site as the present church. The dimensions were 30 x 16 feet with a 12ft stud able to seat 80 parishioners. As the population of Inglewood grew the need arose for a larger church and planning for the present building commenced. The foundation stone for the present church was laid on 26 March 1899.
This second Sacred Heart Church was formally dedicated on 26 November 1899. Conducting proceedings was His Grace Archbishop Redwood, assisted by the Very Reverend Dean McKenna.
Fundraising for the church had been going on for some years and the cost of the new building was estimated to be £600. The builder was Mr J.T. Mannix.
On the final weekend of July 2012, the congregation of Sacred Heart celebrated the refurbishment of the church and the opening of a new parish centre. At a cost of $1.5 million the long-planned project benefitted from the bequest of a large sum of money.
Heritage New Zealand - Historic Place Category 2.
Further reading: "Parish of the Sacred Heart Inglewood Centennial 1899-1999" by Pat Julian, 2000. (TRCT282.93482 JUL).
Related documents:
Taranaki priest whistles up a netball milestone - Father Kevin Brophy (Daily News 26 April 1997)
Refurbished church, parish centre opens (Taranaki Daily News30/07/2012)
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