For generations, the walls of Our Holy Redeemer's (OHR) Church have borne witness to births, deaths, communions and marriages of the local community. Now, parishioners are preparing to fight any move that could see it close amid fears over the Archdiocese of Glasgow’s plans.
Caitlin Logue is calling for reassurance over the future of the Clydebank church after it was announced it is to merge with neighbouring St Margaret's in Whitecrook.
The Archdiocese says the plans are for ‘administrative purposes’, but they have caused a wave of concern amongst locals who, in their hundreds, have started signing Caitlin's petition to halt the merger.
The Archdiocese of Glasgow, meanwhile, say they are trying to deal with the falling number of worshippers and large repair costs for these historic buildings.
Speaking to the Post, Caitlin said: "For generations, my family have been very close to the church, and my dad was the organist.
"I didn't actually grow up here, but I came to Clydebank for every Sunday Mass.
"Recently, the archdiocese has been making changes and understandably they've closed churches because the attendance figures are poor.
"I was told this is an administrative merger, the church isn't closing, it's so that the birth, marriage and death records are all one and the bank accounts become one.
"But to me, it's like St Margaret's is going to be their priority. I just couldn't stand by and watch it become secondary to St Margaret's."
Following the news of the merger, concern swept through the congregation that the cost of roof repairs at OHR made it more favourable for closure - if the Archdiocese considered this in future.
The concern prompted Caitlin to share her petition far and wide, on Facebook and beyond, to help make others aware of the merger and the state of the church.
Her appeal even reached local MSP Marie McNair, who announced her backing of the cause and her desire to protect the church's history.
She said: "I was concerned to learn about the possibility of a merger between OHR and St Margaret's Roman Catholic Church, and I am aware of Caitlin’s efforts to prevent this.
"OHR church is very close to my heart as my parents were married there, so I understand the concern amongst the community. The church has a long and important history, having withstood the Clydebank Blitz in 1941. It is a key part of Clydebank’s shared history, so I firmly believe it must not be merged.
"I have had early discussions with church representatives on this, and will be meeting with Caitlin soon to discuss a way forward."
The Change.org petition has now reached more than 830 signatures from locals who have shared their version of why they want to see the building protected.
Since starting the campaign, Caitlin says she has heard numerous stories from people who all have a connection with the church.
She added: "Talking to the wider community, who don't necessarily go to church, they were like, ‘What do you mean it's being merged?’
"People have told me, ‘That’s where my grandparents were married,’ ‘That’s where my parents were married,’ ‘That’s where I was baptised.’”
"I have been so surprised.
"I thought I'd maybe get 30 or 50 people saying they were glad to see something being done. I didn't expect to get more than 100 people.
"There are people who have been in touch from Fiji, Australia, and Canada. People from around the world have been like, 'Hold on a minute, Clydebank's where I'm from. I absolutely don't want to see that parish go.'"
Explaining their decision to merge, a spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Glasgow said that there are three times as many parishioners in St Margaret's as well as a resident parish priest.
In addition, they stressed that the merger is for administrative purposes and that the condition of OHR is being treated as a separate issue.
They said: “The Archdiocese of Glasgow, in common with other Christian denominations, is faced with the twin problems of a declining number of clergy and very old church buildings with small congregations, facing large repair costs.
“There has been no resident parish priest at OHR for many years and the church is served by the priest at St Margaret’s, which has three times more parishioners than OHR This arrangement has worked well and has proven to be a necessary solution given the shortage of priests.
“The proposed merger of the parishes is one of a number across the Archdiocese, and should be seen as an administrative recognition of the existing reality, namely that the parishes have to operate together in terms of pastoral planning and administration.
“The issue of the building repairs at OHR is a separate one and is not directly affected by the proposed merger. Merging parishes does not equal closure of parish churches.”
Share