The Catholic Parish of
Saint John Henry Newman
Covering most of East Leeds
Reminiscences of an Octogenarian
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The guild of St Agnes together with the choir also assisted in the singing of these Litanies. There were devotions also of Rosary and Benediction on a Thursday evening.
The School caretaker was Frank McGuire, one of his tasks was to convert the assembly hall & two classrooms into a church for weekend Mass by removing the classroom furniture and placing chairs and kneelers in its place. Frank soon recruited one or two boys to help him in setting up the chairs and kneelers, It was quite a job which became permanent until I left school in 1934. Frank was quite a character, he would regale us with his adventures during his service as a soldier in the first world war.
I returned from war service in 1946 having spent the previous four years overseas. I was pleased to note that St Theresa's had remained undamaged from the war tears. Fr Kiely the second parish priest who had succeeded Fr O'Halloren in 1935 died quite suddenly in December 1939 was succeeded by Fr John Willie Comerford later to become Canon Comerford. Canon Comerford was able to finally build St Theresa's church In 1953
My wife and I were Married in the spring of 1948 in the old St Theresa's Chapel by Canon Comerford.
Fr Kiely had prepared plans to build a church in the late 1930s, it was to be on the present site & would have had a parish hall built in the basement of the church. The outbreak of war put this plan on hold and Fr Kiely's untimely death left the building of the church to his successor. Canon Comerford purchased a new site presently occupied by the Carpet Shop on the corner of Austhorpe Road, this after many Novena's to Our Lady of Counsel. The plan was ultimately dropped in favour of building the church on its present site.
The building up of a fund to purchase a new church and to pay off the cost of building St Theresa's School (£7000) was begun in earnest once the school/chapel was opened in 1930. Many and varied were the fund raising activities ,the foremost of these were Whist Drives & Dances, Garden Parties ,the one that stands out in my memory were the Fur & Feather Whist Drives at Christmas time when all the players attempted to win their Christmas Dinner.
Many of the names of those early families spring to mind, the Leaches, Maddens, Mahers my own Mother who produced some excellent coffee and other refreshments for these events.The wife of the then Head teacher (Mrs Flatley) was also a stalwart in helping at these events. It is probably unkind to give these few names when so many others were involved. Frank McGuire was ever present in "getting things ready" and clearing up afterwards (ably assisted by his boy recruits.)
The School caretaker was Frank McGuire, one of his tasks was to convert the assembly hall & two classrooms into a church for weekend Mass by removing the classroom furniture and placing chairs and kneelers in its place. Frank soon recruited one or two boys to help him in setting up the chairs and kneelers, It was quite a job which became permanent until I left school in 1934. Frank was quite a character, he would regale us with his adventures during his service as a soldier in the first world war.
I returned from war service in 1946 having spent the previous four years overseas. I was pleased to note that St Theresa's had remained undamaged from the war tears. Fr Kiely the second parish priest who had succeeded Fr O'Halloren in 1935 died quite suddenly in December 1939 was succeeded by Fr John Willie Comerford later to become Canon Comerford. Canon Comerford was able to finally build St Theresa's church In 1953
My wife and I were Married in the spring of 1948 in the old St Theresa's Chapel by Canon Comerford.
Fr Kiely had prepared plans to build a church in the late 1930s, it was to be on the present site & would have had a parish hall built in the basement of the church. The outbreak of war put this plan on hold and Fr Kiely's untimely death left the building of the church to his successor. Canon Comerford purchased a new site presently occupied by the Carpet Shop on the corner of Austhorpe Road, this after many Novena's to Our Lady of Counsel. The plan was ultimately dropped in favour of building the church on its present site.
The building up of a fund to purchase a new church and to pay off the cost of building St Theresa's School (£7000) was begun in earnest once the school/chapel was opened in 1930. Many and varied were the fund raising activities ,the foremost of these were Whist Drives & Dances, Garden Parties ,the one that stands out in my memory were the Fur & Feather Whist Drives at Christmas time when all the players attempted to win their Christmas Dinner.
Many of the names of those early families spring to mind, the Leaches, Maddens, Mahers my own Mother who produced some excellent coffee and other refreshments for these events.The wife of the then Head teacher (Mrs Flatley) was also a stalwart in helping at these events. It is probably unkind to give these few names when so many others were involved. Frank McGuire was ever present in "getting things ready" and clearing up afterwards (ably assisted by his boy recruits.)
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