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History Of The Parish

History of St Kentigern’s, Blackpool 1904 - 2004

Towards the end of the 19th century, the town of Blackpool began to grow at a very fast rate. It grew so fast that the Sacred Heart School was unable to cope with the high demand for places for Catholic schoolchildren. A new school and parish were needed.

In 1896, the Jesuits of Sacred Heart began the search for a suitable plot of land on which to build this school. This venture attracted the attention of the Parish Priest of St. Peter’s in Lytham, who was no admirer of the Society of Jesus, and who saw this as an opportunity to establish another diocesan parish in Blackpool. The whole affair went before the Archbishop of Liverpool, who decided against the Jesuits, and permission was granted to open a new mission to be run by the secular clergy.

This new mission was dedicated to St. Kentigern, the first Catholic enterprise to be dedicated to him since before the Reformation in the 16th century. Unfortunately, it is not known why this new parish and school were to bear his name.

In 1897, tenders went out for the construction of a new school and chapel, which were to be used together until such time as funds were available to build a separate church. Despite this undertaking, for reasons which are again unclear, work did not start on the building until 1904.

On 6th November 1904, the Archbishop of Liverpool, Thomas Whiteside, formally opened the new mission. The site of this building is today occupied by St. Kentigern’s School. The first rector was to be Father Blundell. An inaugural mass was celebrated by the Archbishop, who although delighted at the opening of a new parish, spoke in his homily of the heavy burden of debt which the new parish had taken on.

Over the years, much was done to reduce this debt quite considerably. One striking example of how money was raised was the "Fancy Fair" held over a period of three days November 1911 in the Indian Lounge of the town’s Winter Gardens. This was a grand, town-wide affair, intended to bring together the Catholic community of Blackpool. This particular ‘Fancy Fair’ raised £1650.00, the equivalent of between £85,000 to £100,000 by today’s standards.

Father Blundell remained as Parish Priest at St. Kentigern’s until 1923, when he moved on to St. Peter’s in Lancaster. Two Parish Priests followed in quick succession Father Roche, and Father Hall.

It was in 1926 that Father Robert McManus became Parish Priest, and he arrived with a brief to build a new church for the parish. The Bishop of the newly-founded diocese of Lancaster, Thomas Pearson, took a keen interest in this project, since it was to be the first church built in the new diocese. Father McManus was known as a man of taste, and consequently the new church was to be constructed of the finest building materials available at that time, something which had the effect of pushing the cost of the project well over budget.

Despite the cost, the church was completed and opened in 1931, and thanks to the combination of legacies and the overall generosity of the parishioners, by 1947 St. Kentigern’s was free of debt.

Father McManus, or rather Canon McManus as he was by now, remained Parish Priest until his death in 1951. He was succeeded by Father Burrows, who inherited a parish which was by now well-established. The school was well-attended, and there were plenty of organisations within the parish for the people join. Father Burrows stayed as Parish Priest until 1968.

His successor was Father Gerry Farrell, who came to St. Kentigern’s from the parish of St. Maria Goretti, in Preston. Father Farrell oversaw major renovations of the school during his time as Parish Priest, and one of his greatest achievements was the building and opening of a Parish social centre.

Father Farrell retired in 1981, to be succeeded by our current Parish Priest, Father John Foulkes. He has achieved many things during his time at St. Kentigern’s, building on the work of his predecessors. One of the major structural changes was the moving forward of the High Altar. The parish and the school continue to thrive, with groups like the Parish Council, the S.V.P, the C.W.L, and the R.C.I.A. The school has a very active P.T.F.A, and under its current head teacher, Frances Wygladala, has undergone substantial refurbishment over the last few years. The school currently has over 240 pupils on the nominal roll, and continues to be a popular choice for parents each year.

The Parish of St. Kentigern’s began life as the result of rivalry between the secular clergy, and the Jesuits, and it has seen many changes throughout its 100 year history, yet thanks to its priests and parishioners, the church is still there to serve the people of its congregation, the school and the local community.

The year 2004 sees a wonderful celebration for the school and parish but it also sees the departure after 150 years of the Jesuit community from the Sacred Heart parish. They will be sadly missed by the local deanery.