Our Lady of Assumption Church celebrates 70th anniversary

THE Our Lady of Assumption Church in Ballyfermot celebrates its 70 year anniversary this week with a special mass featuring speakers who were at the opening Mass on March 15, 1953.

Residents are invited to attend the Service of Reflections and Thanksgiving at the Assumption Church on Wednesday, March 15, at 7pm.

The celebration will also feature people who were involved in the early years of the church’s work in the community.

Many of the congregation attending the first mass in 1953 had to stand – despite the installation of 1,980 mahogany seats costing £10,000 – a reflection of the excitement surrounding the opening of a new church in Ballyfermot, an area which was only five years old at the time.

The iconic structure was and remains to this day, a focal point for the community.

Work started on the building in May 1951.

It was designed by Robinson, Keefe and Devine, and cost £68,000 to build. In a jubilee book published in 2003 ‘The Assumption Parish – Celebrating 50 years of community in Ballyfermot’, the then parish priest Fr Joe Kett, spoke of how “influential” the church was in forming the community.

“The interesting thing to realise is how influential the church was in the whole story – the school going population was enormous.”

One of the first Ballyfermot priests Fr Donal O’Scannaill, wrote about how he “started from scratch” after his appointment to the parish in December 1949.

During the build of the new church, Fr Donal said the parish was “growing rapidly” with “houses numbering 2,500 on the left hand side of Ballyfermot Road, up to Le Fanu Road”, and “no sign of other priests arriving”.

Fr Donal was “delighted” when Fr Canon Troy and Fr Paul Boland were appointed to Ballyfermot in July 1951.

“I went on holidays immediately,” said Fr Donal.

On Wednesday, March 15 at 7pm, the celebration mass will be led by Fr Adrian Egan and Fr Seamus Davitt.

Sacristans Margaret Killeen and Ann Marie Murray will also be on hand, joined by the Assumption Choirs, Susanne Plummer and Tom Phelan for the music.

The service can be watched on the Assumption’s website HERE