The parish of St. James’ in Orrell marked its 325th Anniversary with the completion of a stunning internal transformation.

As one of the oldest parishes in the archdiocese, it has had a long-standing presence in the Orrell area, starting way back in 1699.

The church has been extended many times and was enlarged to its present size in 1841 with the Bell Tower being built in 1882. Further developments and refurbishments have been carried out over the subsequent years including a memorial chapel to the war dead, a parish club, bowling green and a meeting room.

Having not been redecorated since 2008, the church was in need of some tender loving care.

When Father Philip Kehoe arrived as parish priest in February 2023, he promised the parishioners he would bring the church back, as far as possible, to its previous splendour- a building to be proud of.

Fr Philip also wanted the church renovation completed for the parish's 325th anniversary on 1 December 2024. 

With the assistance of the parish support group, the archdiocese appointed a project manager who worked closely with Fr Philip and the group to plan the restoration and refurbishment of the building and its fittings.

The church’s Grade II Listed Building status meant that extra regulatory steps were needed, such as meeting with the archdiocese’s Art and Architecture Committee, to agree on items such as colours of paint to be used, renovations to the Stations of the Cross and reviewing historical pictures of the church from the early 1900s to ensure that any redecoration was consistent with the church’s previous look.

Another major step was to get agreement from the Catholic Historical Church Committee (HCC) for the project plan to go forward.

All permissions were finally granted at the end of September and the appointed contractor (Greenmount Projects) started the work.

Pleasingly, the project was completed on time and the first Mass in the newly opened church took place on Sunday 1 December with the Archbishop of Liverpool Malcolm McMahon OP concelebrating alongside Father Philip and previous priests from the parish.

A celebratory buffet at St’ James’ Social Centre for parishioners followed.

Chair of the parish support group, Paul Carey, said: “It has been a very time-pressured process in order to complete the works in time for the 325th anniversary celebrations.

"A massive thank you to all at Greenmount Projects for ensuring this project was completed on time as well as to Richard Morris from the Liverpool Archdiocese Property Service for his outstanding Project Management.”

Father Philip and the parish support group wanted to involve the schools and colleges from the parish in the anniversary preparations in order to leave a legacy for the next generations. 

St James’ Catholic Primary School, St Peter’s High School and St John Rigby College have all been involved and have produced fantastic artwork focusing on the history of St James and the parish's 325 years’ existence. 

St. James’ Catholic Primary School pupils produced the artwork for a magnificent faux stained glass window reflecting the history of the Parish.

Paul remarked, “The artwork that has been produced is exceptional and I would like to thank all three organisations for their unwavering support of this project. Parishioners will be impressed by the artwork- a true nod to the history and traditions of the parish.

“The inside of the church has undergone a stunning transformation, giving it a modern look whilst at the same time respecting the history and traditions of the church.

“Anyone attending Mass at this famous, historical church in the coming weeks and months will be very impressed.”

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