Fenor 1884 – 1984

A Foreword by Rev. Gerard Purcell, P.P.

It is good to remember that its site has been a place of prayer and sacrifice for many years – for a church stood in this very place before the present building was erected. It was, surely, a magnificent demonstration of faith in God and trust in his people on the part of Fr. Dowley to embark on building the church one hundred years ago at a time when economic and social conditions were very different from our own. This little book is a worthy record of the faith and lives of these courageous people and a celebration of their great trust and hope in God’s goodness to them.

And it is good that we celebrate because there is special significance in this church where God’s people in Fenor have gathered down the years to worship as a community. Here the Holy Sacrifice is offered; here we are nourished with the Bread of Life; here our sins are forgiven; here homes are sanctified “in the root” through the sacrament of marriage; here our loved ones are laid to rest; and here our children, in baptism, are welcomed into the Body of Christ.

I am sure that the memories and people recalled in this book will give much enjoyment to many, perhaps in a special way to those of you who read it in places many miles from Fenor. May it also bring you the Lord’s blessing on you and yours at this time of our celebrations. What we celebrate with joy on this centenary we owe in great measure to those gone before us. Let us hope and pray that we may be worthy successors to them as we echo the prayer that your parents and grandparents recited after the rosary at night time:”Thank God for our own Church”.