Fr. Horgan

Fr. Horgan

Fr. John Horgan became Parish Priest on June 1st 1965. Fr. Horgan had been Parish Priest of St. Boniface's in Lower Broughton, Salford and was in poor health. Fr. Francis Deeney who was his curate at St. Boniface's came with him to St. Bernard's. Fr. Deeney ably assisted Fr. Horgan in the running of what was now a large parish. In 1967 the Catholic population was 2,250. Mass attendance averaged 1,363. The Primary School had 420 children on roll. Moreover the rather arbitrary drawn parish boundaries meant that many of St. Mary's parish also regarded St. Bernard's as their church. By 1967 the Parish debt had been reduced to £30,000. Fr. Horgan died suddenly on October 7th 1968. He died on the Feast of the Holy Rosary – a devotion to which he was devoted from childhood.

The church received a number of valuable gifts during Fr. Horgan's years as Parish Priest. A chalice and vestments were donated in memory of Fr. Shutt in 1966. In the same year the Catholic Women's Confraternity donated a monstrance in memory of Fr. McNulty and Fr. Henry, who had both recently died. In June 1967 the Union of Catholic Mothers gave a tabernacle to be placed on the side altar. In 1969 a further set of vestments were presented to the parish in Fr. Horgan's memory.

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