Glasgow, Scotland An Irish priest established St Simon’s Church, which recently burned to the ground in Glasgow and has been mourned extensively by locals and around the world.
Fr Daniel Gallagher oversaw the construction of the famed church, which began life as St Peter’s Church, in 1852.
A fire consumed the building in the early hours of July 28, with the local Polish community expressing their sorrow at the loss of the site.
Speaking to The Irish Catholic newspaper, archivist with the archdiocese of Glasgow, Dr Mary McHugh, said Fr Gallagher is believed to have been born in Derry in 1811, before travelling to Scotland to join his parents in 1825.
Along the way, and before ordination, the young Daniel Gallagher tutored in Latin a Blantyre mill worker named David Livingstone, so that Mr Livingstone could gain admission to Andersons College.
David Livingstone would go on to become a famed Christian missionary with the London Missionary Society and explorer of Africa – one of Britain’s most famous figures in the late Victorian era.
“He was born in Derry and has a connection with David Livingstone,” Dr McHugh said.
“He seems to have founded three parishes, St Margaret’s in Airdrie, St Joseph’s in Glasgow and St Simon’s.”
Dr McHugh said that Catholic numbers in Glasgow “grew steadily” for most of the 19th Century, and so it was an obvious destination for Fr Gallagher, who was ordained in 1837 in Rome.
The famed St Simon’s Church began life as St Peter’s, the name changing in 1945, with Fr Gallagher in sole charge of the mission until 1870, when the population became too great for one priest, at which point an assistant was appointed.
“He’s definitely not lost to history,” Dr McHugh said.
“As the founding parish priest, he’s always remembered and always referred to. In virtually anything that’s issued, the open days, they don’t mention every priest who’s ever served in St Simon’s, but they definitely remember Fr Gallagher.”