Renata Steffens
Our Lady & the Guardian Angels Church, Sallins Our Lady of the Rosary and the Guardian Angels Church in Sallins, Co. Kildare is celebrating 100 years. The parishioners of the unusual church celebrated its anniversary with Mass led by Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin Denis Nulty and Fr Liam Morgan PP. Also present were descendants of the parishioners who helped build the church.
The unique building is a prefabricated structure made of metal on the outside and has a wooden interior. The fairly unique building is known by some as ‘The Tin Church’. That church has been bringing the Sallins community together in prayer for the past century.
Before World War 1, the people of Sallins asked the then parish priest of Naas Fr Michael Norris to build a chapel and save them the journey time to Naas for Sunday Mass. The priest arranged the site and a committee raised £400, however, WWI and the War of Independence delayed the project, which was only resumed in 1923.
By then, it was resolved to assemble an economic building, so they decided to buy from one of the British Army camps’ suppliers. The building arrived in something similar to an ‘Ikea’ flat-pack that took a few months to assemble. “Fr Norris thought outside the box and he ordered a church in a box,” said local historian Liam Kenny.
The parts were corrugated metal for the exterior and wood planks for the interior, all parts manufactured by Harrison & Co. in London. Local men joined the Harrison & Co. employees to build the church, and the chapel was ready for dedication on Sunday, October 5, 1924.
“Similar churches would be found in mission stations, frontier towns, mining camps and military outposts,” told Bishop Nulty during his homily during the celebration of the 110th World Day of Migrants and Refugees Mass in that church.
Fr Norris carried the dedication and celebrated the first Mass, as the bishop at the time, Bishop Patrick Foley was unable due to illness. He gave it the dual dedication of Our Lady of the Rosary and the Guardian Angels.
The interior of the chapel remained unchanged until 1972 when Sallins became a parish and the altar was moved to one side to allow people to gather around as recommended by the Second Vatican Council, and in 1990, a replacement floor was fitted. The building was listed as a protected structure by Kildare County Council in 2000.
To mark the centenary, the building received an upgrade, with a new sanctuary, new altar furniture, lighting, painting, door and carpeting. Sallins Parish said the parishioners welcomed the new look and that a member of the community said “It’s so much brighter and lighter,” while another mentioned: “you’ve brought it back to the way it used to be and it’s beautiful.” “Thank you for the amazing job to the church,” said a third parishioner.
Concluding the centenary celebration, the community gathered at the Parish Community Centre after Mass for “tea and goodies.” The attendees were both families native from Sallins and new families who moved, some from other countries.
“There was a wonderful atmosphere in the Community Centre with lots of chat and laughter. The Local History Group had a very interesting display of photos and historical material concerning the Church which was much appreciated,” concluded another parishioner.