Clonard House had been 'rented from Bishop Henry as a temporary residence for the community.

So, after the erection of the Church, Father Griffith had to face the heavy task of building a permanent home for his confreres. The plans approved by Rome provided for the raising of a building that would have a community of eighteen to twenty persons and also serve as a retreat house for men.

This explains the size of the present monastery. It might be mentioned that the conducting of enclosed retreats for men is a Redemptorist work that goes back to the time of St.. Alphonsus. In the event enclosed retreats to men were not given in Clonard until the 1920's and then only in a limited way. But the diocesan clergy made their yearly retreat in Clonard for one week each summer from 1900 to1960 when St.. Clement's Retreat House on the Antrim Road was opened. However, we have been anticipating.

The architect for the Monastery was J.J. McDonnell. The contractor was W.J. Campbell B Son, Ravenhill Road, Belfast. The estimate was £10,500.

The Contract was signed on May 27th 1898. The first sod was dug by Father Griffith on June 9th, the eve of Corpus Christi. The foundation stone was laid on the following August 15th, by Bishop Henry. The ceremony took place after solemn High Mass at 11 o'clock. The building proceeded rapidly and smoothly except for a dispute between the builder and the architect concerning the quality of the facing brick. The latter said it was inferior, but reluctantly agreed to allow that which was already built up to the stone course to remain. The Monastery was completed just one year and nine months after the laying of the foundation stone. On May 2nd the community took up residence. They had spent three years and nine months in Clonard House. On the day that they left it, the Sisters of Charity took possession.

The IRISH NEWS of May 5th made bold to prophesy: "In this noble pile God's work will go on, it is to be hoped, for centuries to come; from it spiritual blessings will flow forth on our people, and to it their children's children will turn as of old they turned to the ancient monasteries of Bangor and Clonard. Our prayer is 'esto perpetua'."

A Splendid Edifice

The new building represents two sides of a square, the longer facing the south. It has four floors; the corridors and rooms of the first three are wide and spacious. The rooms of the fourth floor are small, being under the roof and lighted by dormer windows. Originally there were fifty-four bedrooms; there are considerably fewer today. Surmounting the entrance doorway is a canopied niche surrounding a beautifully sculptured figure of the Redeemer, and flanked by single windows, having sculptured panels below, showing the Papal arms of Leo XIII and also those of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. The windows lighting the corridors are of cut stone, running through the full height of three floors and terminating with Gothic stone arch and corbel mould. Over each ground floor window is a sunk tympanum, with carving in relief of natural foliage surrounding an emblem of the Passion.

Major Seminary

An unforeseen use to which the new Monastery was put immediately after its completion was to serve as a Major Seminary for the education and training of Redemptorist clerical students. In August 1900 twenty-eight clerical students took up residence. Clonard was a seminary for the next five years.

The first ordinations in Clonard took place on September 8th 1900, when four of these young men were raised to the priesthood. During their time in Belfast the Redemptorist students as they went on their regular walks, wearing their very correct clerical dress, made no small impact on the people. Even Protestants spoke favourably about the young Clonard monks and never harmed them.

The first death in Clonard was that of one of the students, the Limerick born John Ryan, who was only six months from ordination. He died on March 1st 1903 and was interred in the Redemptorist Monastery crypt, Dundalk. The students did much to make the Church services attractive by their singing and their serving. They were missed when they left Clonard for their new home in County Galway in July 1905.

A Story from the Past

At 1.30 a.m. on a stormy night in December 1900 Father Lowham was awakened from his sleep in the monastery by the piteous cries of a woman. Slowly finding his way through the inky darkness he traced the screams to the mill dam in the garden. Being a strong swimmer he jumped in to the muddy water and after a considerable effort dragged the unfortunate person to the bank. She was taken to hospital where she recovered. It happened that she was a native of Lurgan working in Belfast who had lost her way and ended up in the pond. For his bravery Father Lowham was awarded a bronze medal and certificate by the Royal Humane Society. The presentation was made in the City Hall by the Lord Mayor of Belfast.

TEMPORARY CHURCH 1897 – 1911

< OLD MAP SHOWING THE POSITION OF THE TIN CHURCH >

The ever increasing attendance at the services in the oratory of Clonard House made it necessary to proceed without delay with the erection of a new Church. In accordance with instructions from the Superior General in Rome it was to be a temporary building.

Father Griffith chose as architect J.J. McDonnell, who had already designed the Monastery. In December 1896 the Contract was signed for a plain structure, opening on Clonard Street at the south-western corner of the property. The builder was John Fagan, Cosgrove Street, Belfast, who undertook to erect the Church with brick walls and a roof of corrugated iron, which gained for it the name of "the tin church". It was a rectangular building, 125 feet long, from sanctuary rail to door, forty feet in breadth, and with a seating capacity of about 700.

The Church was completed in a very short time, a little over three months. On Easter Sunday, April 18th 1897 it was opened for divine service. There was no special ceremony or public collection on the occasion as the Catholics of Belfast had to clear a debt on the Mater Infirmorum Hospital, then being built. One year later, however, the Church was dedicated by Bishop Henry. The date was March 20th. To help meet expenses a collection was taken up in all the city churches. The sanctuary of the new Church contained two side chapels, one in honour of the Mother of Perpetual Succour, the other in honour of St. Joseph. There was a chapel also in honour of Blessed Gerard Majella, whose canonisation in 1904 was an occasion for great rejoicing. The altar at EUessed Gerard's shrine was of beautifully carved oak and a gift of the Caffrey family of Belfast. The Sunday Masses in the Church were at 7.00, 8.00, 9.00, 10.00, 11.00 and 12.00 with devotions at 7.00 p.m

A People's Faith

Many years afterwards Father Griffith who was an eye-witness described movingly the faith of the early Clonardites: "The devotion of the good working people and the sacrifices made by them were beyond all praise. Shortly after the opening of the temporary Church I received a letter saying, 'Rev. Father, would it be possible to commence the 6 o'clock Mass five minutes before G.M? Our signal to commence work goes at 6.30 and we cannot wait for the priest's blessing at the end of Mass and be in time for our work.'

Shortly after I received another letter saying,

"Rev. Father, would it be possible to delay the 8 o'clock Mass till five minutes after 8.00? The signal for breakfast in our mill goes at 8 o'clock and we could get out to the Church in five minutes, get Mass and Communion, take breakfast and be back to work at 9 o'clock".

I need not tell you how much we were edified and how gladly we made the change asked. The edifying sight was witnessed morning after morning of good holy working people spending two hours in the mills fasting, then going to Holy Communion, and in the remaining half-hour taking their breakfast and returning to work at 9 o'clock. I have no hesitation in saying that the recording angelmarked down every step taken and every sacrifice made by those generous souls, and that a rich reward is laid up for each in heaven. "
It was in the "tin church" that the Confraternities of men and women afterwards so famous, were born.

The end

Plain and unpretentious though the "tin church" was, it became very dear to the people of Clonard. After fourteen years of faithful service it was dismantled in November 1911.

Some of the brick and wood work was used by the Sisters of Charity to build a new hall adjacent to their Convent. Much of it was used to raise the level of the Monastery garden, while many bits of bricks and stones were taken as souvenirs by people who grieved for its passing.

BELFAST IN THE 19TH CENTURY <READ MORE>

THE MONASTERY- 1900 <READ MORE>

CHURCH OF THE MOST HOLY REDEEMER- 1911<READ MORE>