Centenary Celebrations for the founding of St John’s

Summary

One hundred years ago on 28 July 1923 the foundation stone for St John the Baptist was laid by Bishop Casartelli in the sanctuary of the church. To mark the centenary of this important event in the life of our parish we had two days of community celebrations on Friday 28th and Saturday 29th July

One hundred years ago on 28 July 1923 the foundation stone for St John the Baptist was laid by Bishop Casartelli in the sanctuary of the church. To mark the centenary of this important event in the life of our parish we had two days of community celebrations on Friday 28th and Saturday 29th July.

A. M. D. G. on the foundation stone is the abbreviation for the Latin ‘Ad maiorem Dei gloriam’ which means ‘For the greater glory of God’.
Our heritage officer, Gemma Bailey, led on organising the celebrations with a superb display in the narthex of work by our volunteers, guided tours, children’s creative workshops in the marquee, lots of refreshments and talented musicians to complete the two days. On Thursday evening Fr Michael celebrated Mass and spoke warmly about the significance of the day and expressed his appreciation for all the work that had gone on to create the community events.

One of our distinguished visitors was Tony Lloyd, the Member of Parliament for Rochdale, who has supported the renovation of St John’s throughout the long process of applying for National Lottery Heritage funding. His remarks in the visitors’ book are worth quoting in full:

“St John the Baptist was, even before its revival, a beautiful, inspiring place of worship and haven of peace. Ready now for its next hundred years, it is one of the architectural gems of our town. Importantly it is an inspiration for everyone.” 28/7/’23

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St John the Baptist RC church, Rochdale, Lo-res by Historic England on Sketchfab

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