On October 28th, SS Simon & Jude's day, Bishop James Cunningham, former Parish Priest of St Joseph's, Blaydon (the sister parish), laid the foundation stone to the new church of St Anne, in Winlaton, which was the first parish built there since 1569.
In the course of the Bishop's sermon, he mentioned the date's significance, 28th October. This being the anniversary of the death of Fr Denis Kennedy, formerly Parish Priest of St Joseph's, Blaydon, who worked tirelessly for this new church (He is buried in Blaydon cemetery. He congratulated Fr Patrick O'Donaghue (then Parish Priest of St Joseph's, in Blaydon, who died on July 28th, 1978, after 50 years in the priesthood and is also buried in Blaydon cemetery) for picking an appropriate date.
Click on the above above.
In the above pic is Jack Goodfellow and Mrs Pearson and in the front is Barbara McCoy with her son.
Also, in attendance was Fr John Taggart, late Parish Priest of Sacred Heart Church, Byermoor, Co Durham and now buried with his sister, Mary in Blaydon.
THE OPENING OF THE PARISH
On December 20th, 1962, Bishop James Cunningham, celebrated the first Mass in the new Catholic Church of St Anne, in Winlaton, then, Co. Durham, now Tyne and Wear. The previous church, also dedicated to St Anne, was destroyed 400 years earlier in 1569. The church was built in less than 18 months at a cost of £50,000
The Master of Ceremonies was Fr Hugh Lindsay (later Bishop, now deceased RIP).
Fr Dillon, who delivered the sermon, said that a church in honour of Saint Anne was built in 550 AD by the Emperor Justinian. He also recalled that Winlaton Catholics previously had to travel to Stella for Mass, until the Church of St Joseph's was erected in Blaydon.
Among the clergy who attended were the Rt. Rev. Grant, president of Ushaw College, Canon E. Avery, Canon C. W. Phillips, Canon M. O'Leary and Canon J Kinleside and some councillors and policemen.
The clergy vested in the nearby Commercial Hotel before attending the service at Saint Anne's.
