Parish
The Westhoughton Parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus and St Joseph began in a disused early 19th century weaving shed in Albion Street, Wingates.
When the weaving industry, locally, struck bad times, the shed stood idle until taken over by the Wesleyan Methodists of the town as their place of worship. Upon their move to Church Street in the 1880s, it was taken over by the growing number of Roman Catholics.
A church was established through the efforts of Canon Edmund Carter of Bolton, with the financial help of the Gerrards of Brynn, Tempests of Yorkshire and Stoners of Oxfordshire.
On Sunday 21st September 1873, Solemn High Mass was first celebrated in the church. The mission was served by the Church of SS. Peter & Paul, Bolton. Bishop Vaughan officially opened the Mission on 19th October 1873. The Rev. Fr. Charles McDermott Roe, later Canon of the Salford Diocese, became the first resident priest, in 1876.
Under the leadership of Fr. Marringer, part of the building was partitioned off as an elementary school and opened on 3rd August 1879, with an average attendance of 41 children. Miss McCormick was the first schoolmistress.
Fr. Hampson had a sacristy built on the east side of the church; Fr. Mitchell erected a fine window in the sanctuary to the Sacred Heart, and built a porch on the west side, surmounted by a cross.
During Fr. Palmer’s five-year stay in the parish, and due to growing numbers of parishoners, the Sylfield Estate in Lord Street was acquired in 1894. A school building, at a cost of £670 to accommodate 170 scholars, was given priority – and the foundation stone was laid on 7th July 1894 by the Rt. Rev. John Billsborrow, Bishop of Salford. This school building was to serve the parish for 90 years. The Infant department of a new Primary school on Central Drive opened in May 1971.
The foundation stone of Sacred Heart Church was laid on 22nd June 1895, and Mass first celebrated there on December 22nd.
This building served the parish for almost 100 years, and witnessed to a succession of clergy.
Fr. Colonbier (1898-1912) was to witness the effects of the Pretoria Pit Disaster on 21st December 1910, one of the worst mining disasters in history, killing 344 men and boys.
Fr. Brodie Brosnan (1937-1961) served with distinction as an officer in the British Army on the Western front during World War One. He had been Parish Priest at Sacred Heart Church for only a few years when the Second World War began.
Fr. Bernard O’Leary and Fr. Henry McCarroll oversaw extensive refurbishment and reorganisation of the church between 1960 and 1980. Fr. Patrick Quinlan came to Sacred Heart Church in 1985 as Curate, and became Parish Priest in June 1986.
Mass was celebrated for the last time in this church on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, 2nd February 1994. Demolition of the buildings – Church, Presbytery, Old School – began on Monday 14th February 1994.
The new Sacred Heart Church, designed by the Pozzoni Design Group, was blessed and dedicated by Bishop Patrick Kelly on 17th May 1995.
School
Under the leadership of Fr. Marringer, six years after the opening of the church, part of the Wingates Sacred Heart Church building was partitioned off as an elementary school and opened on 3rd August 1879, with an average attendance of 41 children. Miss McCormick was the first schoolmistress.
During Fr Palmer’s five-year stay in the parish, and due to growing numbers of parishoners, the Sylfield Estate in Lord Street was acquired in 1894. A school building, at a cost of £670 to accommodate 170 scholars, was given priority – and the foundation stone was laid on 7th July 1894 by the Rt Rev John Billsborrow, Bishop of Salford. This school building was to serve the parish for 90 years.
The Infant department of a new Primary school on Central Drive opened in May 1971. The Junior department moved to Central Drive in 1984.
A new building was built on the Central Drive site, opening in two phases, in September 2010 & September 2013.