History
The Missionary monks Ninian (397) and Columba (563) had already brought the Christian Faith to Scottish shores when Kentigern (or Mungo) founded the Local Church of Glasgow in 543 and there were many in the area whose faith was served both from Paisley Abbey and from Glasgow. With the foundation of St. Mirin's in Paisley in 1808 a Mission to 18 surrounding villages began in a more systematic form. St. Fillan's Parish in Houston was founded in 1841 and the Catholic members of the village community could celebrate Mass by walking to the Church there. In 1883 a Mass station was opened in Bishopton and with the purchase of land in 1915 a Church was built and finally opened on April 10th 1926.
The Church was not heated and after a small hall had been built and a presbytery acquired (100 Old Greenock Rd.) it was necessary to undertake substantial renovation and rebuilding work in 1949. The present Presbytery was built on the site of the old hall in 1967. Since then the Church has, on a number of occasions, been remodelled and the interior renovated.
A small and simple country Parish Church, Our Lady of Lourdes is reached by a steep flight of stairs leading to a small porch. The wooden ceiling is a striking feature and has remained well preserved - and water-tight - since extensive repairs were completed in 1979.
A view of the Church Inside and it's wooden ceiling.
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A simple design allows the eye to be drawn immediately to the Sanctuary there the light through the stained glass is beautiful and varied - though best appreciated early on a sunny morning when the whole church is filled with a warm glow.
View of and from the Sanctuary.
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The present furnishings on the sanctuary; the Ambo (from which the Word of God is Proclaimed), the Altar (at which the Eucharist is celebrated) and the Tabernacle Stand are newly installed (Easter 2002) and were made by John McLaughlin - a local sculptor in wood - from the old benches of the Church, replaced, by donation, by individual chairs in early 2002, a Book of Donors is on display.
(L to R) : The Ambo, The Altar and The Tabernacle Stand.
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The Presidential Chair - and we have different ones for the Liturgical Seasons - carved for us by John as is the crucifix.
The Presidential Chair.
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The Tabernacle itself (where Holy Communion is reserved for prayer and for distribution to the Sick and Housebound) is Italian, in bronze from a design by Guiseppe Mazzolinni. The Font used for Baptisms is, as far as we can tell, the one built for the original 1926 Church.
The Tabernacle.
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Around the walls are 'Stations of the Cross': a guide for prayer and meditation, based on the Gospel Narratives and illustrating events of the Passion of the Lord.
The 'Hand of Africa' is a sculpture by John McLaughlin and into it Parishioners may place donations (some £15,000 to date) which are forwarded to the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF) for Third World projects .
The Hand of Africa.
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The Statue of Our Lady was commissioned in 1998 and carved from a single piece of Jacaranda wood by Gabriel Mafukidze in Mvuma, Zimbabwe.
Statue of Our Lady.
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