Original Sanctuary

After World War II, the Bow Farm, Greenock, was gradually developed into a much bigger housing estate to ease the Greenock housing situation. In 1947, Archbishop Donald A. Campbell of Glasgow entrusted the Parish to Robert A. Barclay as his first charge. However, restrictions of W.W.II were still in force and the construction of the building was curtailed.

St. Joseph's parishoners had long awaited their church. The original structure was started some years earlier but during a storm in 1949, the building was destroyed and permit difficulties prevented rebuilding until two years later. For six years, Father Robert Barclay, the parish priest of St. Joseph's, and his curate, Sean Fox, served their community by saying Mass on Sundays in the Lady Alice School in Inverkip Road.

Many members of the community volunteered their skills to help build their church. A community effort, community members and volunteers saw the church as a place where they could display their own living faith and devotion with their families and fellow communtiy members for years to come. Then, after years of waiting, in 1953, St. Joseph's church was opened by Father Barclay and Bishop James Black. Father Barclay put all resources available into the church including a church bell, the first such bell in Greenock since the Reformation.

Over 600 people attended the dedication of St. Joseph's Church by Bishop James Black on 3rd May, 1953. His words to the congregation were those of encouragement,

'I am happy to be with you on this glorious day of thanksgiving.
I congratulate you on building this church which is truly the
house of God and Gate of Heaven and I pray that grace may
flow from this place into your homes and into your souls...'

The homily was given by Frederic R Perrie, VG of Paisley,

'It is the Mass that matters. It is the Mass that makes a Catholic
church the House of God. For the genuine Catholic no sacrifice
is too great for the erection of the tabernacle worthy of the Holy
Mass, and you the people of Bow Farm, have generously
contributed all that your means allowed to have your own church.
I congratulate you and your priest, Father Robert Barclay. Here
you have a building you may be justly proud of. Certainly it is not
a great cathedral or a noble basilica but it is God's house that you
have done your best to make worthy of Him.'

St. Joseph's parish, which compries the upper and lower Bow Farm area and the Auchneath district, has an estimated Catholic population of 1400. The church has seating accommodation for about 600. It is reminiscent of 1950's design, built of red brick, with a double row of square windows on each side and the woodwork is of fine Japansese figured oak. the church is adorned with several mosaics mainly by artist, Francis Tritschler of Glasgow, a brother of Canon Ferdinad Tritschler. The high altar and altar rails are a departure from tradition. Instead of traditional marble, they are made from a mixture of terrazo and cast cement.

A fine two storey new hall was built during the pastorate of Patrick Burke (1975 - 1989) mainly by voluntary work organised by assistant, Gerard Brennan.

On St. Joseph's Day, March 19, 1997, St. Joseph's parish observed its golden jubilee as a parish with a Mass of thanksgiving celebrated by Bishop John Mone, Bishop Stephen McGill and priests who served in the parish or were born there. In its fifty years, the parish had 4,364 baptisms, 4,022 confirmations, 1,644 marriages and 7 ordinations to the priest hood and it had five parish priests. (From Canon Bernard J. Canning FSA Scot, Diocese of Paisley, 1947 - 1997).