New chapter begins for Crumlin church

THE solemn opening and rededication of the Church of Mater Dei in Crumlin was celebrated on Sunday by Bishop Alan McGuckian SJ.

Mass has been said in many locations in the parish of Glenavy and Killead, often using Mass rocks and Mass houses.

However, for much of the last 200 years, the focus has been on more permanent structures in Glenavy and Aldergrove.

The Catholic people living in Crumlin village mostly walked, cycled, got a lift or, in a limited number of cases, drove to services in the Church of St James in Aldergrove.

In the late 1960s, as the population of the northern end of the parish was increasing, a bus was purchased and people could avail of this to travel more easily from Crumlin to Aldergrove.

A hall was situated in the carpark which presently serves the Church of St James.

This pre-fabricated hall, which had been relocated from the former Nutts Corner, hosted some of the top show bands of the time and attracted large numbers of people from far and wide.

Many other events, such as guest teas, tombolas and concerts, were also held, in addition to those in St Clare’s Hall, to raise funds to develop parish facilities.

By 1972 the priests of the parish determined that the financial position was such that a new church could be constructed.

McCusker, Power and Leeson, Chartered Architects, were appointed and planning permission was sought and obtained.

This new place of worship, subsequently named the Church of Mater Dei, was to be located on the Glenavy Road, on land acquired over the decades.

The church was consecrated in early spring, 1974, by Bishop William Philbin.

At the time, the parish priest was Very Reverend Patrick Kerr and the curates were Fr Brendan Mooney (Glenavy) and Fr Peter Donnelly (Aldergrove).

Initially there was no parochial house in Crumlin and the curate remained at Aldergrove, in the house built there in the early 20th century.

This situation continued until 1986 when a sympathetically designed parochial house was constructed adjacent to the Church of Mater Dei.

The Troubles

The decision to build Mater Dei Church coincided with some of the most violent episodes in ‘The Troubles’ when it was not unusual for Catholic schools and churches to be attacked and burned.

The architects were made aware of the priests’ concerns and while drawing on the architectural style of Le Corbusier’s Notre Dame du Haut church in Ronchamp, Haute-Saone Department, in Eastern France, Mater Dei was designed with strong, thick walls and narrow windows to limit the effects of a bomb blast.

For the first decade, during Mass times and other services, groups of volunteers patrolled the carpark in order to provide early warning of any attack.

The church cost £75,000 (roughly equivalent to £1.2 million in 2026) to construct.

It did not conform to the traditional neo-Gothic or Romanesque designs but rather embraced the vision of the Second Vatican Council, 1962 – 1965.

The exterior expressed an uncompromising modernity and an acceptance of being a humble building in the landscape, something it shares with many churches of the period and particularly with St Michael’s Church, at Creeslough in County Donegal.

The altar was the main focus with the congregation being seated on three sides, promoting and assisting ‘corporate’ worship and ‘active’ participation.

It was constructed from concrete and steel and set on a base of plain, black brick.

The sanctuary and its importance were accentuated by the flood of natural light coming from a large skylight. Shafts of coloured light were created by the western sun shining through the letter-box window above the confessional which depicts the five glorious mysteries of the Rosary in stained glass.

Coloured light from the original Dalle de Vere window also flooded the entrance hall and this percolated into the body of Mater Dei Church.

The relative austerity of the interior encouraged a focus on the sanctuary and the tabernacle.

Only the simplest of materials were used in the initial construction of Mater Dei Church.

Concrete blocks were used for the walls and these were roughly rendered with a coarse, rough-cast finish. The roof was a composition of fibreboard and felt. There was no insulation in either the walls or roof.

The upward-sweeping ceiling was given a stippled finish and around the edges concealed lighting was used to provide a prayerful ambience.

Over the years some changes were made to the interior of the church. The baptismal font was relocated several times and a variety of crosses have been incorporated into the décor.

However, the most significant of the changes was the replacement of the Dalle de Vere window in the porch with the present glasswork designed by David Esler of County Antrim.

The redevelopment of Mater Dei Church has sought to maintain the original concepts of the design while improving the fabric and aesthetic of the building.

The refurbished and extended entrance porch highlights the beautiful and thought-provoking Campbell-Esler stained glass window and facilitates the relocation of the internal entrance door to align with the central aisle.

The large, covered entrance space provides a sheltered environment where the congregation can gather to exchange news and views before and after Mass.

This facility should help to develop the sense of community and hospitality which must now be at the centre of liturgical celebration.

An additional step has raised the sanctuary and cladding it with Botticino marble seeks to highlight its importance as a place apart.

The ‘new’ altar, ambo and chair, hewn from Wicklow granite, emphasise solidity and the centrality of the Eucharist.

The refurbished tabernacle, now partially recessed into the wall, provides a focus for contemplation and prayer.

The baptismal font, set into an alcove and illuminated by natural light, is composed of Mourne granite and a decorative lid which comes from the original font.

The seats have been created from the wood salvaged from the original concrete and wood seating.

The refurbished Mater Dei will be a comfortable, peaceful, welcoming and prayerful place for the worship of God.

This renewal has been made possible thanks to the generosity of parishioners and all who have worked to redevelop and refine this sacred space.