Sanctuary Refurbishment

In 2020, St Joseph's will celebrate two milestones. Firstly, the parish will turn 70, having been founded on Easter Sunday 1950. Secondly, we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the arrival of the Augustinians to Broomhouse in 1995.

As part of the celebrations of these milestones, the Parish Council agreed to a "St Joseph's 2020 project, which would begin a process of both physical and spiritual regeneration within the parish.

One phase of this regeneration project involves a proposed refurbishment of the church building, in a bid to make it more welcoming and fit for worship. Although final plans have yet to be decided, initial steps have already been taken.

To coincide with the Easter Triduum and the subsequent celebrations of Easter, changes have been made to the Sanctuary, arguably the most important part of the building. The old linen drapes have been removed from behind the tabernacle to reveal a gorgeous wooden baldacchino dating from the 1950's. This will become the main centrepiece in the Sanctuary, helping draw more focus to the tabernacle and the crucifix.

The heavy, dark curtains on either side of the sanctuary have also been removed, revealing a beautiful stone sacrarium which has been hidden away for some time. 

Lastly, we have acquired six ornate candlesticks following the closure of the Catholic Church in Camelon, Falkirk. These have been installed on either side of the tabernacle.

Further work has yet to be done. For example, it has not yet been decided what to do with the sanctuary wall. There will, however, be a decoration of some kind in place in time for Easter Sunday and the celebration of the resurrection. 

Before

The baldacchino is revealed

The sacrarium

After