Father
Walmsley continued until 1937, and was succeeded by Father J.J. Atkin,
who became Parish Priest of Ramsey in 1937 until 1957. He was succeeded
by Father Francis Woods, a quiet man, of deep personal spirituality and
intellect. He was forced to retire through ill-health in December 1981,
but died in June 1985.
The next incumbent was Father James Lynch, and in January 1982 he arrived to take up his appointment to Ramsey. The first duty awaiting Father Lynch was the need to examine the fabric of the Church itself. Father Lynch found himself confronted with two interlinked problems - conservation and adaption. The Church had, by now, become one of the most noted architectural buildings in the Isle of Man, visited by Victorian Society members from all over England and in consequence treated with the reverence usually reserved for National Trust properties.
However, in its exposed position on the Promenade, the Church had borne the brunt of many fierce storms, and a combination of sea spray and salt air had caused the exterior walls to become so porous that damp had totally penetrated the building. Extensive areas of dry rot were also identified, as well as damage to the roof, guttering and stained glass windows. Structural repairs to the tower were also necessary. Over the years, birds had gained access to the inside, through the open louvres in the tower, and had caused considerable damage.
A parallel consideration to the need to conserve was also the need to adapt tastefully the interior of the Church to meet the requirements of present-day worship and prayer. Accordingly, a major programme of repair and refurbishment began, under the supervision of architect Peter Kelly a member of the Isle of Man Victorian Society and keen admirer of the work of Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, and with the full and able involvement of Father Lynch himself.
By the end of 1985, all the structural repairs had been completed and much of the decorative restoration had begun, including the renovation of the Stations of the Cross and the beautiful High Altar reredos. Here too, the combination of exposure to salt air and the smoke from countless altar candies had taken its toll, and the task of restoring the reredos was entrusted to Mr. W H Baillie-Searle of the Foxdale Craft Centre.
The floor was sanded and varnished, and the original benches (fitted in 1910 and intended only to be temporary!) were replaced by two sets of oak pews, thus forming a central aisle. The altar was replaced by a matching one in Welsh stone, rescued from a Liverpool church scheduled for demolition, and the ceiling and beams were restored to their original beauty in blue and gold.
Like Father Barton so many years earlier, Father Lynch too, failed to see his earthly 'promised land' for, when the restoration work was almost completed, he was suddenly called to God, in December 1985 at the age of only 58.
He was succeeded by his younger brother, Father Leo Lynch, who, from his own parish in Liverpool had worked closely with Father Jim Lynch on the restoration programme, particularly by assisting in obtaining materials and arranging their shipment to the Island.
Upon his appointment in February 1986, Father Leo was able to resume the work and the restoration was completed by the summer of the same year. Additionally, he supervised the building of a small meeting room on the outer back wall of the church, around the site of the original foundation stone, which has thus become a most attractive feature of the new room.
This programme of restoration and conservation had been made possible only by the great kindness of various benefactors who, by their generous bequests, have assured the preservation of this beautiful Church.
Time does not stand still, however, and the salt-laden winds of the Irish sea continue to blow. The shortage of priests that is now causing such problems for the archdiocese was beginning to become evident. In 1991, Father Leo Lynch was translated back to Lancashire, and was succeeded by Father John MacNulty. In 1994, he too was moved to Lancashire, succeeded by Father T. Joyce, who was himself succeeded in 1995 by Father Gerard Snape. Father Snape stayed until 1997.
Some stability arrived in 1997 with Father Brian O Mahony CSSp, the
present parish priest.
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