History

David Livingstone, the greatest African explorer, always told the story that he only escaped from the dye works at Blantyre because a Catholic priest taught him Latin. This enabled him to qualify for medicine at Glasgow University. The priest was Daniel Gallagher, an Irishman who, after studies in Rome, held the first Roman Catholic services in the West End of Glasgow in 1855. He opened this little church in Partick Bridge St in 1858 calling it St Peter’s. It is the third oldest Catholic church in Glasgow (after the Cathedral and St Mary’s in the East End).

By the turn of the century the majority of the population had “crossed the tracks” and in 1903 a new St Peter’s was opened in Hyndland St. The Partick Bridge St building served as an extension until the Second World War when soldiers of the Polish Armed Forces who had escaped the Nazis and who were based in Yorkhill Barracks needed a church. Since then the building has been known in Glasgow as the Polish Church. It was the focus of the Polish community in exile and still today the Saturday Vigil (6 pm) and Sunday (noon) Mass are said in Polish by a Polish priest from the chaplaincy in the Polish Club in Kelvingrove.  There is also Mass in Polish in St Peter’s on Sundays 10 am and 6 pm.

In 1945 with the increase in the city’s population the Archdiocese decided to create a separate parish for the Yorkhill side of Dumbarton Road and the church became St Simon’s, the original name of the Apostle Peter. Since then the older housing has been comprehensively demolished but the church was refurbished by Fr Patrick Tierney who was a church historian who had been brought up himself in the area. Now with new housing planned from the church’s front door through to Glasgow Harbour St Simon’s looks forward both to preserving its heritage and to welcoming the new residents.

St Simon

Simon was originally a Jewish fisherman prior to becoming the first apostle. Jesus nicknamed him Kephas which in Greek means a rock. The Latin for rock is Petrus which gives us the name Peter. His apostolic symbol are the keys of the kingdom promised to him in Matthew 16. His feastday is June 29 which he shares with St Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles.Curiously St Simon’s used to be called St Peter’s (of history).

In 2007 the parish priest of St Simon’s became also the parish priest of St Peter’s.This was because of the sudden influx of young Polish workers into the UK since 2004. It is estimated there may be 20,000 in Glasgow. Naturally they gravitated towards St Simon’s (see Polish page) but it soon proved too small and St Peter’s also had to be used for Polish Mass.

By the end of the century the little church was not big enough and a large new one was built by Pugin on the other side of Dumbarton Rd in Hyndland St. This was opened in 1903 and the original church was left closed for about 10 years after which it was used as a parish hall for some time. It reopened as a chapel of ease for Sunday Mass in 1923 and was thereafter referred to simply as “the Bridge St Chapel”.

1939-1945
During the second World War Polish soldiers on leave from the battlefields came to this church to attend mass together to hear the word of God in their native tongue, to sing their Polish hymns, and to thank Our Lady, Queen of Poland, for this touch of home the Polish community of Glasgow has.

Through the years felt deeply grateful to Father Patrick Tierney for the privilage he has accorded them of celebrating the Polish Mass in this Church and for the many kindnesses preceived from him and the parishoners.

“I was a stranger and you took me in”
St. Matthew 25:35

VII Niedziela Wielkanocna
31 Maja 1992 DLA Upamietnienia X Rocznicy

Kiedy W TYM Miescie
BYL Jan Pawel II