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Brief Parish History & Geographical Location
At the request of Bishop Ryan, the Redemptorists came to Limerick in 1851 to give a mission in St John's Church. In May 1852, the Redemptorists gave another mission in St Michael's church. By 1853, the Redemptorists had moved to Ireland permanently. Their first house in Ireland was situated in Bank Place. They converted a room in Bank Place to a chapel and this chapel was opened on 8 December 1853. They had a temporary chapel in Upper Henry St. in 1854. This chapel took 6 weeks to build and cost £800. It was used until the opening of the present church.
The rector, Fr Louis de Buggemoms decided a permanent residence was needed. Bishop Ryan laid the foundation stone of the church in Mount St Alphonsus on 22 May 1858. Bishop Bulter dedicated the church to St Alphonsus on 7 December 1862. The builder was Mr. Wallace under the supervision of William Corbett while the architect was Thomas Hardwick. The church cost £17,000 to build.
This 13th century gothic style church is built from dark Limerick limestone
with some horizontal sections of red marble. The church is oblong in shape
with double transepts. To the left of the church is the monastery of the Redemptorist
community, next to which is St Clement's College, a secondary school for boys.
The church is situated in St Joseph's parish.
On the right of the door of the church, there is a Mission Cross donated by the Drapers Assistants in memory of the Mission to Men. This mission was preached in the church in January 1868. Above the door of the church there is a statue of Our Lord surrounded by angels. On the gable wall of the monastery, there is a statue of St Patrick, which was sculpted by Patrick Pearse's father.
Inside the main door of the church there is a statue to St Alphonsus. On both sides of the porch there is a list of over 70 members of the Redemptorist order who are buried in the crypt under the high altar. To the right-hand side of the porch, there is an altar to St Anne and a shrine called Ecce Homo. This shrine is a representation of Jesus in prison. On the left-hand side of the porch there is a statue of Christ holding a book on which are the Greek letters alpha and omega.
At the back left of the church, there is a stained glass window of St Brigid and St Margaret. There is a statue of St Theresa of the Child Jesus, also known as the Little Flower. Over the confession box, there is a stained glass window of the Visitation of Archangel Gabriel to Mary and the birth of Jesus. This window was erected to the memory of Margaret Humphrey, and was donated by her son William in 1885.
Also on the left hand side of the nave is a stained glass window which includes a depiction of St Alphonsus. Towards the front of the nave, on the left, there is a statue of St Columcille and a stained glass window of St Patrick and St Bridget converting the people of Ireland to Christianity. The inscription on the window asks that people pray for the souls of John and Bridget Ebrill. In 1893, on the occasion of their silver jubilee, the Men's Holy Family Confraternity donated a statue of St Peter with the keys of Heaven in his hand. This statue is situated on the left of the church and above it there is an altar to the Sacred Heart.
This chapel was erected to the memory of Mrs. M. Kelly in 1876. There is a painting of the Sacred Heart in the chapel. The front of the altar depicts the apparition of the Sacred Heart to Sister Margaret Mary Alacoque.
There is an altar to Our Lady of Grace to the left of the high altar. It was built in 1866. It depicts two scenes from the life of St Alphonsus on either side of the statue; St Alphonsus praying and writing. Over this altar there are stained glass windows of St Teresa, St Alphonsus and St Mary Magdalene. There are also stained glass windows of the calling of St John and of John and Jesus.
At the back right of the church, there is a statue of St Philomena,
the Patroness of the Children of Mercy and the Patroness of the Living Rosary.
There is a stained glass window of Jesus and a woman. Unfortunately we have
been unable to ascertain who this woman is. An inscription on the window asks
people to pray for Margaret, Teresa and Mary Kelly. Beside this window, there
is another stained glass window of Jesus and the Apostles fishing on the Lake
of Galilee, with an inscription asking people to pray for the souls of James
and Margaret Delany.
There is an altar to the Redemptorist saint, St Gerard Majella on the right-hand side of the nave. He was known as 'the mother's saint'. He lived and died in Italy in the eighteenth century. The altar was erected in 1904 following a donation from Miss Teresa Kelly. There is a stained glass window of Jesus and the fishermen and Jesus breaking bread with St John the Evangelist next to this altar.
A chapel to Our Lady of Perpetual Help was erected in 1868. It was designed by Mr. Ashlin. An inscription in the chapel asks people to pray for the souls of Margaret Teresa and Mary Ann Kelly who built and decorated this chapel. Within the chapel there are a number of stained glass windows. On the left hand side there are stained glass windows of the crowning of Mary as the Queen of Heaven and of an unknown angel and a man. The windows opposite depict the death of St Joseph and Jesus learning the trade of carpentry. This window was dedicated to Richard Raleigh. On the ceiling of the chapel there is a stained glass window of Our Lady. Pope Pius IX gave a picture to the Redemptorists in 1866. It is now placed in this chapel. The chapel also contains mosaics and a mural done by Harry Hodgkinson. The Stations of the Cross date from 1866. They were painted by Alcan of Paris, France and cost £270. Hayball of Sheffield, England framed the paintings. Aubrey Hodgkinson from Henry St in Limerick restored them in 1989.
Towards the front of the nave, there is a chapel to Our Lady of Dolours, which contains a Pieta. Also within the chapel, there is a shrine to St Urban, the Boy Martyr. In December 1867 the relics of St Urban were brought to the church from the Catacombs in Rome. St Urban was killed around 300 AD in Rome.
To the right of the high altar there is an altar to St Joseph and the Child Jesus, which was erected in 1867. The two figures kneeling in front of the altar are St Alphonsus and Sister Maria Crostarosa. The stained glass windows above this altar depict St Philip Neri, St Michael, and St Cajetan.
The high altar was constructed in 1865 and Mr John Quin donated it. George Goldie designed the altar. The mosaic in the sanctuary over the high altar was completed between 1925 and 1927. It depicts Christ the King and St Alphonsus with the Redemptorist family underneath them. A Latin inscription reads 'with him is plentiful redemption'.
In 1865, the Sheehan family donated the pulpit, which was also designed by Mr Goldie.
Above the high altar on the left, there is a rose window, which depicts a number of different symbols. The top panel is the dove, the symbol of the Holy Spirit and peace. Below this panel, are the symbols of chi-rho, the bread of life and the Greek symbols alpha and omega. Chi-rho is a combination of the first two Greek letters of Christ's name, X or chi, and P or rho. Alpha and omega are the symbols for the beginning and the end. The bottom section of the window depicts the Scourging at the Pillar and the Crown of Thorns.
The impressive stained glass window above the main door of the church depicts
scenes from the life of Jesus, including the Holy Family, the Crucifixion,
and the Ascension into Heaven. The church organ, which dates from the beginning
of the twentieth century, is situated beneath this window.
Mr. John Quin, a merchant, donated a lot of the church fixtures.
He also paid for the construction of the bell tower in the church, which cost
£8,000. The bells cost £1,195. The Redemptorists church had a
bell tower before the tower of St John's Cathedral was completed. In 1879
the Mount St Alphonsus Bell Ringers Society was formed. This society is still
in existence and continues to sound the bells across the city of Limerick.
Buried within the church are:
| Rev. A. Van Everdinger | 1856 |
| Rev. J. Roes | 1860 |
| Rev. P. Furlong | 1864 |
| Rev. J. Lalor | 1869 |
| Rev. P. Tierney | 1878 |
| Rev. T. Doyle | 1882 |
| Rev. J. O'Connell | 1889 |
| J. McSweeney (Juvenist) | 1890 |
| Rev. W. Burke | 1891 |
| Rev. J. Bradley | 1892 |
| Bro. P. Franken | 1892 |
| Bro. F. Dubucquois | 1897 |
| Rev. D. Healy | 1898 |
| Bro. T. McManus | 1899 |
| Rev. J. Hartigan | 1899 |
| W. O'Donovan (Juvenist) | 1900 |
| Rev. M. Geoghan | 1900 |
| Rev. F. Feighery | 1902 |
| Rev. W. Lambert | 1903 |
| Rev. E. Stephenson | 1904 |
| Bro. B. Cooke | 1905 |
| Bro. A. MacAnany | 1907 |
| Bro. S. Mac Veigh | 1909 |
| Rev. A. Barry | 1909 |
| Ed. O'Sullivan (Juvenist) | 1911 |
| Bro. G. Walsh | 1916 |
| Bro. J. Lynas | 1917 |
| Rev. E. O'Laverty | 1917 |
| Rev. C. Geraghty | 1918 |
| Rev. F. Tierney | 1919 |
| Rev. D. Turner | 1926 |
| Rev. W. Cagney | 1928 |
| Rev. D. Tierney | 1929 |
| Rev. J. Cleere | 1931 |
| Rev. T. Walsh | 1931 |
| Bro. T. Tinsley | 1933 |
| Rev. T. Power | 1933 |
| Rev. J. Connolly | 1891 |
| Jr. Gearty (Juvenist) | 1934 |
| Rev. A. Maguire | 1934 |
| Rev. C. McDermott | 1934 |
| Rev. C. Hunt | 1938 |
| Rev. C. O'Flynn | 1939 |
| Rev. J. Collier | 1939 |
| Bro. S. Moloney | 1941 |
| Rev. E. O'Connor | 1941 |
| Rev. R. Murphy | 1943 |
| Rev. R. O'Flynn | 1944 |
| Bro. A. Fenlon | 1944 |
| Rev. C. O'Sullivan | 1949 |
| Rev. P. Murphy | 1949 |
| Bro. J. James | 1949 |
| Rev. A. Kelly | 1952 |
| Bro. K. Stapleton | 1954 |
| Rev. F. Russell | 1957 |
| Most Rev. P. Murray | 1959 |
| Very Rev. M. Curran | 1961 |
| Rev. R. Culhane | 1961 |
| Rev. J. Carr | 1962 |
| Rev. J. Lawlor | 1964 |
| Rev. S. Conneely | 1965 |
| Rev. J. Walsh | 1966 |
| Rev. M. Caoney | 1967 |
| Bro. J. Carville | 1968 |
| Bro. F. Buckley | 1968 |
| Rev. J. Scanlan | 1968 |
| Rev. R. Cleere | 1969 |
| Rev. J. Breen | 1969 |
| Rev. C. Kearns | 1969 |
| Rev. M. Hickey | 1969 |
| Rev. L. O'Halloran | 1970 |
| Rev. C. Reynolds | 1970 |
| Rev. J. Reynolds | 1971 |
| Bro. P. Magee | 1971 |
| Rev. A. O'Connor | 1972 |
| Bro. P. O'Sullivan | 1974 |
| Bro. C. McDonnell | 1973 |
| Bro. J. O'Sullivan | 1974 |
| Rev. T. Connolly | 1974 |
| Rev. J. Deeney | 1975 |
| Rev. D. Murphy | 1976 |
| Rev. J. Whelan | 1976 |
| Bro. T. Murphy | 1976 |
| Rev. C. Power | 1980 |
| Rev. M. Fox | 1983 |
| Rev. W. Murphy | 1981 |
| Rev. C. O'Connell | 1983 |
| Rev. T. Roche | 1986 |
| Rev. M. Coffey | 1986 |
| Bro. E. O'Dwyer | 1988 |
| Rev. L. C. O'Carroll | 1989 |
| Rev. J. McGrath | 1989 |
| Rev. S. M. Magnier | 1990 |
| Rev. J. Power | 1991 |
| Rev. W. Daly | 1991 |
| Rev. T. Long | 1993 |
| Rev. M. Baily | 1995 |
| Bro. P. J. Moore | 1996 |
| Bro. P. Kinsella | 1997 |
| Bro. M. Carey | 1997 |
| Rev. T. M. Magnier | 1999 |
| Rev. Colm Norris | 2001 |
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