Sacred Heart Church

Sacred Heart Catholic Church 1899
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This is Sacred Heart RC Church, in Accrington.  It has now been demolished.  I have many great memories and some not so great from this sacred place.  I felt like I had to share this info, with you when I saw this picture.  When the church was being knocked down there was a last service mass held and it was a ticket only event.  I couldn't go on that evening and therefore missed it.
The church holds many memories for all of my family.  My mum and dad were married at the church as were her seven sisters.  Every week in Sunday best marching with my Nanna picking up all of my cousins along the way, to 11 o'clock mass.  My mum and dad were married here and so was every one of my mum's seven sisters.  Myself and my cousins were all christened at this church, and we all made our 1st communions and confessions here.  My grandparents' funeral services were conducted from this church.  Anyway I was working one Saturday morning and I only worked 1 in 4, and finished at lunch.  I decided to walk home rather than get the bus into town.  As I walked along Blackburn Road, I could see a group of men stood at the steps at the entrance to the church.  As I went past one of them looked down on me and nodded and smiled, they were locking the doors.  I asked what was going on and the gentleman said that it was the last time for the committee to pray inside the church as the alter was being transferred to Italy, then demolition work would start later that day. He asked me if I wanted to quickly go and say a few prayers.  I was very emotional after, the thoughts of three generations of my family connection to the church, and when I came outside the gentleman took my hand and said 'You're a very special girl today, you're the very last person to pray in the church', and he locked the door.  I will never forget the strangest but complete feeling as I walked home that day.  I never saw the man again but I thank him for letting me say goodbye.        
Also another very true fact with regard to this church is that Father Dean Desmond was the resident priest for the parish for many, many years and he dropped dead of a heart attack one day whilst conducting a funeral service.