Woodworkers craft new crosses for church

TWO talented woodworkers from Newtownstewart have crafted 14 brand new crosses to breathe new life into the internal architecture of St Eugene’s Church at Glenock.

Kevin Kerrigan and Steven Moore meticulously created decorative pinnacle crosses for each of the 14 wooden frames that make up the ‘Stations of the Cross’, located within the Newtownstewart church.

The pair, working free-of-charge using wood that they donated to the church, carved the new crosses using oak, measuring an inch thick in diameter, and 9.75 inches in height.

The crosses are double-dowelled into the tops of the frames, and have been secured using metal brackets at the rear.

Then, the two craftsmen lacquered the new crosses; matching them successfully with the colour and style of the old frames.

The duo, later, added new Roman numerals to each cross.

Delighted with the impeccable workmanship, parish priest, Fr Colhoun was full of praise for Kevin and Steven.

“The work that they did to restore is fantastic,” he said. “Their craftmanship was of top quality, and they were so generous to supply the material, their time and their skill.

“We will certainly enjoy the high-class restoration of our Stations of the Cross.”

Historial note: Stations of the Cross refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of his crucifixion, and accompanying prayers.

The installation of Stations of the Cross in churches dates back to the 1600s; though the devotional practice can be traced back as far as the Middle Ages.

In St Eugene’s Church at Glenock, the Stations were originally produced in Paris in the nineteenth century, and the French inscriptions are visible on each tableau.

The oak frames that house the imagery, however, were probably made in Ireland, and they were installed in January 1871.

Over the last 152 years, these Stations have undergone several restorations.

Before Kevin and Steven crafted the brand new pinnacle crosses for the oak frames, the Station’s original crosses had long-since been replaced by plywood versions that had deteriorated beyond repair.