150 years in the parish of the Sacred Heart in Blackpool has been blessed in a special Mass.
Fr Denis Blackledge, the last Jesuit parish priest, and former sacristan Brother Andrew Atkinson SJ represented the British Province at the Mass, which was attended by around 120 parishioners.
The Jesuit Memorial Chapel is situated at the back of the church with the altar taken from the House Chapel. A newly restored statue of the Jesuit founder St Ignatius Loyola stands to one side of the altar, with a votive candle and kneelers for quiet prayer.
Fr Blackledge paid tribute to the Sacred Heart’s current parish priest, Canon Edmund Carey, and all those who had contributed to the chapel’s building and preparation.