About the Church
The original 1790 RC Church in Caragh was situated in the old cemetery in the village, approximately three miles from Caragh and served the community for many years. However during the 1950’s this old building was in a very poor condition and it was decided to build a new church on a site on the hill of Caragh donated by the Robinson family. This church was blessed and officially opened on 1st May 1960 by Bishop Thomas Keogh.
This gothic style Church has a 100ft high Anglo-Norman tower. This is capped with a slated pinnacle and is flanked on either side by a cone shaped chapels which contain the Baptistery and Mortuary which contain six small stained glass windows from the 1790 Church. The main door features Celtic moulding.
Inside the church is a plaque honouring Fr. Jeremiah Bennett, PP (1954 – 1987) on the 70th anniversary of his ordination in June 1996. He died in 1997.
More than fifty years have elapsed since the opening of the Church of Our Lady and St Joseph, Caragh. During this period dramatic changes have taken place in the established church and it seemed obvious that if the church in Caragh was to remain a vibrant force and a focal point in the community that it should be reordered to ensure it is a building suitable for all modern liturgical requirements while also fulfiling all present health and safety regulations. It was therefore decided that the Church of Our Lady and St Joseph should be reordered and that the work should be carried out in 2010 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the original opening of the church in 1960.
The building was designed by architects, Martin Murray and the physical work was by a team of architects and engineers working in close liaison with a small group of local advisors. The actual physical work carried out by the builders was preceded by a very big local team effort that took place in the week immediately after Christmas when everything was removed from the church and placed in safe keeping. The contractor, Pat Moore of Portlaoise commenced operations on 4 January and work was completed by early May.
To meet the requirements of a modern church and to make it more accessible to the congregation a number of significant changes were introduced. These include repositioning the main and side alters and the creation of a large welcoming area inside the main entrance. New heating and sound systems were installed, together with new floor surfaces and realignment of the stairs leading to the gallery. These changes were aimed at producing a spiritual and comfortable atmosphere in which the congregation and priest are able to worship in close harmony.
Other structural changes included the creation of a new sacristy and the installation of community rooms, storage spaces and catering facilities. These community rooms are designed to cater for parish activities such as meetings of the pastoral council and various parish committees, choir rehearsals, exhibitions and social occasions.
About the Cache
You will need to bring a pen, but to compensate, you can park within a meter or so of the cache. No need to thank me.
About Church Micros
The Church Micro IE series is open to everyone; if you have a church you would like to place a cache at then please contact THE_Chris through Geocaching.com. This is to keep track of the numbers of the churches and give you the general format for the cache page. In the UK there are thousands in the series so we have some catching up to do! Also, if you currently have a published cache at a church that you would like to include in the series, get in contact with THE_CHRIS and he can add it.