Little church with big history opens for Heritage Weekend

By Eddie McIlwaine

THE little church of St Catherine’s at Aldergrove with its cemetery of war graves will be a focal point of European Heritage Weekend on Saturday, Sunday September 10 and 11 when visitors will pass through its traditional lych gate to fulfil their passion for history.

This place of worship, built in 1712 before man learned to fly, has a long association since the 1920s with the Royal Air Force which is still at this military base although it is now the home too of the Royal Navy, the Army and the Army Air Corps and is known simply as Flying Station, Aldergrove.

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In fact, St Catherine’s is the only civilian church in the UK inside a military establishment - a fact that will intrigue visitors on a weekend dedicated to making people aware of their heritage and will bring people flocking from all over Northern Ireland.

The association with flying and aircraft is further perpetuated by the fact that one of St Catherine’s distinguished members, Lord Jim Molyneaux of Killead, actually served in the RAF during World War 11.

There’s a certain charm about this little church – named after St Catherine of Alexandria or as she was sometimes known, Catherine of the Wheel - whose day is November 25.

She grew up to become a noted scholar in the early fourth century, the daughter of Constus, the Governor of Alexandria in Egypt and as a young woman she attempted to convert the Roman Emperor Maxentius to Christianity. Instead the Emperor condemned her to death on an instrument of torture known as the Breaking Wheel.

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But it refused to function after Catherine touched it and during her time in prison she converted her guards so eventually Maxentius had this good lady beheaded.

Today St Catherine’s Church, where the Rev William Orr is now rector, is one of the oldest in the Diocese of Connor, dedicated in 1712 by the Bishop of Down and Connor Rt Rev E. Smith on St Catherine’s Day that year.

The church is a listed building, refurbished in 2003 and about to celebrate its 300th anniversary next year. Naturally in a place of worship with such an association with military affairs the walls are decorated with plaques recalling old soldiers and flyers.

Three years ago Prince Charles and his wife Camilla unveiled a memorial peace window in St Catherine’s to mark the return of normality, the end of the troubles in the province and the winding up of Operation Banner.

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But there are more ancient tablets too like the Heyland Waterloo Memorial installed in 1815 in memory of Major Arthur Rowland Heyland who was killed at the Battle.

The Pakenham Tablet – mentioning an aristocratic family with a long association with the Killead parish – is in memory of Lieut-Colonel Edward Pakenham, Lieut-Colonel Charles W. Pakenham and their sister Elizabeth C. Thistlethwaite who all died in the mid-19th century.

On different pew ends there are 12 Army and nine RAF tablets which represent personnel who served at Aldergrove and who worshipped at the church during their time here.

There are plaques dedicated to church members who served in the world wars – and by the choir box is a chair with a difference – the Molyneaux seat, presented a few years ago to Lord Jim to mark his distinguished career as politician and his long connection with St Catherine’s and its sister church, Gartree on the Lough Neagh shore.

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And out in the churchyard are those 46 military headstones on the graves of young airmen who died in crashes while training here with the RAF and the Army Air Corps during World War 11.

And here too is an Oak Tree plaque in memory of former Army chaplain and St Catherine’s rector the Rev Arthur Guthrie who was awarded the Military Cross for his bravery at Anzio.

Members of the parish will be in attendance during Heritage Weekend to show visitors around the church and its cemetery and refreshments will be provided.