In the middle of last [19th] century the Catholics of Baillieston at first attended Mass at St. Mary's, Glasgow, and afterwards at St. Patrick's, Coatbridge, when the Rev. Walter Dixon gave Sunday School in the village. In 1857 they were attached to the mission of Eastmuir, now Shettleston. On the 5th January, 1874, a day school was opened with an attendance of 128. Mass was said for the first time on Christmas Day of the same year. In September, 1876 Baillieston was erected into a separate mission, the first resident priest being the Rev. Thomas Lonergan, who was succeeded in 1878 by the Rev. Richard Edgecome. The Rev. Peter H. Terken was appointed to the charge on 11th October, 1879. He found the number of the congregation to be 1249, and the average attendance at the day school 155. Fr. Terken built a new spacious chapel-school, which was opened on 23rd May, 1880, when the present Archbishop [Maguire] preached the sermon. In the following year two districts were added from Whifflet Mission, bringing the Catholic population up to 1500. In 1881 the presbytery was built, and in 1885 a hall was obtained for the League of the Cross. The church built on the designs of Messrs. Pugin & Pugin was opened on 24th September, 1893, by the late Archbishop [Eyre]. In 1904 more ground was secured, and the school was considerably enlarged, completing the handsome group of Mission buildings. As showing the development at Baillieston, it is interesting to note that the school average attendance, which began in 1874 as 128, was 227 in 1886, 354 in 1896, and 484 in 1906. The present Catholic population is 2,037.
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