AN appeal has been made for memories of a Selkirk Church ahead of its 150th anniversary.

Our Lady and St Joseph’s Catholic Church was opened on April 22, 1866.

And ever since, it has been hosting Mass services for its flock from across the Royal and Ancient Burgh.

Later this year the Archbishop of St Andrew’s and Edinburgh, the Most Reverend Leo Cushley, will launch the anniversary celebrations with a Vigil Mass.

But ahead of the event an appeal has been made to create an anniversary booklet with stories and photos covering the past half century.

Peter Birney from Our Lady and St Joseph’s Catholic Church told the Border Telegraph: “We are going to produce an anniversary booklet to mark our 150 years.

“If anyone has any old photographs or old prayer sheets they would like us to share in the booklet, we’d like to hear from them.

“Likewise if anyone has any personal memories they would like to share we would be happy to go out and speak with them.

“We’d welcome anything of that nature which would bring back the memories.”

Mass had been said in Selkirk for two years before the Church opened, by the Jesuit Fathers of Galashiels in a school room built by the Duchess of Buccleuch.

James Hope Scott QC of Abbotsford, who was married to the grand-daughter of Sir Walter Scott, paid the £70 construction costs of the new Church on the High Street, which was built by Messrs Robert Hall and Son of Galashiels.

The parallelogram of 25 feet by 60 feet was designed to comfortably seat 300 people as well as leaving space for a sanctuary.

Bishop Strain of the eastern-district of Scotland solemnly opened the Church in the April.

The altar was decorated with flowers and other ornaments from Bowhill House, Abbotsford House and Huntlyburn House.

And the first sermon was preached by the Rev Father Noble of Leith on ‘The Mystery and Fruits of the Real Presence of Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist’.

In the afternoon the Rev Father MacLeod preached on ‘The Doctrine of the Patronage and Invocation of Saints’ with a special reference to St Joseph as the saint of the day.

Exactly 150 years on, Mr Birney and the rest of the current St Joseph’s congregation are hoping to have another landmark celebration.

He added: “The Most Reverend Leo Cushley will celebrate the 6pm Vigil Mass on Saturday, April 6.

“This will be followed by a social evening and buffet in the Church Hall.

“We have the artefacts connected with the Church as well as detailed history which will be used in our booklet but we are looking for the people’s stories.

“The Church wouldn’t exist without the people and we hope it will be the people who will keep the Church going for the next 150 years.”