Guest Book

We'd like to know what you think about our web site. Please leave your comments in this public guest book so we can share your thoughts with other visitors. It may take up to 24 hours for your comments to appear on this page. Thank you. We have recently experienced a lot of unsuitable 'spam' in the Guest Book; to prevent this could you please use the 'Contact us' link on the Home page to leave your comments. Sorry for the inconvenience.

 

Louise Middlesbrough 21/02/2006	My baby was baptised here on 19/02/06 and it was the most memorable day.  I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone that helped make the day so special, from family to members of the parish, all their help was most appreciated. Thank you.
Martin East Kilbride 01/04/2006	This is a very informative and professionally created website, it was a pleasure to visit it, as was visiting the church itself! Keep up the good work.
Mike Lyons Newport, South Wales 02/04/2006	I'd been sent a link to the web site and was pleasantly surprised to see that it's both very informative and professional. I've used my own business web site and have reached a great number of people that I couldn't possibly have done by conventional means. I'm sure that there will be many people who will now be able to keep track of the church activities day & night. How long will it be before you can set up video cam of service events 'live'!!!! All the very best with the site.
Moyra O'Neil Poole, Dorset 02/04/2006	Great web site with loads of information, particularly the Mass times and the Bulletin page.  Wish my church had one, I will suggest it. Look forward to visiting the church again soon.
Willie Kilwinning 12/06/2006	Well presented website I visit the church regularly and was particularly interested in the history of the the new church and the old garrison church along with all the serving priests, very informative especially the piece on the late Fr Conliss. I enjoyed his sermons and I was touched with sadness when I learned of his death. I wish the website all the best in the future and I am sure it will be a source of inspiration and information for the catholic and non catholic community of Millport.
Ian Pannell Broadstairs, Kent 13/06/2006	Hello. my name is Ian Pannell. My mother took my elder brother Anthony and to myself to the safety of the island during the dark days of 1940, My younger brother was born on the island in 1941. I well remember the old chapel - in those days it seemed to be hidden away, but the new site looks great and look forward to attending a service when I next visit the island.
Kevin East Kilbride 18/07/2006	Very nice site and good lay out. Its very well put together. The picture of the church has lots of memories flooding back to me. I used to spend my holidays at this church throughout the 80s with Fr. Charles Mathews and my aunt Mary O'Brien who was his housekeeper. Its nice to see a photo of both of them in the gallery. They were both great people, Fr. Mathews was so outgoing funny 'all the time' and Mary was the kindest person you could ever wish to meet. I'm sure they are still well remembered in Millport. (They moved to West Kilbride parish about 1987) I only have good memories of Millport and of the people of the island, and especially of the church itself. I remember selling scones at the coffee mornings on hot days right in the middle of that lawn with my aunt Mary. Its nice to see it looks just how I remember it. with the exception of some benches at the grotto which weren't there at the time. I hope to visit again one day soon but it will be tinged with sadness as neither Mary or Fr. Mathews is with us any more. My email is available from the Web Editor if anyone who remembers Fr. Mathews or Mary, or me. (the little freckly boy) would like to respond back to me. Thanks.
Dave & Gloria (Millar) Poissant Toronto, Canada 31/07/2006	Hello from Toronto, Canada I was so delighted to read the history of your church and when I saw Andrew Linden, Forrester, I couldn't believe my eyes. My great-grandparents were Mary Toole (1858-1933) and Andrew Linden (1857-1932) and I knew they belonged to the Catholic Church but could not find record of them. Do you have any record of Mary and Andrew?  I know they moved to Largs from Millport but am not aware of the year.  In Largs, they lived at Gardener's Cottage, Warrenpark, Largs.  In Millport they lived at Balloch Cottages.  Thank you for reading my message.  I look forward to hearing from you.   My email address is available from the Web Editor.
Evelyn Guddat Cheltenham 03/08/2006	It has been good to read the comments of people who have visited the site, and the connections they have had with the church and the island.  I pray that The Lord will use these connection to stir up His people, to be in touch and feel they are a part of the bigger picture. Although I have left the island I am encouraged when I see the positive feed back from people who remember the church and take the time to submit their comments.
Cecilia & David Prestwick 10/09/2006	Excellent Web Pages. Easy to navigate giving all the information required. We also liked the Gallery pages.
Avril Rennie Seamill 26/09/2006	I have found your nice web-site.  Congratulations! You may be interested to know that the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Millport, was designed by my father, the late Robert Rennie, who had an architectural practice in Saltcoats, Ayrshire, for many years. My father was Senior Partner in the firm he founded and which traded under several names, over a period of 50 or 60 years.  Namely: - Robert Rennie, Chartered Architect.  Robert Rennie & Watson, Architects.  Rennie, Watson & Starling, Architects.  My father died in 1969 and the firm carried on without him for about 25 years.  Then, sadly, the remaining partner, Angus Starling, decided to wind the firm up.  Whether or not any records or drawings of the design of your church still exist, I cannot guess.  Perhaps Mr Drew Watson and Mr Angus Starling will know what was done with the records.  Neither gentleman was involved in the design of your church, but they may have been involved in maintenance work and any subsequent alterations. Mr Drew Watson and Mr Angus Starling both live locally, in West Kilbride. In fact, my late father designed several churches in Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, and Islay.  I wish I knew their names, as it would be interesting to visit them now.  Judging by the online photos of your church, his designs have stood the test of time very well.  A lot of architecture doesn't do that, nowadays! My late parents both knew Father Gunning well and he used to visit our family here, at Carlton, Seamill.  When Father Gunning died, my mother was very sad and sorry to hear about it.  She always held "Our Lady of Perpetual Succour" in great affection. My mother's aunt, the late Mrs Helen Drummond, lived for many years in a small flat in Guildford Street, near the Garrison.  My mother's connections with Millport went back a long way.  Her grandmother owned a big house called Ravenscraig which Millport residents will know very well. I hope there are some snippets here of interest to you.  Good luck with the web-site!
Theresa Forsyth (maiden surname Starrs) 19/10/2006	I happened today upon the church website and what a pleasure it has been.  It is a well designed website giving lots of information, both past and present.  Well done, Millport congregation; you're ahead of your time.  You wont find many churches in Glasgow with their own websites. For me, it was a trip down memory lane.  Imagine my surprise when I clicked on the Gallery to find myself looking back at me!   Both my brother and myself are in the photograph of the last confirmation to take place in the old chapel.   Little did I know that I was making history as well as my confirmation.   I always knew I would one day, though!    I hadn't realised till now that we were the last group to be confirmed there. I remember the old chapel well.  I was baptised there in 1948, made my first communion there and was confirmed there.   I still have the photo that is in the gallery, along with my first communion photograph and another confirmation photograph with the children and their parents. I was at the ceremony for the laying of the foundation stone and the opening of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour.  We had been well warned on pain of death by Father Gunning to behave or else.  To me, a child, the foundation stone  ceremony seemed to go on for ever.   It was a very hot day and people were fainting in the heat. ( what happened to those long, hot summers of yesteryear?) I have very fond memories of both Father Gunning and Father Kiernan.  Father Boyd, I met only briefly before I moved on to pastures new.  Father Gunning had a little dog, a terrier called Tim.  Tim came to school each morning with Father Gunning to our Religious Instruction class.  Father Gunning instructed Tim to go behind the blackboard and sit there till the lesson was done!   The dog did this, in fact, he was probably better behaved than us!   When Father Gunning left, he gave me a beautiful set of rosary beads. Of Father Kiernan I remember there was always a twinkle in his eye.  He had a good sense of humour.  I think you will find too, that he was the person who introduced Bingo to the island.  In those days, none of us on the island had heard of bingo.  He taught us and soon had us all hooked.  Father Kiernan used to give us prizes when he came to school to go over our religious instruction - holy medals and pictures.  What an incentive they were.  Every night the catechism was learned inside out to achieve one of these coveted prizes.  Those certainly were the days. Thank you for bringing those and other memories back to me.   It was great to see so many weel kent faces in the photographs and to see that some are still going strong and supporting the church as they always did. God Bless all of you.
Dave & Gloria (Millar) Poissant Toronto, Canada 7/11/2006	Should this photo have value in the history of The Old Garrison Chapel, Millport, I believe it may be added to your gallery.  Pictured are my great-grandparents, Andrew Linden (mentioned in the history, below) and his wife Mary Toole. "The half-dozen, more or less, Catholics of the island who wished to attend Mass were transported to Largs by Andrew Linden, forester for the Marquis of Bute".
Ian Mitchell Ardrossan 16/11/2006	Nice site. I remember going to Mass in the Church on a School trip with Saltcoats St Mary's in the early 1970's. I also remember Father Gunning and Father Kiernan very well. Both were Priests at St Brendans in Saltcoats which was my Parish until I got married in 1986. It was Father Kiernan who carried out the ceremony.