FOR MORE than 175 years, St Joseph's Catholic Church in Nechells has stood as a symbol of Birmingham's Irish story.
Built to serve Irish families who fled the Famine, the church has welcomed generations of people, and has marked countless baptisms, weddings and funerals.
But now the historic church is falling apart.
A structural inspection has found its bell tower to be unsafe, leaving the main entrance closed and repairs costing up to £350,000.
Leading the appeal to save the church is Cork native Nora Warnaby, who arrived in Birmingham in 1955 and has devoted much of her life to preserving the city's Irish heritage.
"I came from Mallow, County Cork, to Birmingham to train as a nurse 71 years ago," Nora said. "It was the 4th of July 1955."
Although she is an associate of the Presentation Sisters, rather than a nun herself, Nora has become one of St Joseph's biggest champions.
"It was a church that I was really interested in because of its historical significance," she said.
Apprentices from Malcolm McDermot Irish Builders volunteering to help alongside some parishioners (Photo by St Joseph's Catholic Church)"It was mainly for the Irish who settled here in the 1800s and Italians as well later on. The graves, a lot of them are of Irish and Italian origins. Now more and more people, third and fourth generations, are being buried there as well."
The church was consecrated in September 1850 after being designed by the Gothic Revival architect Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin.
It was originally built as a cemetery chapel to serve the wave of Irish migrants arriving in Birmingham during the years of the Great Famine.
As Birmingham's Irish Catholic population grew, the church was extended in 1871 by Pugin's son, Edward Welby Pugin.
Today, the church remains surrounded by five acres of historic cemetery, where generations of Irish families have been laid to rest.
For Nora, the setting is unlike anywhere else in the city.
"The church is so beautiful, and it's sacred. There's magic about it somehow," she said.
"It's in the most dreary part of Birmingham, and it's a complete oasis in a desert of falling down concrete buildings."
Despite the safety fencing around the building, St Joseph's is still open for daily mass.
St Joseph's Catholic Church in Birmingham is hoping to raise £350,000 (WikiCommons/Photo by Basil Jean)"People see the gates and think it's closed, but it isn't," Nora said.
"The bell tower is over the main entrance, and we can't use it anymore, it’s too dangerous. We've got to go around to use the side entrance.”
The closure of the front entrance has made it harder for wheelchair users and funeral services.
Yet the church continues to thrive as more than simply a place of worship.
"The church is not just for Catholics; it's a hub for the wider community," Nora said.
Alongside weekly Mass, St Joseph's hosts Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, Age Concern activities, youth groups, outreach projects, and coffee mornings.
"I managed to get Age Concern to do exercises with the elderly," Nora said. "The whole community is involved."
She also praised parish priest Father Solomon, an Eritrean refugee who now serves both St Joseph's and another parish.
"He plays the drums at the end of every Mass, and it's a very lively group," she said.
Nora hopes people will recognise that saving St Joseph's means preserving far more than bricks and mortar.
It means protecting an important chapter of Birmingham's Irish history.
"We could use all the help we could get with donations," she said.
After 175 years in their beautiful church, the parishioners of St Joseph's in Birmingham are hoping for 175 more.
If you wish to help out you can do so: here
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