Changes 1928 -1962
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				CHANGES TO THE CHURCH BUILDING The removal of the primary school from the church in 1928 had meant that Canon Hogan could make a number of changes. He had a wide doorway made in the east gable and he built up the door on the south side. In its place he put a baptistery. He had a choir balcony constructed at the east end, complete with a pipe organ. For many years Sister Mary Labre was the parish organist. A new holy water font was donated, as were a number of stained glass windows, made in Belgium, which were placed along the sidewalls. In 1933 three lancet windows were cut in the west gable above the altar, donated as a memorial to Mr. McCormick. Like the previous picture-hanging, they depicted the Crucifixion, as they still do! A confessional replaced the north entrance. The open fireplaces were built up; a central heating system installed; and the gas mantles replaced by electric lights. One of the first major events in the renovated church was the First Mass of Father George McCafferty, ordained in June, 1932. About the same time Mary Convill entered the Notre Dame Congregation and Kate Diamond entered the Society of the Faithful Companions of Jesus. In 1937 Theresa Rowe, like her sister, Margaret who in 1923 had been St. Mary's first Religious since the Reformation, also entered the FCJ Society. Canon Hogan died on 30 April, 1936 and was succeeded by Canon Martin Meagher. He was already old and in poor health and he died on 28 December, 1937. He was buried beside Canon Hogan in Knadgerhill cemetery. On 14 January, 1938 Father O'Reilly returned to St. Mary's as parish priest. The Second World War broke out in September, 1939. From 1943 Polish troops were encamped on the Burgh Moor. Most of them were Catholics and they had their own Polish Mass celebrated by their own chaplains, Father Bruzka and Father Gajdzik, in St. Mary's. When they left Irvine they made a huge brass candelabra which they presented to the church. It was lit by electricity and hung from the ceiling about halfway down the church until 1963. At the beginning of the war, in October, 1939, a fire had destroyed all St. Michael's School except the gymnasium. A replacement building was out of the question and so the secondary pupils moved in to the primary department and the younger children moved into the dining hall and the gymnasium. They stayed in the dining hall until huts were erected in 1941-2 and in the gymnasium until 1965, when the secondary school moved to a new building in Kilwinning and St. Mary's primary school regained its premises, its title and its own head, its first male, Mr. W. Bennett. Sister Pauline, Principal of the whole school since 1950, moved to Kilwinning as Head of the new St. Michael's. In 1950 Canon John Nicholas Murphy became parish priest. He remained in Irvine until his death on 1 December, 1955. Father Vincent Walker took his place as parish priest. By 1955 there were 1,550 Catholics in Irvine. On 30 June, 1957 St. Mary's rejoiced in its second Ordination, this time in the church, when Thomas McCann, B.Sc. became a priest. In 1962 Lawrence Byrne entered the Passionist Congregation and a few years later went to Botswana, Africa as a missionary.