Local Area (inlcuding parish club - see below)

Parish Club - St Dominic's Parish Club has been an important part of the parish from its beginning.

When the parish began we only had the small chapel in Yew Tree Cemetery Chapel.  The first building in the parish was the Infant School.  The school hall was used as a church, a youth club and social club.  In recent years we have been celebrating the golden weddings of couples who met in the youth club.

We now have a fine club building which is available for Weddings, Birthdays and any other private functions.  It is also open each evening and at weekends.  There are flourishing football, darts, snooker, golf and other clubs as well as Bingo and a well supported over 50's club.

Manager:  Angela Barrett   0151 489 2798

St Dominic's Parish is almost equally divided between Knowsley and Liverpool.

THE LOCAL AREA

The housing estate that makes up most of the parish was built in the 1930's as an overspill from the centre of Liverpool.  The Borough of Knowsley came into existence in the reform of local government.  It consists of Kirkby, Huyton, Prescot and Halewood around the edge of the City of Liverpool.  The church was built in 1938 and underwent a major refurbishment in 1999.  There is a large Catholic cemetery in the parish, known as Yew Tree  Cemetery.  The chapel, dating back to the 1890's is still used as a chapel of ease.

The first parish priest was Fr Smith.  After him there were two priests who served the parish for over twenty years each: Fr Edward McNamee and Mons  Whitty.  In 1985 The Salesians were asked to take care of the parish.  At present the Parish priest is Fr George Robson.  Fr Peter Dooley is an assistant.  Fr James Gallagher lives in the parish house but acts as an adviser in secondary school religious education in the Diocese of Shrewsbury, and Fr Tony Frain is involved in youth work in our secondary schools and in the local area.

The part of the Parish that is in Knowsley makes up part of the North huyton New Deal for Communities Project.  This is a community led regeneration programme funded by the government to the tune of £55 million, spread over ten years.  The Board has a majority of elected community Directors.  Fr Robson, as the Faith Groups Representative has been Chairman of the Baord since the beginning of the project.  North Huyton New Deal New Future is a Company Limited by Guarantee.  The principal areas of concern that the Company seeks to address are Housing and the Environment; Crime and Safety; Employment and the local Economy; Education; Health; Youth and Community Participation.  Task Groups of local residents and agency officers devise projects to meet the needs of the people of the area.