In the early eighteen twenties, Coronea church became a noted place of pilgrimage when Rev. Patrick McCabe got the Lough Derg privileges for it to accommodate people who were unable to visit Lough Derg. So the practice arose of doing the Lough Derg exercises at Coronea. The present church was built in 1926 when James Judge was parish priest, at a cost of £12,230. It stands at the foot of Bruise Hill and is built of local stone, with Newry granite dressings. It is of Gothic design and the deeply recessed front entrance is surmounted by a graceful stone belfry. The architect for the church was W.H. Byrne & Son, Dublin and the contractor was Felix O’ Hare from Warrenpoint. The altars were designed by Edmund Sharpe of Dublin.
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