About Us

St Joseph & St Patrick is a Parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paisley. It is a community of faith seeking to live the presence of Jesus Christ by the way we worship God, celebrate the sacraments, proclaim the Gospel, and serve one another and our neighbours.

Canon Michael McMahon

Canon Michael McMahon is currently our Parish Priest. He was appointed by Bishop John Keenan in September 2026. He was ordained to the Priesthood on 3 July 1985 following his formation in Rome and Jerusalem.
He previously served in:

St John the Evangelist, Barrhead
St Mirin's Cathedral, Paisley
Our Lady of Lourdes, Bishopton
St John the Baptist, Port Glasgow

Most recently he was Parish Priest in St Conval's, Linwood from October 2015 until September 2026.

He also served as Director of Studies at Scotus College, as school chaplain, hospital chaplain and Vicar Episcopal for Education and Adult Formation.

Canon Desmond Berry

Canon Michael was preceded by Canon Desmond Berry as Parish Priest since October 2010 when he was appointed by Bishop Philip Tartaglia. He was ordained to the Priesthood on 29 June 1976.

The Parish was first established as a mission station at Inverkip in 1869. It transferred to Wemyss Bay in 1887 when a wooden chapel was formally opened on 28 Aug 1887 by Archbishop Charles Eyre of Glasgow.

On 23 Jun 1901 the present church was formally dedicated. It was designed by Pugin and built at a cost of £1,200 to accommodate 200 parishioners. From its inception, the mission of Wemyss Bay was served from Largs until the creation of the Paisley Diocese in 1947 when it came under St Ninian's, Gourock. In 1968 Fr Hugh Gallagher was appointed priest-in-charge. On his transfer in 1969, Wemyss Bay reverted to St Andrew's, Greenock.

It became a Parish in its own right on 17 Sep 1971 when Fr Vincent Grace took up residence.