St Austin’s had enjoyed the privilege of four, sometimes five priests in the past but the overall shortage of priests in the Diocese eventually began to be reflected in the fact that this number was cut to three and then to two.  With only one curate to assist him, Canon Barr found himself hard pressed to cover the many different areas of the parish.  The chapels of ease at Outwood and Stanley had to close, a logical yet unpopular move, but even this can only have partially eased the increasing pressures on the clergy.

The church buildings had been largely neglected since the last refurbishment of the late 1950’s.  Furthermore when investigations were carried out it appeared that many earlier restorations and redecorations had simply papered over problems and left them for future generations to deal with.  The Lady Chapel in particular was in danger of substantial damage due to its apparent lack of foundations.

A programme of restorations was required.  The work was extensive, time consuming and expensive yet absolutely necessary for the future survival of the building.  In the meantime, in an act of unprecedented Christian friendship, Wakefield Cathedral offered to allow Canon Barr and St Austin’s parishioners to celebrate Mass in the building not only on Sunday but every weekday until the restoration was complete.  The offer was accepted and made national as well as local headlines, it being the first time in history that such a regular arrangement had been in place.

Canon Barr also arranged for Mass to be said in the Chapel at Stanley Royd Hospital and moved into a flat in South Parade to allow the restorations to begin.  For several months this arrangement worked successfully until finally the restorations were complete and it was possible to move back into the building.

Canon Barr was to make local headlines again on several occasions.  First he celebrated mass in the Chantry Chapel, the first documented Catholic Mass since the Reformation.  Later he became a local hero when he ascended the Cathedral roof to talk down a man who had been threatening to jump.

The stress of the many changes and the heavy workload eventually took its toll on Canon Barr who began to suffer ill health.  In 1998 he moved to Clifford to take up an appointment as Parish Priest.