Two of the Island’s Catholic churches are to close next week after the Bishop of Portsmouth agreed to proposals put forward by the Jersey parish.
St Mary and St Peter Church in Wellington Road, St Helier, and St Patrick’s Church in St Clement will close after mass services on Sunday 12 July, the parish confirmed in a statement yesterday.
The decision follows a consultation exercise late last year, and comes amid a backdrop of rising maintenance costs for the Island’s seven Catholic churches, alongside a decline in income.
The parish statement said: “We recognised that any question about the potential closure of a church was likely to arouse an emotional response.
“Each of our seven churches holds a cherished place in the life of our parish, they have been where the baptisms, weddings, and funerals of loved ones have taken place, and where week by week our Catholic faith has been celebrated.
“The potential closure of a church is not taken lightly, and should be approached with prayer, discernment and respect for the impact it may have on those with whom we form our one-island Catholic parish.”
The burden of repairing and maintaining seven churches tied up the parish’s funds, time and talents
Statement from the Parish of Catholic Church Jersey
Jersey has had a single Catholic parish since a restructuring exercise in 2009, which saw three parishes combined into a single Island-wide area.
The parish said St Mary and St Peter was less than a mile from the Island’s largest Catholic church, St Thomas’s Church in St Helier. An estimated 76% of islanders who attend mass do so at St Thomas’s.
Referring to the reasons behind the decision, the parish added: “The burden of repairing and maintaining seven churches tied up the parish’s funds, time and talents.
“In 2024-25, 17 % of our parish budget was spent on maintaining buildings and a further 11% on keeping them running.
“At the same time, our real income has declined by nearly 6% since 2019, while income raised through the offertory has declined by 37% since 2019.”
The parish concluded: “These changes will enable us to focus our resources, including our clergy and volunteers, to better serve the five other churches in our island parish.
“It will also release financial resources, both in terms of the money currently spent keeping these churches open and funds from a possible sale.”
