Two churches could face closure in a bid to streamline resources and ensure the long-term sustainability of Catholic worship in the island.
The Catholic Church in Jersey is exploring the possibility of reducing the number of churches within the island, and has launched a consultation on the subject.
Following queries from Express, a spokesperson for the church confirmed that an initial review is considering two locations for closure.
St Mary and St Peter Church could shut its doors, as it is located within just one mile of St Thomas’ Church – Jersey’s largest catholic church, which sees 76% of the island’s Mass-attending population.
St Patrick’s Church in St Clement is also being considered for closure.
To ensure that we become financially sustainable and can develop our plans for mission, we are considering whether we should rationalise the number of churches we maintain
The Catholic Church in Jersey
The church said the change would enable resources, including clergy and volunteers, to better serve the five other locations in the island.
It would also release financial resources “in terms of the money currently spent keeping these churches open and funds from a possible sale”, the spokesperson said.
Seventeen years after Jersey’s three Catholic parishes merged to form a single parish, the parish facilities still largely reflect the old configuration, according to the church.
In recent years, the parish has been working to foster a greater sense of unity – with island-wide celebrations of Christmas, Easter and other weekly events replacing separate services across multiple churches.
Plans are also being developed to create more opportunities for parishioners to come together for faith development and social activities, grow youth engagement, and to make parish halls more accessible for community use.
However, the church spokesperson explained that these efforts are being hindered by the financial and practical burden of maintaining multiple buildings.
They said: “Given the commitment of resources required, we believe it is timely to reflect on the current and proposed future configuration of our parish.
“To ensure that we become financially sustainable and can develop our plans for mission, we are considering whether we should rationalise the number of churches we maintain.”
The consultation will run until Sunday 23 November.