Home / Business and Economy / Historic Church Faces Closure: Parishioners Fight Back
Historic Church Faces Closure: Parishioners Fight Back
20 Jan
Summary
- Nearly 200 people attended a meeting to save the historical St Joseph's Church.
- The church, run by Benedictine monks since the 1700s, may close service by end of January.
- Parishioners rejected a proposed merger with a neighboring church.
A passionate meeting saw nearly 200 attendees unite to prevent the closure of St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church in central Lancashire. This historic church has been under Benedictine monastic care since the 1700s.
The Archdiocese of Liverpool has taken over parish responsibilities, but Archbishop John Sherrington announced that services at St Joseph's must cease by the end of January due to insufficient priestly staffing.
Archbishop Sherrington's proposal for a merger with St Bede's Church in Clayton Green was met with unanimous opposition from parishioners. Bren Cook, part of a transitional group, noted the Archbishop's surprise at the "100% disagreement."
The church, built in 1786 when Catholic places of worship were restricted, is one of England's oldest Catholic parishes. Its monastic community, once 169 strong in the mid-1960s, had dwindled to about a quarter of that size by October 2025, leading to the recall of its last priest.
Concerns were raised about the lack of dialogue with the diocese and the potential negative impact on advancing the Catholic faith, especially among younger people. Parishioners argued that St Joseph's was a vibrant, "thriving" community despite broader trends of declining worshipper numbers.
The consultation process with the Archdiocese of Liverpool concludes on January 22, 2026. Archbishop Sherrington stated that all submissions will be carefully reviewed before a further update is provided.
