Our Lady and St Paul’s in Heywood set to close under new plans from Salford Diocese

Diocese of Salford

Our Lady and St Paul’s in Heywood is to close as part of the Diocese of Salford revised plan for the future organisation of its parishes and churches.

The new plan, released by the Bishop of Salford, Rt Rev John Arnold, followed a consultation process from initial plans in June 2016 which saw over 2000 responses.

The document illustrates how the diocese can be better organised to reflect the number of people regularly attending church and the number of priests in the diocese. These changes include a number of parish amalgamations and church closures.

In the Deanery of St Therese of Lisieux covering Rochdale and Bury, this means the reduction of parishes from 20 to 13. The new document also recommends the closure of the building at Our Lady and St Paul’s, Heywood.

Just over 100 parishes will be involved in amalgamations across the Diocese including the closure of 22 churches overall, three of which are not currently used. No decisions on the future use of closed churches has yet been made, and will be considered on individual cases.

Salford Diocese says: “These changes have been developed to encourage parishioners to support and manage the general administration of parishes. This is intended to give priests more time to perform their pastoral duties, including the celebration of Mass, ministering to the sick, elderly and infirm and working in schools and colleges with young people.”

Bishop Arnold said: “This plan is a real chance to make changes that will help build, sustain and grow parishes fit for future generations. Not just for members of our Church in Rochdale but also for the wider community we live in.

“The plan allows the Diocese of Salford to look forward, creating outward facing parishes, responding to the call from Pope Francis to develop ‘missionary parishes’. The Catholic Church plays an essential role in delivering key services across the world and we have some excellent examples of local projects and groups here in Salford. I am hopeful these changes will support these projects to continue and enable other projects to emerge.

“I understand that where churches are closing this will be met with initial sadness from parishioners. But I am sure that these feelings can be overcome as our new communities come together in prayer and to welcome one another.”

Currently, the Deanery of St Therese of Lisieux has 20 parishes, 24 churches and 17 diocesan priests. After consultation, the Diocese are now proposing 13 parishes, 22 churches, and 12 diocesan priests.

Proposed parishes under new plans:

1. Sacred Heart and Holy Family
2. St Mary, Littleborough and St Patrick
3. St Vincent, Norden
4. Our Lady and St Joseph, Heywood (with closure of Our Lady’s church)
5. St Peter and St Thomas More
6. Our Lady of the Assumption, Langley and St Agnes & St John Fisher
7. Guardian Angels and St Hilda
8. St Joseph, Ramsbottom
9. St Marie and St Joseph
10. St Mary and St Philip Neri, Radcliffe and St Michael and St Bernadette, Whitefield (two priests)
11. Our Lady of Grace, Prestwich
12. Our Lady of Dolours (served by the Servite community)

There is a proposal, different to the June consultation, which requires further consideration:

13. St Gabriel and the Angels and St John the Baptist

A full list of the changes can be found at www.dioceseofsalford.org.uk