Northern ‘gem’ handed to traditionalists

An iconic church in the Diocese of Lancaster has been handed to the traditionalist Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest.

The Grade I-listed St Walburge’s, pictured right, in Preston, will be turned into a shrine for eucharistic devotion and adoration by the order. This is the second landmark church in the north of England given to the institute, which exclusively celebrates the sacraments in the old rite. In 2012 it was given responsibility for Sts Peter, Paul and Philomena in New Brighton, Merseyside – known as the “Dome of Home”.

Built in the mid-nineteenth century by Joseph Hansom, St Walburge’s is the largest church in the Diocese of Lancaster, with a capacity for over 1,000. But in recent years its future has come into question due to ­the declining number of Catholics in the centre of Preston and a diocesan-wide review of parishes that began in 2007.

In a pastoral message, the Bishop of Lancaster, Michael Campbell, said that some priests and people in the diocese urged a withdrawal from inner Preston in order to concentrate resources elsewhere. “There are some voices – even now – who tell me that the presence of the Catholic Church in inner-Preston is finished,” he wrote.
But Bishop Campbell wrote that the arrival of the institute, due in the autumn, “will enable the sustainability” of the church. The bishop added that it is envisaged that St Walburge’s will be open daily with the extraordinary form celebrated every day and the ordinary form of Mass celebrated each Sunday “for as long as there is a pastoral need.” Fr Simon Hawksworth will remain as the parish priest. 

The institute, founded in 1990, has around 70 priests and is based in Florence.