Back in April, we brought to your attention the story of the saving of St. Walburge Catholic Church in Preston, Lancashire -- the tallest Church in the United Kingdom [see here].
The well-loved and iconic Catholic church of St Walburge, Preston has been given a promise of a sustainable future and a new lease-of-life following an announcement on Sunday 6 April 2014 by the Bishop of Lancaster, the Rt Rev Michael G Campbell OSA.
The announcement (in a Pastoral Message) was that Bishop Michael Campbell and Monsignor Gilles Wach, General Prior of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, together with Parish Priest Father Simon Hawksworth, have agreed to establish a foundation of the Institute at the Church of St Walburge, Preston in the early autumn. The arrival and presence of the Institute – a society of Apostolic life of Pontifical right – will, according to Bishop Campbell enable the church to be open each day (which it is not at present) so as to become a shrine or centre for Eucharistic devotion and adoration. The shrine will specifically provide for the celebration of Holy Mass and the other Sacraments in the Extraordinary Form.
Now, a follow-up story from Regina Magazine, on what is looking like a miraculous Christmas season coming for the parishioners:
Father Christmas Comes Home To St. Walburge
By Michael Durnan
Canon Altiere is a newly-ordained priest with the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign priest (ICKSP) at the new Shrine of St. Walburge in Preston, a historically Catholic town in northern England. A year ago, however, Saint Walburge’s fate hung by a thread. Though a most beloved landmark – and a center of faith going back 150 years — changing demographics had rendered its future very uncertain.
Read the rest by clicking here.
