A CHURCH in Barrow is facing closure as a result of falling congregation numbers.
Discussions between The Diocese of Carlisle and the parish have been ongoing for some time over the possible closure of St Francis Church in Ormsgill.
Parochial Church Council (PCC) members for the parish of St Francis and St Matthew’s deemed that it was not sustainable to keep the building open in light of falling congregation numbers, a spokesperson from the Diocese of Carlisle said.
In September 2024, the Mission and Pastoral Committee for the Archdeaconry of Westmorland and Furness considered draft proposals for the closure of the church, the uniting of the parish of St Francis with St Matthew with the adjacent parish of St James and the demolition of St Francis and redevelopment of its site for affordable housing.
The committee agreed to commence an initial consultation with statutory interested parties in accordance with the Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011.
At a meeting on 20 October 2024 the PCC of the parish of Saint Francis with Saint Matthew voted to pursue full closure of St Francis and to hold their final regular service in the building on 25 December 2024.
However, the closure process of the church is presently paused.
In March 2025 the Archdeaconry Committee concluded that it may be necessary to repeat the initial consultation with a revised proposal for redevelopment for supported living accommodation rather than for affordable housing.
The church currently remains open although not in regular use by the parish.
Before any closure can be brought about, the Church Commissioners will be required to publish a draft closure scheme for public consultation.
A spokesperson from the Diocese of Carlisle said: “The potential closure of any church building is a sad time for those who have worshipped within it.
"There needs to be a time for reflection but also for celebration of all that has gone before.
“We are also reminded that a church is not simply about a building but more the people who make up that church family.
“Our prayers are with all those who have worshipped at Barrow St Francis over the years and all those who have been touched by its mission and ministry."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel
You must verify your phone number before you can comment.
Please enter your phone number below, and a verification code will be sent to you by text message.
Please enter the six-digit verification code sent to you by SMS.
Your verification code has been sent a second time to the mobile phone number you provided.
Your verification code has been sent a third time to the mobile phone number you provided.
You have requested your verification code too many times. Please try again later.
Didn’t receive a code? Send it againThe code you entered has not been recognised.
Please try again
You have failed to enter a correct code after three attempts.
Please try again later.
Your phone number has been verified.
Your phone number has been stored with your account details. We will never use it for anything other than verifying that you are the legitimate owner of this account.