Dwindling congregation forces church sale

Press, 23 June 1986, Page 9

Dwindling congregation forces church sale

A declining congregation and fewer services have led to the sale of a 110-year-old Catholic Church at Southbridge. A “for sale by tender” notice appeared in "The Press” on Saturday. Mr Frank Miessen, the local parish chairman, said that smaller congregations had recently meant that Southbridge parishioners could now fit in the Leeston church. For the last year the parish had been sharing a priest with Rakaia and

had had only one service at the week-end instead of two. “We also felt the upkeep (of the church and grounds) is beyond us now, not only financially but from a people point of view as well. We have not had the people interested in looking after the grounds recently.” Mr Miessen said the parish had tried for a year to keep the church going but had decided it was no longer worth it. Three persons had al-

ready inquired about purchasing the building, he said. Two wanted to convert the church and use it as a house, while a group wanted to use it as a hall. Mr Miessen said the church, which was built in 1876, was in excellent condition on the inside because it had been renovated about 15 years ago. The outside was in need of a little work. The church, in O’Connell Street, Southbridge, is on an acre of land.