St Edmund’s Church
Pastoral Letter on our mission in Godalming
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
There is much in which we can rightly rejoice at the moment. Stephen Bullivant and his colleagues in After Secularisation point to an unexpected renewal in the life of the church after the pandemic. We see it in our own parish in the growth in faith of so many of our brothers and sisters. Increasingly, Bullivant finds, being Catholic is not simply a cultural expression but a personal choice, made in response to a sense that God is at work in the church and that it is in and through the church that He gives us faith and hope to flourish in a complex and uncertain world.
An important skill in the mountains and in rock climbing is knowing when to press on and when to turn back. Sometimes the need to change plan and turn around emerges only slowly. Often it is because something that started as an outside possibility becomes a reality. It is a particular responsibility of the leader to make the decision to turn around even if it means that some of the group will be disappointed.
Over the last ten years the parish has carefully explored the possibility of selling St Edmund’s Church for residential development and in the last couple of years significant steps have been taken towards that end, including agreeing heads of terms for an option to purchase agreement with a potential developer.
Earlier this year we made an application to the Historic Churches Committee which would enable us to relocate the sacred art from St Edmund’s should the sale go through. As part of this process we have heard the views of Historic England, the amenity societies, had a visit from the Patrimony Committee of the Bishops’ Conference and sought informal advice from an experienced architectural historian specialising in churches.
It has become very clear in this process that it is highly unlikely that Planning Permission and Listed Building Consent would be granted for the conversion of St Edmund’s for residential use, particularly while the church is still in use.
In the light of this we should now make plans that account for St Edmund’s Church being a stable part of the mission of the church in the area.
The retention of St Edmund’s will continue to provide
· a beautiful church open for prayer and wonder in the heart of Godalming;
· a worthy church for the celebration of the liturgy for the glory of God and the sanctification of his people;
· a visible sign of the presence of the church in the community; and
· accommodation and working space for a priest in a community with a large number of Catholic families.
With the future use of St Edmund’s now certain, in the coming months we will be launching an appeal to see if we can raise some of the funds needed for repairs and maintenance and which will help us to hand on St Edmund’s to future generations as a place in which they can be inspired, encounter the living Lord and find Life in him.
What about St Joseph’s and Mass at St John’s? The future of these will emerge over time as plans develop for our new wider parish, and there will be prayerful conversations as part of this when the time is right.
In closing this phase of our parish life, I would like to express my thanks to all those who have worked on this with me and me predecessors and shared their wisdom and experience for the good of the Church.
As I said at the beginning, the Spirit is moving in the Church at the moment. I believe that clarity around the future of St Edmund’s will now enable us to focus on a mission that is underpinned by prayer and formation and lived through our personal witness and the works of mercy, hospitality and welcome.
With every blessing for you and your families,
Fr Jonathan
Frequently Asked Questions (Others may be added as appropriate)
What do we need to spend on the church? Core maintenance is expected to cost around £120k in 2027. It should be noted that these are the first works since 2009 and the first significant work for over 25 years. We anticipate further expenditure of £50k-£80k on the presbytery this year and next, including replacement of the heating system and some improvements to insulation.
What about improving access and facilities? We will do some small works to make the steps easier and in the future may look to provide a lift and accessible toilet but will not embark on this before the funds become available.
Can I see the advice you have received? Advice from Historic England and the Victorian Society can be found here (more may be added in the coming week). The other advice was received verbally. We could commission a formal expert report to confirm it, but this would cost a further £5k and would not be a good use of funds.
Can this decision be taken Sede Vacante (without a bishop)? Yes. The retention and maintenance of a church is what Canon Law expects a bishop to do. And to some extent this is an acceptance of a situation and its consequences rather than a decision to do something. It has been reviewed by the pastoral, finance and buildings teams of the former Godalming Parish, by the Finance and Pastoral teams of our new wider parish and by the Diocesan Trustees, Diocesan Administrator and College of Consultors.
Why did we not find this out earlier? It seems that the parish were breaking fairly new ground in seeking to obtain planning permission and listed building consent for a church that was still well used and not facing a catastrophic repair bill. Our experience will help other parishes who find themselves in a similar situation. It is likely that the Bishops’ Conference guidelines for closing churches will be updated to advise that heritage conservation reports from specialist consultants should be sought at an early stage, rather than only when getting close to a potential sale.