New Brighton’s Dome of Home, SS Peter and Paul, under threat again as secret plan is uncovered

Jun 25 2008 by Sue McCann, Wallasey News

A LANDMARK church is under threat again after secret plans by the Catholic authorities to share facilities with another denomination have been revealed.

The future of SS Peter and Paul in New Brighton – known to sailors as the Dome of Home because it is so visible from ships sailing into the Mersey, and entirely paid for by parishioners – had been in doubt since last year.

The diocese of Shrewsbury had announced its proposed closure by 2009, and since then a vigorous campaign has been waged to retain the building.

A letter from the Vatican to campaigners last month said there were “no current plans” to shut the church, leading many to hope it had been saved.

But now the chairman of the pressure group Soul (Save Our Unique Landmark), Frank McGowan, said his group had learned of plans to make SS Peter and Paul’s churchgoers share with a nearby Church of England site at All Saints church, without consultation.

Mr McGowan said the site of the church, which is Grade II listed and has the primary school - also called SS Peter and Paul adjacent – could also be extremely valuable because of its location and the views across Liverpool Bay.

After members of Soul met with the Bishop of Shrewsbury, the Rt Rev Brian Noble, in December, they said they felt optimistic about the diocese plans – only to find out later that a council of priests’ meeting, held a month earlier, had been told of two planned church closures – including SS Peter and Paul.

Mr McGowan said: “We realised at that point they were dead set on closing the church, and we found out recently they had been negotiating with the Anglican church to share with them.

“We feel let down by the diocese’s attitude; if they had come to us saying there was a strong case for closing SS Peter and Paul, I am sure we would have listened to them.”

Soul has since received a letter from the Anglican Chester diocese confirming negotiations on sharing a church are well advanced.

The letter from the archdeacon of Chester Anglican Diocese, the Venerable Donald Allister, said: “The respective bishops had come to an agreement, and the vicar and people of All Saints Anglican Church, Wallasey, have expressed themselves happy, and details and costings are being worked out prior to a sharing agreement being signed.”

Father John Joyce, of Shrewsbury Diocese, said there was no change from a statement last month by the local Catholic authorities in which they said: “As part of the three options already mentioned in October 2007, the diocese is continuing discussions with another denomination regarding the possibility of sharing their church. In due course, the bishop will announce his plans for the future.”