Diocese reduces expenditure as income falls
Bishop gives parting tribute to Mgr John Armitage
September 4, 2020
Fr John Warrington shares reflections on Covid-19
September 8, 2020
Faced with falling offertory income during the Covid-19 lockdown, the Diocese of East Anglia has looked to reduce its expenditure where appropriate, but rather than closing churches has instead opened a new one in Suffolk.
In the period of January to June, the Diocese has estimated a fall in offertory income in parishes of 30%. Parishes have reduced expenditure, or delayed planning building work, in order to save money.
The Diocese is also planning to reduce its central budgets for 2021 by 10%.
But rather than considering closing any churches or Mass centres, the Diocese has in fact opened a little used private chapel for public worship and Masses.
The new Mass community has been established at Withermarsh Green with the appointment of Fr Henry Whisenant as chaplain for the celebration of the Mass and sacraments in the Extraordinary Form (Latin Mass) in the privately owned Chapel of Our Lady Immaculate and St Edmund, near Ipswich (pictured above). Read more details here.
