Papworth Mass centre closes after hospital moves

After 90 years of Mass being celebrated in the village of Papworth Everard, the Mass centre there has closed.

In 2019 the Papworth Hospital moved to a new site in Cambridge, on the Addenbrookes site. This made a significant difference to the community. Some people moved away from the village and for those who stayed it became more difficult to attend Mass because of the journey time to begin work shifts.

The community gradually reduced in size and with their agreement it was decided to close the Mass centre. There are other Masses nearby, in Cambourne and in St Ives. Within a ten-mile radius there are 11 weekend Masses, so the area is well provided for Mass.

On Saturday June 18 Fr Philip Shryane celebrated the last Mass at Papworth Everard in the Anglican church. He thanked everyone for their commitment to the community and said he felt sure they would continue to support each other.

According to the Diocesan yearbook, Mass was celebrated in the village from 1932. The Church of St Francis of Assisi was built in 1954 and was used regularly, supplied by the parish of St Ives, until 2007 when it finally closed. The building had fallen into a serious state of disrepair and would have cost too much to renovate. The celebration of Mass continued, then supplied by the parish of Huntingdon, first in the local Methodist Church and from about 2014 in the local Anglican parish church.

The photo shows the group who attended the penultimate Mass at Papworth Everard.

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