Bishop’s Proposal for Catholic Southampton

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We are writing to you today to take the next step in discerning the proposed implementation of our Diocesan Pastoral Plan, You Will Be My Witnesses, in Southampton area. 

The Plan proposes new structures to help bring about a renewed focus on mission. This is centred on three priorities:

• To be a Christ-centred Church (putting Christ at the centre of our hearts and our lives).

• To be missionary communities (going out on Christ’s service and mission).

• To be prudent stewards of Christ’s Church (making wise choices to leave a sustainable legacy).

The Proposal for the Future of Catholic Southampton

To achieve this vision, Bishop Phillip suggests that we consider a merger of the 10 existing Southampton Parishes in our Pastoral Area into a single new Parish of Our Lady Star of the Sea, Southampton. These comprise the churches of: (Christ the King and St Colman, Our Lady of the Assumption and St. Brigid, Holy Family, St Boniface, St Joseph and St Edmund, St Patrick, Annunciation, St Vincent De Paul, Immaculate Conception, St. Theresa of the Child Jesus) The existing churches would retain their current names, and our Bishop would appoint one Parish Priest as the leader of the team of priests and deacons within the area.

Coming together into a single, larger Parish could allow us to focus more on active mission and outreach, benefiting from the combined talents and resources of our church communities.

1. Prudent Stewardship

A combined budget and pooling of talents, enables us to:

• Reduce unnecessary administrative overlap. For example, we remove the need for 10 separate sets of bookkeeping, and basic admin costs. This would release significant funds for charitable work, ministry programmes and direct mission.

• Develop major capital works and building maintenance that individual parishes might not be able to afford.

2. Developing Our People in a Christ-Centred Church

One parish would allow us to optimise our greatest resource, our people, by pooling experiences and expertise for the benefit of all.  For example,

• Our clergy could be enabled to focus on their own gifts/interests, for example they may focus especially on youth ministry, on hospital chaplaincy, the housebound, adult formation, and mission to seafarers.

• Our laity could share their talents across the Southampton area according to need and expertise, as part of a cohesive plan, for example city wide sacramental preparations, and charitable projects.

• The increased financial stability could allow consideration of wider paid employment roles for the benefit of the parish.

3.  Our Mission to Wider Southampton

Forming a single parish would empower a unified Catholic voice in Southampton, strengthening our presence in advocacy, inter-faith dialogue, and coordinated charitable outreach across the city. United under the patronage of Our Lady Star of the Sea, our diverse communities would be drawn together in shared identity and purpose, reflecting our mission in this vibrant port city. This renewed unity would enable us to deepen our commitment to serving the poor and the marginalised, while nurturing and growing our faith communities in hope and solidarity.

How You Can Help

We invite everyone to play an active part in developing this renewed and shared vision for the Catholic Church in Southampton. Hence this consultation of our parishioners.

By inviting you to complete this consultation survey we are giving everyone an opportunity to express their views. This is not a vote. The responses will be carefully considered.

1.      Please Read the Diocesan Plan: We recommend everyone reads this Plan, which can be accessed on the diocesan website: www.portsmouthdiocese.org.uk/about/ten-year-plan/

2.      Please Share Your Views: Please complete the Questionnaire by clicking or scanning the QR code below by 23rd of February 2026. Canon Michael requests that the form be submitted electronically rather than in paper format, as it allows for easier compilation of the results. However, you can also download the paper copy below. Copies are available at the entrance of both Churches.

3.      Please Keep the Process in Prayer: The consultation phase will take place over the coming months. We ask Our Lady Star of the Sea to pray for us as we navigate our way forward.