Church of the Catholic Parish of Jersey

Catholic Community of Jersey

About the Catholic Church in Jersey

The Catholic Church in Jersey was restored two hundred and fifty years after the Protestant Reformation through the arrival of émigré bishops, priests and laity, escaping the French Revolution.

Working with them was Father Matthew de Gruchy, a convert who was later arrested in France and shot by the revolutionaries for being a Catholic priest.

The first Catholic Chapel was opened in 1804 to serve French-speaking Catholics. With the arrival of Irish workers a chapel for English-speaking Catholics was opened in 1811.

Other churches and chapels were opened across the island during the 19th century and Religious Orders founded schools and convents. A further wave of émigrés came to Jersey at the beginning of the 20th century, including large numbers of Jesuits, who were expelled from France due to anti-clerical laws, among them Teilhard de Chardin.

The Catholic Community in Jersey is very multicultural. It has been created during the past two hundred years from the arrival of emigrants, Irish, French, Italian, Scottish, English and Portuguese, who joined with Jersey Catholics. The Portuguese now number over ten thousand and therefore form a large group within the Catholic community, which in total makes up about a third of the population of the island. Polish migrants are the latest to join us.

In 1993/4 a review of all Catholic pastoral activity was undertaken in the deanery. The second stage of this review took place in 2000/2001, during which a restructuring of the Deanery Pastoral Council, Catholic Pastoral Services together with the amalgamation of parishes took place.

A Diocesan pastoral plan, implemented in 2006, designated Jersey as a single pastoral area in place of the former parishes. There was a coordinating pastor, the Catholic Dean of Jersey, together with four active priests, and two deacons . Now the island is one parish with three districts, the Centre consisting of St. Thomas’ and St Mary & St Peter’s; the East with Our Lady of the Annunciation, St Patrick’s and Gorey; and the West made up of the Sacred Heart, St Bernadette’s and St Matthew’s. Monsignor Nicholas France, assisted by Deacon Iain MacFirbhisigh, look after the Centre; Father James McAuley with Father Brian Sandeman and Deacon Tony Ward look after the East and Father Kevin Hoiles looks after the West. They are assisted by a team of pastoral assistants who work at Catholic Pastoral Services.