After almost 130 years, the Jesuits are to withdraw from running one
of their landmark parishes as the order undertakes a review of all its
apostolic work in Britain.The British Province of the Society of Jesus has announced that it will hand over Sacred Heart in Wimbledon, south west London, one of Britain's largest parishes with thousands attending Mass each week, to the Archdiocese of Southwark.
In a letter to parishioners, Fr Dermot Preston SJ, the provincial, delivered the "very sad news" and said the decision had been taken because of the declining number of Jesuits.
There are currently four serving the parish.
Fr Preston pointed out in his letter that there were now fewer than 200 British Jesuits compared with almost 1,000 in the early 1960s.
He added that the Jesuits "will need to hand over a number of our present commitments to other ministers" in the future and that Sacred Heart is our "strongest and most mature parish".