A few days ago, the final Mass was presided over by the Catholic Archbishop of Corfu, Georgios Altouvas, and attended by his predecessor, Emeritus Archbishop Ioannis Spiteris, himself a Capuchin.
Worshippers who had long turned to the friars for guidance and support wept as they bid farewell to the last brothers, who are due to leave the island in the coming days.
The order said the decision was driven by “lack of vocations,” noting that it could no longer find new friars to staff the community in Corfu. Without sufficient personnel, continued operation of the monastery was deemed impossible and therefore its closure had to take place.
The last liturgy marked the final service in a church that for centuries functioned as both spiritual anchor and social refuge for thousands of locals and visitors. Men and women who had found assistance there across generations gathered to thank the friars whose work had quietly shaped the charitable life on the beautiful Greek island.
The Catholic Capuchin monastery of Corfu
The Capuchin monastery in Corfu was founded in 1642. Established initially to provide spiritual care to soldiers from Catholic nations stationed in the region, it quickly broadened its mission. Following the example of St Francis of Assisi, the Capuchins devoted themselves to those on the margins, becoming a consistent support for poor Maltese migrants who ended up in Corfu but often lived at the edge of local society because they were Catholic.
Over time, the monastery evolved into a parish-style hub for the local community and a place of shelter for anyone in need. For nearly four centuries, its doors remained open, helping to knit bonds between the island’s Catholic faithful and the broader community regardless of dogmatic beliefs.
The monastery also went though the devastation of war. In September 1943, during the Second World War, the church was destroyed in heavy bombing. It was later rebuilt, allowing the community to continue its ministry for decades more, showing how deep the roots of this Catholic community had been in Corfu.
In a personal reflection, Archbishop Spiteris captured the emotion of the day on the final mass, calling it a “sad day” and acknowledging that he, too, cried. He recalled playing as a child in the monastery courtyard after the war, being offered cool water from the well, sometimes tinged with a slice of lemon, by the friars. It was in that very courtyard, he said, that he decided to become a Capuchin, a vocation that eventually led him back to Corfu as bishop while remaining faithful to the order’s simple habit.
The closure leaves what parishioners described as an irreplaceable void in local Catholic life. As the last friars depart, the Capuchin monastery in Corfu passes into history, people hope that it won’t be long until its reopening can become a reality.
It has to be noted that as of late 2022, there were about 3,480 Catholics living across the Greek islands of Corfu, Zakynthos, and Kefalonia. While there isn’t a specific number for Corfu alone, this figure is part of the larger Catholic population in Greece, which is about 132,000 people, or roughly 1.2% of the country’s population.