St Augustine's Church in Cork city centre to close this year

Once visited by Pope Leo, St Augustine's Church is set to close, with the decline in vocations to the priesthood behind the decision

St Augustine's Church on Washington St in Cork in 1940. The building was completed in 1942. Picture: Irish Examiner Archive

A Catholic church in Cork city centre that was once visited by Pope Leo is set to later this year.

St Augustine’s Church, located at the corner of Washington St and Grand Parade, has been a part of spiritual life in the city for more than 80 years.

The church is set to close permanently in the coming months, with parishioners to be informed this weekend.

The church is owned and run by the Augustinian friars, with the consent of the diocese of Cork and Ross.

A spokesperson for the Augustinian friars in Cork told the Irish Examiner they would be making no comment, but that a statement would be issued at Masses in the church on Saturday and Sunday.

Pope Leo XIV (then Bishop Robert Prevost) second from left, with his fellow Augustinians Fr Jerry Horan, Fr Pat Moran, and Fr Michael Brennock at St Augustine’s Church in Cork in Easter 2007 to honour Peg Bolton and Marie Finn for their 50 years singing in the choir. Picture: Gerard Bonus

A spokesperson for the diocese said the future of the church is primarily a matter for the order.

It is understood that the likely closure of St Augustine’s stems from a continued decline in vocations to the priesthood.

Building completed in 1942

The church, which was erected in 1942 and extended 30 years later, was built on the site of an earlier chapel dating back to 1872. The adjoining priory was built in 1982.

The Augustinian friars have had a presence in Cork dating back as far as the late 13th century, when they founded Red Abbey in the South Parish. The ruin of the old medieval belfry tower still stands on the site.

The friars left Cork in the 17th century in the wake of the Reformation, returning a century later to what is now St Augustine’s Street.

Pope Leo XIV visited the Augustinian church two decades ago, when he was Bishop Robert Prevost, prior general of the Order of St Augustine, the global head of the order.

The then bishop paid a visit to the Augustinian friars in Cork in 2007.