The Archdiocese of Birmingham is pleased to announce the completion of the sale of the former St John the Evangelist church, presbytery and school to the Coptic Orthodox Church.

The site in Kidsgrove, north Staffordshire, will now be known as St Mary and St John the Evangelist Coptic Orthodox Church.

The former St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy was vacated in 2022 (the school moved to Gloucester Road, Kidsgrove) and the Archdiocese identified this property, together with the adjacent presbytery and St John the Evangelist Catholic Church, as no longer sustainable.

The closure of St John’s followed canonical procedures and ceased to be a Catholic church in December 2023 after a final Thanksgiving Mass in October.

The former parish of St John's is incorporated into the new Parish of Our Lady of Grace - erected to cover for the former three parishes of St Joseph's (Goldenhill), English Martyrs' (Biddulph) (including St Patrick's Packmoor) and St John's (Kidsgrove). Parishioners from Kidsgrove now attend one of the other churches in the new parish. 

St John’s is a small, late nineteenth-century brick church in Perpendicular Gothic style, of red brick with stone dressings and under a plain tile roof.  It was built in 1892-3. 

The sale of the site to the Coptic Orthodox Church means it will continue as a place of worship and for community use. 

Fr Bishoy, from St Mary and St John the Evangelist Coptic Orthodox Church, said: "The Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Midland, Our Bishop His Grace Missail, our priests including myself, deacons and all congregation are thanking Archbishop His Grace Bernard, the bishops, the priests, especially Fr Julian, the clergy and all the officers, especially Eric Kirwan and Toni Guest, Ms Teresa for their help and support.

"We will keep the church as a place of worship and open for community, we are praying for all people and inviting all people to attend anytime they need to pray in this lovely church."

Archbishop Bernard Longley said: “I am delighted this sale has been completed and the site will continue to be used as a Christian place of worship.

“Our friends at the Coptic Orthodox Church have been welcomed into the area having rented the site for the last year. It is wonderful they are here to stay.

“The former church and school hold years of memories for members of the local Catholic community. I am sure the parishioners will be pleased to know that those memories will be cherished by the new faith community.”

Fr Julian Green, Parish Priest of Our Lady of Grace Parish, said: "St John's church in Kidsgrove sadly closed at the end of October 2023, after over 130 years of service as a small but lively parish. 

“For many years, the school had been applying for funding to move to one site, and this was achieved and completed in 2022. This meant that the school vacated the site adjacent to the church. 

“The presbytery had not been consistently in use since the Sisters left the parish in 2010. This left the church with a congregation which was depleted after the pandemic, and with no clear vision for the future of the entire site. 

“It was at that time that, providentially, Fr Bishoy contacted the Archdiocese, and me personally. It was clearly providential that St John's, which is a beautiful little church, should continue as a place of worship, rather than have a secular use or be demolished. The people of the parish, although sad because of the closure, agreed that it would be better to allow the church to have a new lease of life as a place of worship for our brothers and sisters in the Coptic Orthodox Church."

Our Lady of Grace Parish