Statement of Bishop Fintan Gavin in relation to the announcement by the Augustinian community of the decision to withdraw from St Augustine’s Church in summer 2026
It is with great sadness that I, along with so many people across Cork City and beyond, have learned of the decision of the Augustinian community to withdraw from St Augustine’s Church this coming summer. For generations, the Augustinian community at St Augustine’s has been an important and cherished part of the cultural, spiritual and faith life of our city. Many people have found there a place of prayer, welcome, and belonging.
With the declining number of religious vocations within the Augustinian Order, and the advancing age profile of many of its members, I fully understand and respect the reasons behind this decision, which has clearly been made after careful discernment about their future mission and resources.
I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the Augustinian friars, past and present, for their faithful ministry, their preaching of the Gospel, and their generous service to the people of Cork over so many generations. Their contribution to the spiritual life of the city will long be remembered with gratitude and affection.
I will have an opportunity in the coming months to thank the Augustinians more publicly for their immense contribution to the faith life of our city.
I am particularly mindful that this news will come as a sadness to many who have found in St Augustine’s a spiritual home over the years. I want to reassure all of you that I will endeavour, as your Bishop, to respond pastorally to that need, even as the Holy Spirit may now be inviting us to live and express that faith in new ways and in new places.
Bishop Fintan Gavin
Cork’s city centre has been blessed to have so many churches, many of which were provided by religious orders, and most of them continue their ministry, including the Franciscans, Capuchins, and Dominicans.
St Peter’s and St Paul’s Parish Church — which is also near St Augustine’s — has seen significant investment in recent years in upgrading and renewing this beautiful church. Today it is home to 24-hour Eucharistic Adoration, a full Mass schedule, and various pastoral activities which connect with the life of the Cathedral Family of Parishes. We have also recently introduced a Mass on the second Sunday of each month, animated by young adults, which is proving very popular. Our new St Peter and St Paul’s young adult residential community is a real sign of new life and hope, together with the recently opened Emmaus Café, offering a place of welcome, encounter, and hospitality in the heart of the city.
As we look ahead, and especially as we prepare for the 100th anniversary of the Cork Eucharistic Procession in our city, I look forward to supporting all those who feel the loss of St Augustine’s as a spiritual home, together with the wider faith community in the city centre, as we continue to find new ways of placing Christ, his Church, and a spirit of welcome and worship at the heart of our city.
The faith that was nurtured for generations within the walls of St Augustine’s will continue to live on and bear fruit in the hearts of its people and in the life of our city.
