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The Anglican Church in Tasmania Search |
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Media release Sunday 19 August 2007 Holy Trinity Church to be deconsecratedEmbargoed until 12noon, Sunday 19th August 2007 The Bishop of Tasmania, the Right Reverend John Harrower, has agreed to the request from the Parish Council of Holy Trinity Anglican Church, North Hobart, to deconsecrate the Holy Trinity church building. This deconsecration will formally take place in October and will mean that regular Sunday services are no longer held there. In March of this year the Parish Council, which is the annually elected leadership body of each parish, petitioned the Bishop to close the Holy Trinity building. This was in response to a comprehensive report from an expert heritage architect which put the cost of urgently needed restoration and upkeep of Holy Trinity at around $4million. Bishop Harrower said, "It is with sadness that I have taken this decision. We recognize the significance of a building like Holy Trinity to many people. However, there comes a time when we must make difficult decisions to ensure the future viability of the Church as a whole." Bishop Harrower said that he had not taken this decision lightly and had considered the request of the Parish Council, the expert advice, and the opinions of other interested parties. Whilst the decision to deconsecrate has been made, the church now needs to decide the future of the Holy Trinity building itself. This will take some months at least. Bishop Harrower said, "We are grateful for the Hobart City Council's offer of assistance to formulate a conservation management plan for the building. This will help us as we now decide the best future for this important building in our city." Media Officer - Rev. Stephen Carnaby 0417 343 710 |
Read Bishop John's pastoral letter of 18 August 2007 Read Bishop John's letter to the edior in The Mecury of 3 September 2007 |
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