A Catholic church in north Belfast has been shut "with immediate effect" to "ensure the safety and welfare of all parishioners".
Members of the congregation arriving for Sunday Mass at the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour at Deanby Gardens yesterday were instead met with closed doors.
The parishioners were asked to gather in the nearby Our Lady's Girls Primary School where Mass did take place.
During the service, Fr Darach Mac Giolla Cathain, Parish Priest of Sacred Heart Parish, said the much loved church had been closed with "immediate effect".
The sudden move comes just weeks after the Irish News reported that the church may close as its parish was struggling to pay for repairs.
One of two churches in the Sacred Heart parish in the north of the city, the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour at Deanby Gardens was built in 1959 as a ‘chapel of ease’ less than a mile from Sacred Heart Church to meet the growing needs of the congregation.
However, in recent years, the condition of the building has deteriorated and a surveyor was called in last year to assess the problems.
It was revealed that the bill for saving the building over 10 years would be around £720,000, but the parish is already in debt to the tune of £1.36 million.
The closure of Catholic churches is a rare event. Just three have closed their doors in Belfast in recent decades - the Church of the Resurrection on Cavehill Road, St Joseph’s Church, Sailortown and Holy Rosary Church on the Ormeau Road.
Speaking yesterday, Fr Mac Giolla Cathain told those gathered for Mass that due to "inclement weather giving rise to water ingress and on the basis of a recently completed electrical installation report" the condition of the church had "deteriorated even further necessitating an urgent and specific health and safety risk assessment".
He said an assessment carried out on Wednesday revealed that "due to the condition of electrics, ingress of rainwater and the deteriorated condition of the church building" decisive action was required and it was recommended that "with immediate effect the building cease being used".
The parish priest added that to "ensure the safety and welfare of all parishioners and in direct response to this risk assessment", Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Church is to close "with immediate effect".
Fr Mac Giolla Cathain said Masses would take place at Sacred Heart Church.
"In consultation with the Parish Finance Committee and the wider parish community, the parish will continue to assess the implications of the condition survey and will bring forward plans to explore the provision of Masses for the parish within the local parish pastoral community".
