St. Mary's Church, Falkland Islands

Contents

St. Mary's Church[1] is a Roman Catholic church located at 12 Ross Road, Stanley, Falkland Islands.[2][3] It is the only Catholic church in the Falklands. It was constructed in 1899 and continued to operate throughout the Falklands War.

Construction

The church is the only parish of the Apostolic Prefecture of the Falkland Islands, an isolated territorial jurisdiction of the Catholic Church directly dependent on the Holy See.[4] It is the only Catholic church in the islands. The church is made of wood.[5] On the West wall it has oil murals, illustrated by British artist James Peck, whom was born in the islands.[6]

History

Catholics in the Falkland Islands originally worshipped in a hall constructed in 1866. The current church was constructed and consecrated in 1899 with the old hall becoming the church hall.[7] Originally it was under the pastoral jurisdiction of French and later Spanish missionaries but ministered to by Irish priests. In 2002, this pastoral responsibility passed to the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales.[8] The parish consists of a third of the globe to Saint Helena and is mostly water.[9]

In September 1966, the hijackers of Aerolíneas Argentinas Flight 648 were granted sanctuary in the church by Father Rodolfo Roel (of Dutch origin) whilst they awaited deportation back to Argentina for trial.[10]

During the Falklands War in 1982, the parish priest Michael McPartland negotiated with the Argentine troops to continue holding Mass in English.[11] After the war, an Argentine statue of Our Lady of Luján from the Argentine Military Chapel was displayed in St. Mary's Church before being taken to the United Kingdom. In 2019, it was returned to Argentina under the blessing of Pope Francis.[12]

References

  1. 1."St Mary's Home Page". The Roman Catholic Church in the South Atlantic. Archived from the original on 24 September 2008. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  2. 2.Ivanov, Ljubomir Lalov (1 January 2003). The Future of the Falkland Islands and Its People. Atlantic Club of Bulgaria. ISBN 9789549150315.
  3. 3."Church of St. Mary, Stanley, Falkland Islands". GC Catholic. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  4. 4."AICA - Iglesia en la Argentina". Aicaold (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  5. 5.Falkland Islands Country Study Guide – Strategic Information and Developments. Int'l Business Publications. 2 May 2014. ISBN 9780739778647.
  6. 6."Falkland Islanders greet election of Argentine as Pope Francis with surprise". The Independent. 14 March 2013. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  7. 7.Ramsey, Gordon (2009). The Falklands War: Then and Now. Pen & Sword Books. p. 553. ISBN 9781399076326.
  8. 8."Falkland Islands, part of the largest Catholic ecclesiastic jurisdiction". Merco Press. 24 February 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  9. 9."Priest's new Falkland Islands flock". BBC News. 9 August 2002. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  10. 10."Operation Condor: Heroes or Villains?". Aviation Security International Magazine. 23 March 2017. Archived from the original on 12 February 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  11. 11.Goni, Uki (15 March 2013). "Falkland Islands Catholics want new pope to visit them". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  12. 12."UK military bishop to return statue to Argentina, 37 years after Falklands War". Crux. Retrieved 24 May 2026.