St Faith's Church, Cowes
Coordinates: 50°45′15″N 01°17′54″W / 50.75417°N 1.29833°W
| St. Faith's Church, Cowes | |
|---|---|
 St. Faith's Church, Cowes | |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Broad Church |
| History | |
| Dedication | St. Faith |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Cowes |
| Diocese | Portsmouth |
| Province | Canterbury |
| Clergy | |
| Vicar(s) | Rev'd Lyn McRostie |
| Curate(s) | Revd Keith Adlam, Revd Diana Netherway |
St. Faith's Church, Cowes is a parish church in the Church of England located in Cowes, Isle of Wight. In October 2013, the Diocese of Portsmouth revealed plans to close the church and merge the parish into a team ministry with other nearby churches. [1]
History
The church was built in 1909 by the architect J. Standen Adkins.[2] H.R.H. Princess Beatrice laid the Foundation Stone on May 13th, 1909.
Organ
A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.
Previous vicars
Maxwell Crosby Halahan was priest at this church during the 1970s. Halahan was convicted at Portsmouth Crown Court on 9 September 2011 of several sexual abuse charges against a choir boy at St. Faiths during the 1970s. He was sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court on 30 September 2011 to three years' prison by Judge Roger Hetherington. The judge ordered Halahan's computer equipment seized and that he must remain on the sex offenders' register indefinitely.[3] Halahan had previous convictions of sexual abuse of a male child in 1998.
Due to the serious nature of his convictions (and previous similar convictions), Halahan was not eligible for early release. His release date was March 2013. Halahan has now been released from prison under strict conditional licence. At the time of Halahan's trial, at least one other victim had come forward and reported similar historic crimes to the police. If you were a victim, please report it to the police. Help can be found at http://www.napac.org.uk/survivors/support-for-survivors Alternative help can be sought through the NSPCC's helpline on 0800 389 5344. If you approach the Police to report historic sexual abuse, your identity will be protected at all times. The passage of time does not protect a sexual predator from justice.
On Thursday July 24 2014 at Portsmouth Crown Court Halahan was jailed again for similar historic sex offences against a child. He was described as a sexual predator by the CPS.http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/news/former-vicar-jailed-for-child-abuse-61909.aspx
References
- ↑ http://www.churchofengland.org/clergy-office-holders/pastoralandclosedchurches/consultation/expiry-date-09-december-2013.aspx
- ↑ The Buildings of England, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Nikolaus Pevsner
- ↑ Portsmouth Daily News.