Church of England enjoys revival in France - thanks to Roman Catholic buildings

August 1, 2009
The Times
Adam Sage in Paris

They sing All Things Bright and Beautiful and enjoy tea and coffee with the vicar in the church hall after the service. Welcome to France, where the Church of England is enjoying an unlikely boom — in Roman Catholic churches.

Far from the falling congregations and controversies that have marked recent Anglican history in Britain, French chaplaincies say that they are attracting an increasing number of worshippers. Tomorrow, for instance, hundreds of people will attend services in the Dordogne and other regions that have become home to British expatriates.

Almost all will be held in churches lent by the local Catholic clergy, who are often happy to see otherwise underused buildings resonate to the sound of hymns and prayers, albeit in English.

In St Joseph’s Church in Biarritz, southwest France, for example, Catholics will attend Mass at 9.30am. As they leave an hour and a quarter later, the Rev Peter Dawson and his flock will begin a Church of England service. the rest