St Faith's Church, Cowes
50°45′15″N 01°17′54″W / 50.75417°N 1.29833°W
St Faith's Church, Cowes | |
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Denomination | Church of England |
Churchmanship | Broad Church |
History | |
Dedication | St Faith |
Administration | |
Province | Canterbury |
Diocese | Portsmouth |
Parish | Cowes |
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.[needs update]
History
The church was built in 1909 by the architect J. Standen Adkins.[1] Princess Beatrice laid the foundation stone on May 13th, 1909.
A specification of the church organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.
Previous vicars
Maxwell Crosby Halahan, a priest at the church during the 1970s, was convicted at Portsmouth Crown Court in September 2011 of several sexual abuse charges against a choir boy at St Faiths during the 1970s, and in September 2011 given a three year sentence.[2] Halahan had previous convictions of sexual abuse against a 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 scheduled for March 2013, and he has since been released under strict conditional licence.[citation needed]
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
- ^ Pevsner, Nikolaus (1967). The Buildings of England, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. ISBN 978-0300096064.
- ^ "Former Southsea priest jailed for choir boy abuse". Retrieved 4 January 2019.