Every Sunday for the past fifteen years, the ‘upper room’ of the La Marina Sports Complex has been home for the local parishioners of the Anglican Chaplaincy of St. Peter and St. Paul’s Torrevieja, where they have held their regular Sunday services. Sunday 11th September, ended that era and started a new one, when the Reverend Colin McCormack, chaplain of St. Peter and St. Paul’s, performed a blessing and led his congregation, of around fifty, for the first time, into the Roman Catholic Church, on the ‘Plaza de la Constitucion’, San Fulgencio. Prayers of dedication were offered to the congregation followed by a service of Holy Communion.

 

Although this is a catholic church our service is for all denominations. On alternate weeks, during the service, we hold Holy Communion. Congregational warden Toni Wigglesworth told us, “all denominations will be welcome at our services, which will be held, in English, every Sunday at 10.15am. We are very grateful to have been granted permission from the Roman Catholic Bishops of Alicante and also from Parish Priest Father José Luis Robledama for the use of his church. Although a church had been promised many years ago on La Marina, this never happened, and we will always be indebted to Louisa, Peter and more recently Paolo and Helena, for allowing us to use the sports complex for so many years. We would like to say many sincere thanks to them for accommodating us so generously, however we are growing in numbers and the room isn’t allowing for this increase so we had to find other accommodation. Toni told us that once the long awaited multi denominational church on Urb. La Marina is completed then they will move back onto the urbanisation. The new church to be named ‘Nuestra Señora de la Paz’ ( Our Lady of Peace ) of which the first stone was laid by the Bishop of Orihuela over three years ago, is well under way. There will be three floors, consisting of a civic centre and meeting rooms on the ground floor, Priests rooms on the first floor and the church, which will seat a congregation of 500, will be on the second floor. The Ayuntamiento of San Fulgencio donated the land and covered the cost of the architectural and design services but the crucial thing regarding the ‘future’ plans is of course cost and money. The structure is costing over €275,000, a higher figure than first thought due to the rising cost of steel, and after the internal installation is completed it is expected to have cost in excess of €600,000. In an earlier statement given to us from Sr. José Manual Gomez Reguera, church liaison officer, and a committee member of the La Marina Residents and Home Owners he said, “The more money that is donated, then the sooner the new church will be completed and with the collaboration of the people of La Marina this goal can be achieved. Please remember it is ‘your church’ so please give generously”.

For those of you wishing to make a donation then please do so in CAM bank account number 2090-7170-10-0000386090 in the name of Snr. Parraco.