HIGHER Folds' Catholic community is to lose its Parish Priest.

Auxiliary Bishop Malone visited St Gabriel's on Sunday to make the announcement.

The decision to use Fr Tom Gaghey in another part of the Arch-diocese comes at a time when ordinations into the priesthood have been dropping and there are no longer enough priests for every parish.

Many local parishes have recently had to share a priest. Twelve Apostles and Our Lady of the Rosary have one priest serving both parishes, and St Richard's, Atherton and Sacred Heart, Hindsford only have one priest.

The priests in Leigh and surrounding areas are an average age of 53 while in other areas it is higher.

A Deanery spokesman said: "To share a priest means new structures for both parishes and a wider lay participation. This involves time and energy by a priest to build up new ways of working and so naturally the burden will fall on the younger clergy. It is for this reason the Leigh area have so many priests sharing parishes."

Parishioners will meet with Bishop Malone next Thursday to discuss how pastoral, educational and social work is to continue in the parish.

"The Archdiocese is keen to keep parishes open even though they do not have a priest," said the spokesman