The Friends

The Friends of St Mary's, Little Crosby was established in 1996 as a Charitable Trust, registered number 1057111, and since circa 2000 we have maintained this website because we love our beautiful church and want to share it with you all.

The principal objects of "The Friends" are to support the religious and other charitable work of the parish and to support the upkeep and repair of the fabric and contents of the church buildings.

Since 1996 we have raised funds for the benefit of the church by way of various events held in the parish hall or elsewhere locally. Every year, usually in early September, we host an annual coach outing for "The Friends" and visit a country house within easy reach of Crosby which has, if possible, a Catholic history background. See our page for forthcoming events.

About 15 years ago, we recognised that in time, the church would need redecoration. The church is supported by the Archdiocese, but is owned by the St Mary's Little Crosby Church Trustees (see "history of the parish"), and therefore any major restoration or repair has to be funded either by the Trustees or the Parish, with "The Friends" providing funds if available. Since 2010 we have contributed around £20,000 to various building & repair costs, but with the support of parish and local benefactors for our fundraising events, we have been able to build up a good reserve fund.

We are only a small parish just outside Liverpool, but one with a very big history. Share this with us, and have a look around our site by clicking on the various topics on the menu bar on the left.

It has been another difficult year for the village, with the loss of our parish priest Fr Dunstan Harrington, as well as the loss of other Friends, who are (along with their families) in our prayers. Some of the events which we had planned for late 2024 were cancelled as we prepared for the funeral of Fr Dunstan, and so we hope to reschedule some of those events for this summer, as we prepare to receive a new parish priest.