Key Takeaways
- The Marian Franciscans (Family of Mary Immaculate and St. Francis) will cease to exist as a canonical community in the United Kingdom on 31 May 2025, exactly eight years after their founding.
- The decision followed a period of discernment by the friars, who concluded that practical and canonical support for formation, sponsorship, and future priestly ordinations could not be secured despite growth in numbers and activity.
- Bishop Philip Egan of Portsmouth approved the dissolution after careful consideration and stated that the friars intend to join another similar community and relocate.
- The community had a vibrant apostolate in the UK, offering the Traditional Latin Mass, retreats, publishing, online evangelisation (Radio Immaculata, YouTube), and pastoral work in parishes such as St. Mary’s Gosport and London’s Tyburn Convent.
- After Pope Francis’ Traditionis Custodes (2021) restricted the celebration of the traditional liturgy, some friars moved to the Diocese of Dunkeld, Scotland, where they experienced flourishing ministry in Dundee before being asked to leave in early 2025.
- Transitional arrangements are being made, including continued ministry for incardinated friar‑priests at three Portsmouth locations and practical support via the Friends of the Marian Franciscans charitable trust.
Background and Establishment
The Marian Franciscans, formally known as the Family of Mary Immaculate and St. Francis, were welcomed into the Diocese of Portsmouth in November 2014 by Bishop Philip Egan. Four years later, in 2018, the bishop erected the community as a public association of the faithful. Inspired by the Marian spirituality of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Maximilian Kolbe, the group began as a small band of mendicant friars dedicated to prayer, preaching, and works of mercy. Their initial assignment was the pastoral care of St. Mary’s Parish in Gosport, a coastal town near Portsmouth harbour, where they quickly began to develop a distinctive liturgical and devotional presence.
Growth and Apostolic Activity
As vocations increased, the friars opened a second house within the Portsmouth diocese in February 2020. Their ministry expanded to include the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass, daily vespers, Holy Hours, First Fridays and First Saturdays, men’s groups, retreats, conferences, and publishing endeavours. In London they served at the historic Tyburn Convent, offering sacramental preparation and spiritual direction. Beyond parish work, the community harnessed modern media: they launched Radio Immaculata, a 24‑hour online radio station, and maintained an active YouTube channel that broadcast homilies, talks, and live programming, reaching Catholics across the United Kingdom and abroad.
Discernment Leading to Dissolution
Despite visible growth in numbers and apostolic output, the friars undertook a period of discernment concerning their long‑term viability in the UK. They concluded that, although the community was thriving spiritually, the practical and canonical infrastructure needed for ongoing formation, sponsorship, and the preparation of future priest‑ordinands was lacking. After exploring a range of options—including possible relocations, partnerships, and adjustments to their canonical status—the friars found no workable path to continue in their present form. Their April 2025 vote for dissolution was presented not as a reaction to any single incident but as a response to broader questions about the community’s future sustainability.
Bishop Egan’s Response and Future Plans
Bishop Philip Egan issued a decree on 24 May 2025 confirming the community’s decision to dissolve, stating that he had agreed after “serious and careful consideration.” He affirmed that the appropriate canonical and practical steps were now being taken. The bishop noted that the friar‑priests who are incardinated in the Portsmouth diocese would be permitted to continue their apostolate at three existing locations within the diocese, one of which is an ordinariate church. He also expressed his hope that the friars would join another association with a similar charism and relocate in the coming months, while assuring the faithful of his continued gratitude for the community’s past ministry.
Early Years in Portsmouth and Foundational Impact
From their arrival in 2014 until the formal erection of the association in 2018, the Marian Franciscans quickly became a focal point for traditional Catholic life in the Portsmouth area. Their presence at St. Mary’s Gosport attracted families seeking the Traditional Latin Mass and a rich devotional life centred on Marian consecration, the Rosary, and Eucharistic adoration. The friars’ commitment to a simple, mendicant lifestyle resonated with many lay faithful, and their preaching emphasized the integration of Franciscan poverty with Marian spirituality. This foundation laid the groundwork for the subsequent expansion of their houses and ministries across the diocese.
Effect of Traditionis Custodes and the Scottish Move
The promulgation of Pope Francis’ apostolic letter Traditionis Custodes in 2021 introduced stricter diocesan oversight of celebrations using the 1962 Roman Missal. The Marian Franciscans reported that authorization for the Traditional Latin Mass became “more restricted,” prompting them to reassess their ability to sustain their liturgical apostolate in England. In response, a contingent of friars relocated to the Diocese of Dunkeld, Scotland, in 2022, where they were welcomed by then‑Bishop Stephen Robson. Accompanied by approximately twenty Marian Franciscan sisters, they began negotiations to acquire a friary, convent, chapel, and surrounding grounds for long‑term use. These plans, however, were halted in February 2025 when the new Dunkeld bishop, Bishop Andrew McKenzie, informed the community that the previously agreed‑upon property purchase would not be ratified and that they would need to vacate the diocese.
Flourishing Ministry in Dundee and Wider Influence
While based in Dundee, the Marian Franciscans experienced a period of notable growth. Supporters reported that attendance at their liturgies and devotions increased significantly, with many young families participating regularly. The community became associated with a high number of baptisms, Marian consecrations, and broader engagement among the faithful. Their apostolate extended beyond the chapel walls through retreats, conferences, and outreach initiatives that fostered vocations and deepened Marian devotion. The friars’ media outreach—particularly Radio Immaculata and their YouTube channel—amplified their impact, allowing their teachings and liturgical celebrations to reach Catholics throughout the United Kingdom and internationally.
Transitional Arrangements and Closing Reflections
As the community prepares to cease its canonical existence on 31 May 2025, transitional measures are being put in place. The Friends of the Marian Franciscans charitable trust will provide practical support during the transition, and incardinated friar‑priests may continue their ministry at the three Portsmouth sites approved by Bishop Egan. The friars emphasized that their dissolution “marks the end of a distinctive chapter in contemporary Catholic life in the United Kingdom,” yet they expressed hope that the spiritual fruits of their mission—conversions, vocations, Marian devotion, and renewed sacramental life—will endure and perhaps one day return to Britain in a new form. Bishop Egan echoed this sentiment, urging the faithful to pray for the members as they discern their next steps and thanking the community for years of prayer, generosity, and friendship.
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