The interior of the St. Mary's Parish, which the Prince George Diocese announced will close on July 27, 2026.

By Tommy Osborne

PG Diocese

St. Mary’s Parish set to close this year

Jan 26, 2026 | 4:04 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – After 66 years in the community, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Prince George has announced that St. Mary’s Parish will be closing as of July 27.

“Over the last 40 years, the numbers attending Sunday Mass in the City of Prince George have declined by about 50%,” the Diocese said in a statement.

“When we take inflation into account, collections have dropped by more than 30% in the past 15 years alone,” the statement continued.

The Diocese says this situation has grown “increasingly unsustainable,” adding parishes have been cutting costs and drawing from savings to continue operating, which has lead to the decision of shutting down St. Mary’s Parish. But why St. Mary’s Parish specifically? The Diocese says it was a matter of location and considering how best to continue serving its parishioners.

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“While St. Mary’s is fiscally viable, it serves the centre of the city along with Sacred Heart Cathedral. As Christ Our Saviour and Immaculate Conception parishes serve extreme north and south regions of the city and beyond, closing one of those parishes would create a significant increase in travel for more remote parishioners. St. Mary’s does not have the same concern, located only five minutes away from the Cathedral,” the statement said.

As for what becomes of St. Mary’s resources, the Diocese says that will be divided between Sacred Heart and Christ Our Saviour, based on the number of parishioners residing within each parish’s boundaries.

“Sacramental records will be transferred to the Cathedral parish in order to ensure safekeeping in accord with canon law,” the statement added.

As for St. Mary’s School, the Diocese says that will remain open.