A LANDMARK Wirral church is set to re-open its doors.

Ss Peter and Paul’s in Wallasey will welcome back parishioners later this year after a religious order of priests – the Institute of the Christ King – agreed to take over the “Dome from Home.”

The church was shut by the Diocese of Shrewsbury in 2008 sparking a campaign from parishioners to fight for its future.

Its day chapel was re-opened earlier this year for weekly mass but the fate of the main church building was still uncertain – until now.

The takeover means the historic church will become the first Catholic Church in Britain to be run by the Institute.

And a new circle of priests will work towards establishing a foundation of the Institute at Ss Peter and Paul’s, aiming to hold services before the end of the year.

A spokesman for the diocese said: “The members of the Institute will work in close collaboration with Father Philip Moor, the parish priest of the Parish of the Holy Apostles and Martyrs, since it is the wish of Bishop Davies that this shrine church will express the harmony between the two usages of the one Roman Rite.

“The foundation will ensure that the patrimony of the church building so dear to Catholics and other members of the local community is secured and continues to bear witness to the faith and mission of the church.”

Priests of the Institute of Christ the King celebrate mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, which is primarily conducted in Latin.

However, it is believed that discussions are being held about the possibility of services also being performed in English