A much-loved Falmouth vicar is preparing to bid farewell to his parishioners after resigning from his post ahead of a move to Plymouth.

Father Mark Mesley has been vicar of St Michael's and All Angels Church at Penwerris for the past seven years, but has now decided to embark on a new chapter of his life.

"I have really enjoyed the seven years I have spent in Falmouth," he said. "I personally have been very happy here and I have enjoyed all I have done, but I have made the decision to leave the Church of England and not only to leave it, but to join the Greek Orthodox Church."

When Father Mark came to Falmouth in his words he had two jobs - that of vicar of Penwerris and also port chaplain for the Mission to Seafarers, a post he held for five years until he was made redundant. Eighteen months ago he took on another role when he became chaplain to Falmouth mayor, John Body which saw him attend council meetings and various civic events and church services.

Father Mark will be leaving Falmouth in December to follow his wife Anne to her home city of Plymouth where she is settling into their new life with their two grandchildren who they care for.

While no decision has been made on the long-term future of St Michael's and All Angels, Father Mark is convinced all will be well in the short term. "Sadly Penwerris Church has a very small congregation and it is a struggle for our congregation to keep things going in terms of maintaining the building," he said.

"Although it's a resource for the wider community, sadly it doesn't get used as much as it should. There is so much choice for weddings now that we have only about one a year at Penwerris."

After attending his final town council meeting last week, Father Mark was presented with a print and a book in recognition of his service to the mayor and the town. Mr Body said afterwards: "I would like to thank Rev Mesley for all his advice and support during my term in office and for all the work he has done within the Penwerris ward and Falmouth. I wish him well in Plymouth."

As for the future of the church at Penwerris, the Archdeacon of Cornwall, the Venerable Bill Stuart-White, said: “Mark’s decision to leave was not something we had planned for, so we are at a relatively early stage in working out how we ensure continuity of pastoral care for the parishioners of St Michael’s and All Angels.

“I will be holding meetings with the parochial church council, other clergy in the deanery and the bishop before we decide on how best to proceed.

“Mark’s position was a part-time one and we are relatively well-resourced in the area, so given the prevailing financial climate it is unlikely that he will be replaced on a like-for-like basis. Having said that, though, I don’t want to pre-judge the formal process, so we really do need to wait and see.

“We will make sure that interim arrangements will be in place by the time Mark leaves us in November. We wish him the very best for the future, and are grateful to him for all his dedicated and thoughtful ministry over the past seven years.”