A wide variety of photos, artefacts and memorabilia, some dating to the mid-19th Century, will depict two centuries of life at the church, parish and school.

The Society of Jesus, known as the Jesuits, has been serving the church's parishioners for more than 210 years. It will hand over the reins to the Salford Diocese in September due to the dwindling number of Jesuit missionaries.

St Michael and St John's priest Fr Joe Duggan explained there are only around 200 Jesuits in the British province of the society, compared with triple that number 30 years ago.

"This lack of numbers means we must reduce our commitments overall," Fr Duggan explained. "But as a missionary order we must also be ready to move on to where the needs are greatest, and to works that cannot be done by others.

"It follows that we must withdraw from many of our well-established works, such as the Catholic parish in Clitheroe; this latter is a work that can be done by others, and indeed the Bishop of Salford has already appointed a priest to take over when we leave in September."

Don't miss Thursday's Clitheroe Advertiser & Times for more on the history of the Jesuits in Clitheroe and pictures from the exhibition.

The exhibition will be open to the public from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., and 6-30 p.m. to 9-30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 17th, then from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6-30 p.m. to 9-30 p.m. from Thursday, September 18th, to Saturday, September 20th. On Sunday, it will be open after Mass at 11 a.m. and close at 4-30 p.m.