Church of St Thomas More (Seaford)

The Church of St Thomas More is a Roman Catholic church in Seaford, East Sussex, England. It has a congregation of around 200 people, and the current parish priest is Father Paul Jennings.

Layout

The church is built in the traditional shape of a cross, with four aisles and the alar facing the parishioners at the head. The south aisle is the longest, as it stretches around the side of the altar. The two central aisles are directly facing the altar, whilst the north aisle is facing Mary's altar. It is also right next to the confessional and has a library at the back. The church also has a loft, which I used for when the church gets too packed.

The priest's house is connected to the church, as is the parish hall. At the front, is a small ashes cemetery and a car park. The church has two entrances, one of which is used regularly and another for special occasions only.

History

At the beginning of the century, Seaford had only six Roman Catholics. Shortly after, the Bishop of the Diocese of Southwark, Francis Bourne, built a chapel dedicated to St Francis de Sales, located right next to his holiday home, which was called Annecy. In 1903, a group of nuns, called the Sister of Providence, brought it and turned it into a convent and the holiday home into a school.

Mass was regularly led by Father Berchmans, but he died suddenly in 1927. The Bishop then appointed Fr. Reginald Webb as the first parish priest. As the catholic population of 100 was now too big for the chapel, they moved to the hall in Annecy School. Numbers continued to rise and in 1935, a new church in Seaford was founded. It was opened on 12 March 1936. The overall cost was £10,000 and by now, attendance figures had risen to 250.

In 1962, Father Webb died and was replaced as parish priest, by Fr William Guinane. In 1970, he lengthened the south aisle and added a north aisle and tower. In 1965, the Church of St Thomas More, became part of the newly formed, Diocese of Arundel and Brighton. In 1980, Fr Kenneth McCarthy took over Fr William Guinane and became the third parish priest. He built a hall and car park, before being replaced in 1990 by Father Chris Benyon, due to ill health.

Father Chris Benyon gave his support to the music bands at the church. In 1999, he left the parish and Father Tony Churchill stepped in. In 2004, Annecy school celebrated its centenary, in a service led by Bishop Kerian Conry and watched by over 500 people. Father Niven Richardson replaced Father Tony Churchill as parish priest in 2007.^[1]

The church is licensed for worship in accordance with the Places of Worship Registration Act 1855 and has the registration number 56568.^[2]

Parish Priests

• Fr Reginald Webb (1927–1962)
• Fr William Guinane (1963–1980)
• Fr Kenneth McCarthy (1980–1990)
• Fr Chris Benyon (1990–1999)
• Fr Anthony Churchill (1999–2007)
• Fr Niven Richardson (2007–2011)
• Fr Paul Jennings (2011 continuing) ^[3]

References

1. ↑ "The Church of St Thomas More in Seaford [History 1]". web.archive.org. Retrieved 6 June 2014. 
2. ↑ Registered in accordance with the Places of Worship Registration Act 1855 (Number in Worship Register: 56568; Name: Church of St Thomas More; Address: Sutton Road, Seaford; Denomination: Roman Catholics). Retrieved 4 September 2012. (Archived version of list)
3. ↑ Mick Barrett (2005-04-27). "The Church of St Thomas More in Seaford [Home Page]". web.archive.org. Retrieved 6 June 2014.