1966

Born on October 28, 1912, in Hastings, he was curate at St Leonard’s in 1941/2 and was therefore no stranger to East Sussex.  He was ordained at Wonersh in company with Father Hill. As the parish was unable to afford a housekeeper, Father Whatmore’s mother was able to come with him and do this work.  On June 7, 1966, the new priest celebrated the silver jubilee of his ordination. The parishioners, despite his recent arrival, organised a celebration. A gift of a ciborium and other objects from the Sisters of the Holy Child made a useful addition to the church equipment. 

On August 6, 1966, Bishop Cashman visited the parish and confirmed 38 candidates.  He also approved of providing a more worthy accommodation for the sacrament of Baptism.  Previously, a wooden font had been stored in the confessional and moved down the church as and when it was required. The entrance porch was, therefore, sealed off and converted into a Baptistery.  A new font, round and not square with some simple Romanesque decoration, was designed again by Mr Cribb, who unfortunately died before its installation on November22, 1966.  To replace the lost porch another of larger dimensions was erected at the front of the church. 

       The new Font

1967.

Early in the year, a wall was built covering the  long frontage along South Road. The new porch was completed in April, considerably enhancing the exterior appearance of the church. Architect was our friend Mr Bingham Towner, and builders were William Sands and Son, of Heathfield The total cost of these improvements was in the neighbourhood of £2500, two gifts of £150 being given by parishioners. It must be mentioned that Father Parker had in his time, saved the sum of £1800, and had (as previously mentioned) the interior of the church re-decorated.

The Parish Council was also formed in this year.

Mention must also be made of the following: the statue of St Wilfrid, a bust of St John (a memorial to Father Parker), a representation of the prophet Eliseus cleansing the waters of Jericho over the holy water stoupe inside the church, of a standing figure of Our Lady in the car park opposite the presbytery, and a bust of St Philip Howard, Earl of Arundel (one of the 40 English martyrs), all being the work of Mr Fernand Berbuto of Hindhead.

1968.

After Easter 1968, Father Thomas Ruane, who had been helping the parish for over two years by visiting Hellingly Hospital weekly and saying Mass on Sundays at Horam, came to live at the presbytery.  In July the sanctuary was reordered. In accordance with Vatican II, the wooden altar was brought forward to enable the priest to say Mass facing the people. A small temporary altar bought previously for that purpose, was dispensed with.  In October a meeting was held with a view to establishing a branch of the Society of St Vincent de Paul which did ultimately succeed. 

1969.

On Thursday January 30, 1969, Bishop David Cashman in a service blessed the opening of the Catholic Chapel of St Luke’s at Hellingly Hospital.

               

 Exterior – St. Luke’s Chapel                         Interior – St. Luke’s Chapel

 Mass had been celebrated at the Hospital in various rooms since 1917, and in March 1966, the Blessed Sacrament was reserved in a room on the ground floor of Woodside Ward, where Mass was said on a permanent basis. This room was room was vacated at Christmas 1968, because the authorities made available to the Catholics, a portion of the Church of England Chapel. Mass was celebrated in the Chapel for the first time on Christmas Day, 1968. This move proved an excellent example of ecumenical co-operation within the local Christian community.

On July 30, 1969, a branch of the Catholic Women’s League held its first meeting.  Unfortunately, after nearly three years of existence, it was found that the parish was too small to meet the regulations and requirements of headquarters. In its place, a parochial guild was formed in June 1972.  At the end of October, oil fired central heating was installed in the church.  The Parish Council did much of the homework in its preparation.

To end the year, Christmas saw the arrival of an improved temporary altar, given by Mr Towner, and the disappearance of the solid, but inartistic one that had been in the church from the beginning.  The sanctuary was also improved by the removal of the ugly casement window, which disfigured the left upper wall. In its place was cut out and erected a window more in keeping, in memory of the late Colonel Latham, by his widow.  The window itself was designed by Mr Towner and the armorial bearings painted by Mr Kenneth G Bunton of Edenbridge.

1970.

On Friday August 14, 1970, Sister St Bede of the congregation of Our Lady of the Missions, attached to the convent at Hastings and a member of the staff of St Richard’s Secondary School, Bexhill, made her final profession in St Wilfrid’s church.  The church was full with many standing outside.  Sister St Bede was formally a parishioner.  The vows were received by Mgr McKenna, administrator of Liverpool Cathedral and the chief celebrant at the concelebrated Mass was her brother, Father Edward Le Riche. 

Some new double doors leading from the sacristy to the sanctuary, replacing a small inadequate door had been erected just prior to this occasion.  A new confessional door, glazed at the top, was put in shortly after.  About the same time, entrance gates in wrought iron were put up, greatly improving the frontage. 

In thanksgiving for the canonization  of the forty English and Welsh Martyrs’ on October 25,1970,  it was decided to collect for a permanent altar. A price of £350 was quoted to include reflooring the predella. The altar is of Portland stone designed and carved by Mr George Elliott of Herstmonceux.  The numbers 1535 and 1970, represent the years of the first martyrdoms and of the canonization respectively.  The Tudor Rose in the centre of the front-piece was chosen because the greater part of the martyrs were put to death under the Tudor  sovereigns (Henry VIII and Elizabeth I). It came into use on May 9, 1971, and the flooring completed on May 28.  Work was finished just in time for the visitation and confirmation by the new Bishop, Rt Rev Michael Bowen, which took place on Thursday June 3. Also nearing completion at the same time, was a refacing of the former wooden frontage of the vestry and confessional in brick with proper windows.

The altar being in place, it occurred to one of the ladies in the parish, that a stained glass window in honour of St Margaret Clitherow, one of three women among the Forty Martyrs and patron of the Catholic Women’s League, would be appropriate.  So, from the beginning of July afforts were made to raise the necessary £200.  It included a sponsored walk there and back along the disused railway track to Horam. Only one volunteer hardy enough to do the walk was a lady! The window, again the work of Mr Kenneth Bunton of Edenbridge, was dedicated at a simple service by the Rev Andrew Beer, Diocesan chaplain to the CWL.  Similar to the altar, it was highly praised and they complement one another.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

The window does deserve a description: St Margaret was  pressed (yes pressed) to death at York, on Friday March 25, 1586,in the reign of Elizabeth I. Hence the towers of York Minster appear in the window, and a representation of the house in which she lived, (still preserved). In the bottom left hand corner are the instruments of her passion- the heavy door under which she was laid, the weights and the stone which was placed beneath her back.  It was about one quarter of an hour before this valiant woman finally expired in this way and her last words are inscribed in the right hand bottom corner.

Since the window was unveiled, the Hailsham branch of the CWL has ceased to exist and became the St Margaret Clitherow Guild. On Sunday August 6, 1971, the parish priest invested the President, Miss Nora Knowles with the cross pro Ecclesia et Pontifice, (for Church and Pope) which had been conferred by Pope Paul VI at the Bishop’s request for outstanding services to the Catholic Church in Hailsham both as sacristan and in other capacities over a period of thirty years.