September 1999.

Following Father McCarthy’s retirement, the bishop was unable to appoint an immediate replacement. Father Dennis Barry was drafted in to help out for a few months until the arrival in 2000, of Father Anthony Shelley, known to us all as Father Tony.

Anthony Shelley was born in 1937, in Ewell, Surrey and when too young to remember, the family moved to Brighton. Born of Catholic parents, he was the eldest of three, having a sister and a brother.  Brought up in the parish of St Mary’s, Preston Park, he was sent to Lourdes Convent for his junior education and transferred to the Xaverian College at Brighton to complete his senior education.  In 1954, he was enrolled at Mark Cross to study for the priesthood, moving on to Wonersh Seminary near Guildford, Surrey three years later in 1957.  He was later ordained in 1963.

His first appointment was in St Leonards-on Sea, Hastings, East Sussex, where he gained a broad band of experience working in both youth work and visiting hospitals, schools and caring for the elderly, in his three fold capacity as Chaplain for the hospital, school and convent.

After six years, Father Tony was moved to Reigate, Surrey for a very short stint, before being sent on to Crawley.  While there, he began helping out at St Wilfrid’s Roman Catholic Comprehensive School as Chaplain, replacing a Franciscan priest.  After Crawley, he went to Maryvale Pastoral Centre at Bramley, near Guildford, where he remained for two years before accepting the post of parish priest at Worthing, West Sussex. After six years there he contracted a viral infection.  On his doctors advice he was told to rest and while doing so, was asked by the Bishop if he fancied going to Epsom, Surrey?  Thinking that a change was as good as a rest, Father Tony agreed, but after eighteen months he, in his own words, “Crashed out”.

On his recovery in the year 2000, Father Tony became our new parish priest, and a year later 2001,was instructed by the Bishop that St Wilfrid’s and St George’s Polegate were to amalgamate.

Some legacies to the value of approximately £450,000 had been  left to St Wilfrid’s Church and for some time it was a consideration that a portion of this money was to be used for a local Catholic School.  When Father Shelley arrived, he was eventually told that a school was a “No go” and that the funds could be used for the benefit of the parish.

A decision to build a new church was made, and Fr. Father Tony commissioned a firm of architects to design a plan.  The costings for the project amounted to a considerable amount of money.  Discussions were held, but during the latter part of 2005, bad health overtook Father Tony and plans were put on hold.

To assist Father Tony, the Bishop sent us Deacon John, whose help around the parish has been much appreciated, in particular, his gift of preparing non-eucharistic services.  He is now a very familiar face around the parish and joins in all the activities of both communities.

Eventually, ill health forced Father Tony’s retirement which was announced in the parish newsletter to take effect as from the weekend of November 17/18, 2006. He is now living in East Wittering .

November 2006.

The Catholic Dean of Eastbourne, Father Barry Anderson, in the absence of a parish priest, oversaw the running of the parish communities with the help of Deacon John and various supply priests for the weekends. Because of Father Barry’s commitments, he was not the equivalent of a parish priest, but he endeavoured to keep things, in his own words “Ticking over”. Anything of a major nature was to be held in abeyance and no new projects were to be initiated. 

Holy Week 2006.

At the beginning of Holy Week 2006, the Vicar General sent us a relief priest to say Mass on a Sunday during Father Tony’s layoff.   Monsignor Michael Jackson arrived and instantly fitted in perfectly, striking up an excellent rapport with both congregations. Father Michael (as he preferred to be called), had two spells with us, saying his last Mass with us in September 2007.  It was then that the Bishop appointed Father Rory Kelly as our new and current parish priest.