Canon Hopetoun Currie, our parish priest for 50 years, 1935 to 1985

I am indebted to Sue Woodman, new to our parish but formerly of Tenterden, where Canon Currie officiated at her marriage, for this photograph.

Edna Burton

I am very grateful to Canon Charles for providing this appreciation of the late Edna Burton. The photograph was kindly provided by Audrey Evans, and shows Edna with Audrey's husband, Terry, both of whom have done so much to make St Teresa's such a beautiful and smooth-running place.



When I came to St Teresa’s in February 1999 there was no doubt who was the “responsable” in the French sense. Edna Burton was sacristan, and she remembered everything and prompted all manner of human contacts. I was quickly enrolled into the Sheila Kaye-Smith Society, and through Edna I met Peter Hinchcliffe who lived in the coachhouse in Little Doucegrove Lane where the Sheila and her husband, Penrose Fry, set up the original Mass Centre before the building of the church in 1935. Peter was a member of the Sheila Kaye-Smith Society but was not a Catholic. He had navigated Halifax Bombers during the Second World War, and was one of only two survivors when his plane was shot down over Belgium. Peter wrote a book about the strategic bombing campaign against Germany, and several studies of German night-fighter aces. Peter, Edna and I formed a small informal lunch club which met monthly. We took it in turns to to host the meetings. Edna was not the best cook!
Edna loved St Teresa’s. In addition to her regular services to the community, she gave the tablet on the wall by the reconciliation room. This tablet depicts St Teresa plucking her rose petals - symbols of her little acts of charity, her small way. And we can relate St Teresa’s rose petals to Edna’s little way of service to the parish and wider community.

When Edna died we held a collection to provide a permanent memorial to her in the church. This issued into the set of Stations of the Cross which Terry Evans mounted on wooden plaques and installed at St Teresa’s.

Father John Hagreen

Peter Murphy has kindly sent me this obituary of Fr John Hagreen, taken from his old school, (Ampleforth), magazine.

Fr JOHN HAGREEN



John Dominic Hagreen: b. 24 May 1919 Hampstead; lived in Lourdes for 7 years when a child; Junior House 1932-33; St. Edward’s House Sept. 1933-July 1937; Army c. 1939-46; St. John’s Seminary, Wonersh 1946-52; ordained priest Southwark Archdiocese 1952; served in the Diocese 1952-2003; Director of the Diocesan Lourdes Pilgrimage; died 2 May 2003
John Hagreen was a priest of the Archdiocese of Southwark for nearly 51 years. Although born in London in 1919, his family lived in Lourdes for seven years (1925-32). His father had gone there with failing eyesight, but recovered. Returning to England in 1932, the family settled in Ditchling as part of the Guild of Artists and Craftsmen. Through the generosity of his godparents, John went to Ampleforth and St. Edward’s House from the age of 13 to 18. He served in the war as an Infantry Captain in North Africa. In Tunisia his legs were injured by shrapnel from a grenade thrown at him which exploded nearby. He spent months in hospital and the rest of the war in England.
On being demobbed in 1946, he went to study for the priesthood, being at St. John’s Seminary, Wonersh. Here he became a bee-keeper, mastering the art from scratch. After ordination in June 1952, Fr John worked first as an assistant priest, then as Parish Priest of St. John Fisher at Kidbrooke (a new parish) in 1975, as Parish Priest of Our Lady of the Rosary, Brixton, and in 1984, as Parish Priest of St. Andrews Tenterden (where his predecessor Canon Currie had served exactly 50 years). Fr John Hagreen had been Director of the Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes. He revised several times the CTS booklet A Guide to Lourdes. He served on the Ministry to Priests Team and the Marriage Tribunal. He remained active and robust until just before his death

(Obituary in Ampleforth Journal of 2003 – Vol. 108, p. 160)

The bas-relief of St Joseph and Jesus

This feature, given by Fr Hagreen in memory of his father, who had some association with the group of artists at Ditchling, including the artist Peter Cribb and Eric Gill, is considered by English Heritage to be the most important artefact in St Teresa's. I am indebted to Vincent Murphy and his son Peter for finding the following description of it. English Heritage are rather dismissive of the church itself, and are apparently under the misapprehension that it was built around the time of Sheila Kaye-Smith's death, rather than in 1935.

"The land for the church was given by local writer and historian Sheila Kaye-Smith who died in 1956 and the church was probably built around that time. A simple unadorned brick building of almost domestic appearance. Within there is a delightful carved stone relief by Joseph Cribb, originally at the chapel of St Joseph & St Dominc on Ditchling Common. In 1913, the 31 year-old Eric Gill, received into the Catholic Church earlier that year, with his wife Mary and 3 daughters brought a house and land at the south end of Ditchling Common with the intention of being as self-sufficient as possible and to be in harmony with nature and God. The house was called Hopkins Crank. Together with Hilary and Clare Pepler they purchased land in 1919 adjacent to Folders Lane and began building a chapel, workshops and 3 cottages. Joseph Cribb joined the commune on release from the army. In 1921 the Guild of St Joseph & St Dominic was formed and by 1922 there were 41 Catholics living and working there. St Dominic's Chapel was completed in 1921. Either side of the altar were relief panels by Cribb, and the one on the right is that now at Northiam.
SOURCES:
A New Church Rises — A History of the Parish of St Wilfrid, Burgess Hill 186619 73
STATEMENT OF IMPORTANCE
Whilst a simple and attractive building in a beautiful rural location, the church is of no architectural distinction. It is the fine Joseph Cribb relief stone carved panel that is of considerable merit and importance. Should the church ever cease to be used it would be most important to find a new and appropriate home for this precious object."

Our Altarpiece from Peru

This generous present made by Fr Ed's parishioners in Peru, reminds us each Sunday of the links between our parishes. It looks as if they have oast houses!
(as with all the images, click on it to see a larger version, and again to enlarge it further)

Brian O'Connell writes:

"Around the time of Canon Charles's arrival at St Teresa's, (January 1999), Fr Eddie O'Connell, who had been one of his Young Christian Workers at Brixton in South London, took over "Our Lady of the Missions", a vast shanty-town parish in Lima, Peru. It was decided to link our two parishes, and because of our greater material prosperity we were able to help them financially. This started in September 1999, and by August 2010 the parishioners of St Teresa's had donated over £10,000.

Fr Eddie would come to England on leave each summer, and in 2006 brought with him as a thank-you present from his parishioners this handsome tapestry, evoking Peru, which occupies a permanent position in front of the altar at St Teresa's."

The Original Congregation at Little Doucegrove

St Teresa's Churchyard

The Cross was made by Terry Evans to replace the one damaged in the Great Hurricane. He also repaired the figure of Christ which was on the original, but got damaged in the storm.