A Daughter Church of the Parish of Tolworth

The Parish started it's life as a Mass Centre of the Parish of Our Lady Immaculate, Tolworth. In early 1938 Mass was celebrated in the house at the corner of Hook Road and Orchard Road named "Avoca" (now demolished) belonging to Dr. MacDonald. This continued until a few weeks before the Parish Hall was completed, when the builders Nissen Hut was used for the purpose. The first Mass was celebrated in the newly completed Parish Hall on October 10th, 1938.

It was Fr. Redding, Parish Priest of Tolworth, who had acquired the Bungalow at 98, Leatherhead Road with space for a Hall to be used as a Mass Centre until such time as a Church could be built. The Hall cost £3,000 (a lot of money for those days) and this was provided by the people of Tolworth. Fr. Redding and his curate, Fr. Butler, took it in turns to say Mass each Sunday morning, which at first was attended by about 30-40 people. As to when Mass would begin it was anyones guess, as Confessions were heard in the Sacristy before Mass. Often, there was a very long queue lined up at the door of the Sacristy.

The Parish Hall was let each Saturday for dances run by the R.A.F. Depot in Mansfield Road, so the first job each Sunday morning was to put out the chairs for the congregation and erect a table on the stage to be used as Altar. The first Christmas Midnight Mass was celebrated in the Parish Hall in 1938.

Initially there was a problem providing for the Children's Catechism Classes and preparation for First Communion, until this was taken on by Fr. Edward Maxwell (curate who succeed Fr. Butler). One week the children would meet in the house of Mr. and Mrs. Bennett in Gosbury Hill, the following week at Mr. and Mrs. Tunney's in Church Lane. The children were encouraged to join the Cubs and Brownies at Tolworth, and many did.

Establishing a New Parish

In June 1944, the first Parish Priest, Fr. Joseph O'Kelly was appointed. However, he could not move in straight away as the caretakers, Mr and Mrs. Smith, who lived in the bungalow and looked after the site could not immediately be found other accommodation. Meanwhile, Fr. O'Kelly lodged with Mr and Mrs Bennett in Gosbury Hill. At about this time the Flying Bombs started to fall on the Chessington area. In Meadow Way there was a family of Belgians who had escaped from Europe accompanied by a priest, who sometimes said Mass at the Parish Hall, and at other times privately in the house in Meadow Way.

Early in 1945, Fr. O'Kelly was able to move into the bungalow and the children of the Parish no longer needed to make their First Holy Communion in Tolworth as the Parish Hall was now a fully functioning Church. Some of the parishioners were from the Prisoner of War Camp which was on the site of where the local community centre now stands. First there were Italians, then Germans. The Italians were brought to Mass at the Parish Hall, and it was from this time that the Parish became known as St. Catherine of Siena (possibily many of the prisoners came from that region). The Italian prisoners erected an attractive wooden screen behind the altar. At Christmas they were invited by many parishioners to share the little they had.

At this time, Fr. O'Kelly was able to obtain an Altar and Tabernacle from a bombed church which is now the altar in the Sacred Heart Chapel in the present St. Catherine's. He also obtained a number of wooded pews, and so decided that the Hall would no longer be let for dances and entertainments, although the altar was curtained off for bazaars on odd occasions. Fr. O'Kelly stayed until 1952 when he was moved to become the Rector of the Church in Putney.

Building the New Church

Fr. O'Kelly was succeeded by Fr. Augustine Queally, who retired in 1982 after 30 years as Parish Priest. During this time the parish grew due to the large council estates that were build in Chessington. In 1975 the new Church was opened and blessed by Archbishop Cowderoy of Southwark. The Parish Hall was now too small for the Sunday congregation and became the Parish Centre we know today.

Recent History

Fr. Brian Maxwell became Parish Priest in 1982, and served the Parish until 1999. Fr. Maxwell was succeeded by Fr. Francis Moran who did much to develop the Parish. In April 2004 Fr. Moran was appointed as Parish Priest of St. Andrew's Thornton Heath, and was followed by Fr. Barry Angus. In September 2007, Fr. Angus was forced to retire to continue his fight against terminal cancer, and was succeeded by the current Parish Priest, Fr. Peter Jenner.