St. Patricks History

The mission at Plumstead was founded in 1990 when Bishop John Burt commissioned Fr Thomas Whelahan who was the parish priest from 1890 to establish a church and school. He organised the founding of St. Patrick’s Church and School in 1893. August 1893 saw the opening of the new Church in Conway Rd (above).

The church was built to serve the Catholic community of Plumstead. It was a growing community made up for the most part by Irish immigrants who had arrived in south cast London in search of work at the Royal Arenal in Woolwich.

When Father Thomas Whelahian’s died in 1906 he left $1179 for the Church to spend on the School building and the building of the Presbytery, Fr. Thomas Whelahan’s memorial tablet (above) is at the back of the School Hall today. Fr Arthur James Statim died in February 1913. His memorial tablet (above) is also displayed at the back of the School Hall today. By the 1960s the church became too small for its large congregation. At the same time, the nearby Anglican church of St.

Paul in Hector Street was closed in 1966 due to its dwindling congregation. Negotiations began between the Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark and the Anglican Diocese of Southwark As st could not be sold as a standing consecrated church, a special Act of Parliament was required to make this pombie. In 1968, the Bill passed and received Royal Asant. St. Paul’s became the first standing Anglican church to be sold to the Catholic Church and set a precedent. After some alterations, the church reopened in St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church on 4 July 1969 by Archbishop Cowdery Over the last few years, there has been a considerable reordering of parishes within Southwark Archdiocese.

The changes saw Father Michael Branch, the former Parish Priest of St Patrick’s church becoming Parish Priest at St Pet the Apostle Woolwich. Since July 2013 St. Patrick’s church, formerly a secular parish has been in the care of the Salvation who relocated from The Bough to Flamstrad Futher Suchard Mway Zeng SUS Parish Prion of St Patrick, Tumical along with Father Fonder Paulius Ngilangwa SDS. Father Richard is also the Superior of the new Community.