History of Worth Abbey Parish
From its foundation in 1965 to a vibrant community today, serving parishioners across Sussex, Surrey, Kent, and beyond.
Foundation of the Parish (1965)
The Parish was created in 1965 when Abbot Victor Farwell asked the then Archbishop of Southwark Diocese, Bishop Cyril Cowderoy, whether the monks of Worth Abbey could help the Diocese by running a parish.
Worth Abbey Parish was formed from the rural area between the larger town parishes of East Grinstead, Haywards Heath, and Crawley. It originally encompassed the villages of Crawley Down, Turners Hill, Balcombe, and West Hoathly, alongside the residents living at Worth Abbey itself.
Churches & Mass Centres
The parish church was designated as the Abbey Church, complemented by local Mass centres across the surrounding villages. Initially, the Abbey church was a smaller chapel (now part of the monastery) before moving to its current location when the new Abbey Church opened in 1975.
Village Mass centres were generously hosted on Saturday evenings or Sunday mornings in local Anglican churches (Turners Hill and Crawley Down) and the URC church in Balcombe.
📋 View Details on Mass Centre Consolidation
In 2003, Abbot Christopher determined that one priest would be assigned to parish leadership. The Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) evaluated the parish’s future direction, leading to the closure of the Mass centres in Turners Hill, Balcombe, and Crawley Down, while retaining St Dunstan’s chapel in West Hoathly.
In 2023, Bishop Richard decided that St Dunstan’s chapel would also permanently close, unifying the parish community at the Abbey Church.
Our Parish Priests
Up until the 1990s, four priests served the parish simultaneously, with individual priests dedicated to specific village communities.
📋 View Succession of Parish Priests
- Fr. Jerome Tomlins (First Parish Priest)
- Fr. Bede Hill (1979–1988)
- Fr. Kevin Taggart (1988–1993)
- Fr. Paul Fleetwood (1993–1996)
- Fr. Roderick Jones (1996–2003)
- Fr. James Cutts (2003–2014)
- Fr. Aidan Murray (2015)
- Fr. Paul Fleetwood (2015–2026)
- Fr. Roderick Jones (Present Parish Priest)
The Parish Today
Today, our congregation gathers from a wide geographic area stretching between Croydon and Brighton, and from Kent to Surrey. Few of our 350 regular parishioners now live in the original four villages.
Parish life is sustained by dedicated parishioners who contribute across many ministries and activities:
- Altar Servers, Readers, and Welcomers
- Eucharistic Ministers and those who prepare Universal Prayers
- Flower Arrangers and Singers
- Junior Church and Family Formation
- Fair Trade stall coordinators