A substantial part of the cost of building the church was paid for by the poet Coventry Patmore. In 1875, he and wife settled in Hastings. In 1880, his wife, Marianne, died and he contacted the Pallottines about founding a church in Hastings. The Pallottines bought the site of the church. It was a former farmhouse between the High Street and The Bourne. Patmore decided that he would donate £5,300 to the construction of the church, as long as the remainder of the £15,000 total cost was paid by the church.[1]
Construction
In 1882, the foundation stone for the church building was laid by Dr. William Weathers, Titular Bishop of Amyela. The architect of the church was Basil Champneys. He was a friend of Patmore.[1] The church was built on top of a crypt. While the church was being built, the crypt was used as a location to say Mass for the local Catholic population. On 2 July 1883, the church was opened. After the church was built, the space beneath the church housed a school until 1955. It was St Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School and it moved to Magdalen Lane close to the Church of St Thomas of Canterbury and English Martyrs in St Leonards-on-Sea.[4] In 1891, the reredos and altar of St Mary's Church were dedicated. The cost of the two came to £1,500.[3]
Parish
The church is still served by the Pallottines. It has three Sunday Masses every weekend: 6:00pm on Saturday, and 10:00am, 11:30am on Sunday. There is a Mass in Polish every first Sunday of the month, at 6:00pm. There are weekday Masses from Tuesday to Saturday at 10:00am.[5]
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