St Thomas of Canterbury, Sevenoaks

Introduction

The principal church of the parish is St Thomas of Canterbury in the town of Sevenoaks, within the Archdiocese of Southwark. The church is dedicated to Saint Thomas of Canterbury (Becket). Mass has been celebrated on the site since 1880. The present church was built with main additions in 1894, 1927 and 1994.

Architecture and furnishings

The 2023 Quinquennial Report allowed £55,200 incl VAT for phased redecoration and renewal of floor finishes in the Church and Sacristy. The 2023 Quinquennial report allowed £11,340 (incl VAT) for replacement of handrails, timber decking and waterproofing of the flat roof to the rear terrace.

Parish life

The parish SVP group offers opportunities to help financially, practically, and through visits to the isolated or housebound. The parish supports the Loaves and Fishes foodbank, with collection points and distribution centres, and food can be left in church entry porches. In 2023 the SVP group sponsored seven students in India through the SVP Vidya Jyothi Scheme for Schoolchildren. In 2022 the SVP group raised £920 to buy ten goats for a 'goat bank' project in Kerala, India.

In 2022 the SVP Lenten collection raised £2610.30 for Ukraine, going to DePaul International's Ukraine appeal. In 2019 the SVP raised £961.37 to provide nine bicycles for St Mary's Mogalthur SVP in Andhra Pradesh, India, with whom they are twinned.

The parish has purchased access for all parishioners to Formed.org, an online resource catalogue. Sevenoaks Counselling is a professional service offered by Christians to the whole community, provided since 1983.

On Holy Saturday 2026, eight new adult members and two children were welcomed into the parish community at the Easter Vigil Mass. The RCIA process at St Thomas Sevenoaks lasts about six months, starting in the autumn with weekly meetings until Easter.

Altar servers in the parish are part of the Guild of St Stephen. St Thomas of Canterbury, Sevenoaks has a Traditional Choir. The parish has a Bible study meeting most weeks.

Regular events

Between 2017 and 2025 the parish organised six collections of clothes and sleeping bags for refugees, transported to a warehouse in Northern France. Registration for the First Holy Communion and Reconciliation programme opens each year in July.

Sacraments and pastoral care

The SVP group befriends the elderly, lonely or housebound through visits and lifts to Mass, and provides financial support to those in need within the parish.

Visiting

Recordings of the parish's Lenten Series talks are available. Video faith testimonies from parishioners are available.

The church sells copies of the encyclical Magnifica humanitas, picture books for children and Baptismal candles, payable via SumUp machines or cash in a wall box next to the Sacristy door. Sign-up forms are available in the porch to schedule a priest's home visit, and visits will continue throughout the coming year.

Couples are asked to contact the parish priest at least 6 months ahead of the proposed wedding date to plan preparations. A Mission Week talk titled 'Gifts and Service' was given on 19th December 2025.