Our Lady & All Saints

In 1915, in Laindon, Mass was celebrated in a family home by the Parish Priest of Billericay. This continued until 1926 when the Church of St Therese of Lisieux was established in a small chapel; St Therese had been canonized (declared a Saint) in 1925, so the church in Laindon was one of the very first dedicated to her. That little church remained for many decades, until it was beyond repair, and funds were raised for a new church, which was built and opened in Florence Way, Laindon, in 1992.

In the meantime the new town of Basildon had been built; initially there was a Mass centre in Vange, dedicated to the Sacred Heart, which opened in the 1950s. The original town centre plans showed the town centre located where Pitsea now stands, and so St Basil the Great was built there, and consecrated in 1956.

In the 1960s, however, it became clear that the town plans were going to look rather different, and with greater focus on the town centre, the beginnings of the third main church in Basildon took shape. Holy Trinity had very humble beginnings; in late 1958, and served by Priests from St Basil’s, the first Masses in the town centre were in the builders’ canteen! From 12 noon on Saturday parishioners scraped out the mud, put up paper curtains, and made as presentable a space as possible.

Over the years Basildon continued to grow, and the Catholic population grew as well. In 2010 the single parish of Our Lady and All Saints was established, covering the whole area served by the three churches. St Basil’s was in need of significant refurbishment and today it is a beautiful, dignified and prayerful space. In May 2012 three Ursuline Sisters moved to be resident at St Basil’s.

It was ever clearer that Holy Trinity was too small for the growing numbers, and in 2010 a video link was established between the church and the hall. With up to a hundred parishioners 'watching' Mass every week, the decision was taken to extend the church and move the parish office to be on the same site.