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 The following is a very brief history of the parish. If you wish to research further some links are provided to assist on the right hand side of the page. The Parish of Sudbury has a long history that goes back to 799AD when mention is made of the death in the town of Aelfhun, Bishop of Dunwich.
In the mid 13th Century a community of Dominicans settled in the town. 1372 saw the formation of St Leonards Hospital (originally for lepers) by Simon of Sudbury, the creator of the Poll Tax who in 1367 was consecrated Bishop of London. In 1375 he also founded the College of St Gregory to support eight priests.
On 14th June, 1381 Simon was beheaded at Tower Hill.    The first public Mass in Sudbury since before the Reformation was said by Fr Patrick Rogers in the converted front room of number 28 Church Street on the 7th November 1876. This was due to the intiative of one Sudbury family. They were John and Esther Flowers who lived at that address.
This room was christened "The Church of Our Lady and St John The Evangelist" and sometimes "Mary Immaculate and St John". In 1880 the new Bishop of Northampton, the Rt Rev Arthur Riddell appointed the Priest Father Valerius d'Apreda and Sudbury became a Parish.
He said his first mass in Church Street and then took up his new duties at 21 Scepulchre Street, later renamed Gainsborough Street.
The house was chiefly furnished by parishioners and the largest room in this house was reserved as the chapel. Sometime shortly after 1880 the parish purchased St Joseph's Cottage , a pair of Victorian cottages on The Croft.
(The right hand side of St Joseph's Cottage was subsequently demolished to make way for the new church but the left hand side survives to this day as the Priests House)
Around 1885 the Sisters of Sacred Heart founded a convent and school in Willow Cottage, a bequest from a grateful parishioner. 1891 saw the appointment of a new Parish priest, Father William Fippard. Under his guidance the foundation stone of the new church on it's present site was laid by the Bishop of Northampton in June 1893.
It's solemn opening with Pontifical High Mass was on 10th December of the same year. The Church of Our Lady and St John the Evangelist, Sudbury was established.
Soon after this Father Fippard's health began to fail and in 1895, having given up parochial duties he died at the age of 32. He was succeeded in 1894 by Father Augustin Peacock who during his term established the first Catholic school at the bottom of the Presbytery garden.
This school opened on the 28th January, 1901 with a roll or 26 children. A new school was opened at Beaconsfield Road on 28th August, 1909 by the Bishop.
Father Peacock served the Parish of Sudbury for 23 years before leaving on 25th October, 1917.
Recognition of Father Peacock's outstanding achievenment at Sudbury was given when he was made a Canon of the Northampton chapter on 5th February, 1919. From 1917 to 1930 the Parish had a number of supply Priests and it wasn't until the arrival of Father Ralph Moir in 1930 that the affairs of the parish entered a phase of stability and prosperity.
The mother of Fr Moir lived with him in the Presbytery and together they were responsible for the restoration of the Shrine of Our Lady of Sudbury.
The original Shrine had always been kept in the Lady Chapel of St Gregory's Church, it is believed to have been hidden there for safety during the Reformation.
The Shrine is today in the Nave of the church.       Aelfhun, Bishop of Dunwich 28 Church Street as it is today 21 Gainsborough Street as it is today. St Joseph's Cottage EXTERNAL LINKS
(Please note that the Parish cannot be held responsible for the content or accuracy of material on external links)        The Mannock family lived at Giffords Hall,
Withermarsh Green since 1428 and despite
the suppression of the faith during those
times, a priest lived at the Hall, masquerading
as a tutor and Mass was celebrated there. Following the Catholic emancipation a new
church with a presbytery was built and opened
on 2nd August, 1827, dedicated to St. Edmund.  From here the parish priest also served the
church at Sacred Heart in Nayland, built
in 1902 by a local family of industrialists
and brewers, the Cuddons. Mass was celebrated
here for the first time on 18th December,
1902.   At that time in Hadleigh there were very
few catholics who either went to Withermarsh
Green or Ipswich for Sunday Mass. On 15th
October 1937, the Diocese was given a derelict
factory in Angel Street, Hadleigh by a Miss
Earles and, once the building had been cleaned
and renovated, part of it served as a chapel
for Sunday Mass. The congregation was tiny
and, lacking financial support the chapel
closed in 1940 and was requisitioned by the
local authority for the use of evacuees. By 1944 Mass was again being celebrated in
the chapel at Hadleigh; the records show
that there were 26 parishioners at Hadleigh,
18 at Withermarsh Green and 25 at Nayland.
Long term fundraising efforts were made to
build a proper church but events brought
this forward rather abruptly. On 23rd September 1964, a fire broke out in part of the building being used as an engineering works and the whole structure burned to the ground. Up to that time the fundraising efforts had raised only £2,300 - well short of the minimum £10,000 needed at that time. Aided by £6,000 insurance money, building work commenced in September 1965 and the foundation stone laid in January 1966.
Massive fundraising efforts continued and the building was completed; the first Mass being celebrated on 17th July 1966.  St Edmunds at Withermarsh Green is now in private ownership. The Catholic cemetery next door remains the property of the Diocese and interments are still being made there.
The last Mass was celebrated in Sacred Heart, Nayland on 5th September 2010
On 10th September 2010, Bishop Michael Evans concelebrated Mass at St Jospeh's, Hadleigh to establish the new parish of Sudbury with Hadleigh, in the pastoral care of Fr. Peter Brett.  | |||