The Church of St Andrew was built in 1975 for the 100 or so Catholic families in the North Baddesley area who until then had previously worshipped at the Church of St Joseph in Romsey.

St Andrew’s was blessed and opened by the then Bishop of Portsmouth, the Rt Reverend Derek Worlock.  The Bishop acknowledged the support given by the Montfort Fathers and, in particular was thankful that the order had kindly provided a Montfort Father to become the first parish priest – Fr Owen Cannon.

The Church was completely refurbished in 2009 under the guidance of then parish priest Fr George Lyons.  

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PATRON SAINT

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Brother of St. Peter and one of the twelve apostles, it was St Andrew who led Peter to Jesus: ‘We have found the Messiah’ he told Peter. He was a fisherman before Jesus called him to become a ‘fisher of men’. He came from Bethsaida in Galilee and was eventually martyred in Greece where he was crucified on a saltire (X-shaped) cross.

It was this which led to the saltire becoming adopted as an emblem on the Scottish flag after St. Andrew was made the country’s patron saint. It is thought that he preached the Gospel in Asia Minor and Greece, and possibly even in Russia and Poland, after Jesus’ resurrection.

In our church there is a wooden carving of St Andrew being crucified on saltire (X-shaped) cross.