Father Baines became the Parish priest in the autumn of 1926, thirty years after the opening of Corpus Christi Church. The whole district had continued to expand, particularly with the building up of the Stourwood, Stourfield, Shelly and Wentworth Estates.
For some years it had been apparent that the church was overcrowded, especially in the summer months, but the war and its aftermath had prevented anything being done.
By the early 1927, Father Baines had decided to enlarge the church and to this end he formed the Church Extension Fund, which was launched with a generous donation of £3,000 from a member of the parish. Eventually, £15,000 was raised, and the extended church was solemnly blessed in April 1934.
Father Baines developed the spiritual life of the parish; he inaugurated a Men’s Sodality of Our lady, he arranged for a parish mission, and for a series of sermons on a range of topics; he particularly encourages short retreats for the laity an d fostered vocations.
He had a great devotion to the English Martyrs, in honour of whom an alter was provided and the magnificent gold vestments were made in their memory.
In addition, Father Baines attached importance to the social life of the parish which he fostered
by a wide range of activities. Foremost amongst these was the series of summer open air plays which he produced and in which he involved many members of the parish. He was a prime mover
in the foundation of St. Peter’s School at Southbourne, which was conducted by the Jesuit Fathers until 1947.
A man of considerable charm, Father Baines never took ‘No’ for an answer and he obtained the
co-operation he felt necessary by persuasion, by argument and even by direct command. It is probably appropriate to regard Father Baines as a second founder of Corpus Christi, and his ten years tenure of office left an indelible mark on the parish.
John Young DMA
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