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A Londoner by birth, Edwin Sass was educated at Beaumont and joined the Society of Jesus in 1923. During his years of training he taught at St. John's Beaumont and St. Michael's School, Leeds. After ordination in 1936, Fr. Sass again taught at Beaumont until he became an RAF Chaplain in 1940.
After the war, he returned to Beaumont and the next 40 years were divided almost equally between Boscombe and Beaumont. It was on the closure of Beaumont, something that Fr, Sass always regretted, he came to Corpus Christi, where he worked until his death in March 1987.
At Boscombe, Fr. Sass was hospital chaplain for about 14 years, and was most conscientious in visiting and bringing spiritual help to many patients. In addition, for many years, Fr. Sass went on supply to many local parishes, sometimes spending long periods in particular parishes during the illness of the priest in question. He was diocesan chaplain to the Scouts.
A cheerful, good and devoted priest, Fr. Sass was greatly loved in the parish. He was willing to undertake anything - leave it to me' - might well be a summary of his life. Fr, Sass had an almost childlike joy in celebrations of his two jubilees, events which were marked to enable his friends to show their affection for him.
For about the last ten years of his life, Fr. Sass was in constant pain from arthritis in his ankles, in spite of which he continued as many of his usual activities as possible.
For the golden jubilee of his ordination the alter servers presented a gold vestment to the Church, and a fund was raised in the parish for Fr. Sass to be able to go the Holy Land.
In November 1986, only a few days before he was to leave for that pilgrimage, Fr. Sass was taken ill and had to undergo an operation for a stomach ulcer. He made a good recovery and was able to resume work, but during the night of 4-5 March 1987, he died in his sleep. On the 5th March 2001, Father Budworth celebrated a mass to commemorate the life and work of Father Sass.
John Young DMA
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