When Father Thomas Whelahan’s died in 1906 he left £1179 for the Church to spend on the School building and the building of the Presbytery.

Fr. Thomas Whelahan’s memorial tablet (above) is at the back of the School Hall today.

Following the death of Fr Whelahan, his successor Father Staunton carried on the good work of building up St. Patrick’s Church and School. Funds were needed to maintain the buildings. Money came from the people of the Parish.

In August 1906, Fr Staunton wrote to Canon St. John to confirm that not only work on the presbytery was finally complete but they had also “taken possession of the building” (See below).

Fr. Arthur James Staunton died in February 1913. His memorial tablet (above) is also displayed at the back of the School Hall today.

By the 1960s the church became too small for its large congregation. At the same time, the nearby Anglican church of St. Paul in Hector Street was closed in 1966 due to its dwindling congregation. Negotiations began between the Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark and the Anglican Diocese of Southwark. As it could not be sold as a standing consecrated church, a special Act of Parliament was required to make this possible. In 1968, the Bill passed and received Royal Assent. St. Paul’s became the first standing Anglican church to be sold to the Catholic Church and set a precedent. After some alterations, the church reopened as St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church on 4 July 1969 by Archbishop Cowderoy.

Over the last few years, there has been a considerable reordering of parishes within Southwark Archdiocese. The changes saw Father Michael Branch, the former Parish Priest of St Patrick’s church becoming Parish Priest at St Peter the Apostle, Woolwich.
Since July 2013 St. Patrick’s church, formerly a secular parish has been in the care of the Salvatorians who relocated from The Borough to Plumstead: Father Richard Mway Zeng SDS as Parish Priest of St Patrick, Plumstead along with Father Ponder Paulinus Ngilangwa SDS. Father Richard is also the Superior of the new Community.