I remember how kind Fr Martin was when Bob, my husband, died.

Dearest Fr Martin
You were an inspiration to us at St Joseph’s Guildford,alongside Mgr Pat Olivier in the late 80’s,the Renew programme was being embedded and community involvement was key .The first youth group of musicians and singers came together under your guidance. I remember taking part in the Easter Vigil services singing the psalms as well as Sunday evening mass .You encouraged the formation of youth groups for 14 plus and 18 plus where weekly prayer,discussion and socializing took place.The latter often visiting the local watering hole for a drink after 630pm mass .On these occasions many ideas were formed including how to be more involved in the parish and wider community.A friend reminded me of a sleep out for the homeless,a plan to join in with the Guildford Walk of Witness and many other activities.Beyond those parish groups lifelong friendships were formed .This is your legacy.We remember your kindness,gentle ,friendly and cheerful nature making time for one and all.
May the choirs of angels come to greet you .May they speed you to paradise.May the Lord enfold you in his mercy.May you find eternal life.(Ernest Sands)
Remembered with love .Frances Ward

Dear Fr.Martin served St.Paul’s parish for over 20 years.He was a wonderful priest who loved music and being involved with the planning of the liturgy.He often played the organ in the church for us and enjoyed doing so. He encouraged us all to participate in parish life in whatever way we felt able to do so. At last he is free from the suffering he endured for many years with his health.He has been called to the great feast with all the saints, angels, family and friends that he always said he looked forward to. He has left us too soon but he’ll never be forgotten. Rest in peace Martin.

I remember with respect, Fr Martin, who was our lecturer when I did my diploma in RE at Brighton University. He was easy to listen to , explained matters clearly and was inspirational. Thank you , father. may you rest in peace.

Fr. Martin devoted his life to his calling by God. He served the Parish of St. Paul's for twenty years. During that time we enjoyed his inspirational homilies, beautiful singing and musical talents. Now the Lord has called him for a well earned rest in the arms of the angels. We shall miss you dear Fr. Martin. Rest In Peace.

Dear Fr Martin,
As a family who have suffered the loss of a child, we remember your unwavering support during an incredibly painful and lonely time. You always had words of comfort for us when others could say nothing. We will eternally be grateful to you for facilitating Aidan's funeral and reading our eulogy with such eloquence, grace and emotion.
You baptised 2 of our 3 children and the eldest was fortunate to receive her First Holy Communion from you shortly before you retired.
I will fondly remember our happy times singing together with the folk group at 5pm mass and your raising of the eyebrow when we "occasionally" hit a duff note!
May you rest in peace and be forever in our hearts.
With love and prayers,
The Pond Family x

It was a great joy to work alongside you, Martin. Always creative, always looking for the new ways to refresh our pastoral work. I was so happy to find a like-minded colleague and friend in my new parish. We were always on the same page. I learned a lot from you and you generously shared your experience and your new ideas. Many a morning I was sitting with you over coffee in the presbytery after the Mass. I shall never forget your good taste in music and liturgy as well as in food and drink. Rest in peace, dear friend.

How we will miss our dear Father Martin. During the twenty years of his ministry at St. Paul's he was always there for us. The wedding service he arranged for our son James and daughter in law Michelle 4 years ago was a forever highlight of this. We have surely lost a most important member of our parish family, and we will always remember his flair for presenting the important feasts of the liturgical year with beautiful music and drama, especially the Christmas masses and the Easter Triduum. We thank the Lord that his suffering is over and he can now enjoy never ending peace with Our Father in Heaven

Father Martin you were the personification of community spirit and that will be sadly missed. My family and I often spoke about your homilies and how thought-provoking they were, for young and old they resonated. Thank you. Rest in peace.

Rest in peace, dear Fr. Martin RIP The Augustinian Sisters are very saddened at your sudden and untimely demise. Over the years we enjoyed your friendship, company, sense of humour and above all your wonderful musical talent.  The residents at St. Raphaels were always delighted to hear your singing and also your inspirational words when you came to celebrate Mass.
Please pray for us as we will for you.
Always remembered.  
Rest in Peace.

Apolitical,modest, and above all, inspirational.Thank You,and RIP,
Father Martin.

Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord,
Let perpetual light shine upon him,
May He Rest in Peace, Amen.

The reason I came to Saint Paul’s Church,
Was that I found Father Martin an excellent Priest.
His singing, his organ playing, and sermons,
were out of this world.

May you Rest in Peace Fr Martin, you supported my mother through years of illness. You carried on supporting me and my family even after I’d moved to Crawley! You gave so much support to so many, and were so loved by us all!
Your spirit I’m sure will live on in the St Paul’s community! God Bless you!
Marcella Seekings and family!

Dear Father Martin
It was all too quick but you gave us 20 years of your wonderful life
the memorable tines too many to recount,You counselled us,you baptised us,you marride us and buried us.Your voice whether it be in song or speech was strong and clear yet warm and comforting.You were the epitome of the absolute Parish Priest.Continue to love us,to play the organfor us and , above all Prat for us as we shall for you with love and affection Michael

It is with great sadness that I received the news about Fr Martin passing away.
RIP Fr Martin. You will be greatly missed. Thank you for the support you gave me at the time I needed it, for your kindness, for your good humour and for being non-judgemental. My husband, a Christian but not a Catholic, always found your sermons incredibly erudite and thought provoking and took a great deal from attending the masses that you led. The world is a poorer place for your absence.

I remember Fr.Martin coming to the parish in 2000, I was in year 3/year 4 at the time. Fr Martin has been a big part of my life. Fr.Martin was very kind to me when I was poorly in 2016. I will always remember the time when Fr Martin had organised a priest to come and visit me when I was in hospital. Thank you. May you Rest In Peace.

Like many parishioners, I knew Father Martin over the past twenty years. He was always very generous with his advice on a variety of matters, and in particular on reading. He was also an amazing preacher - I don't ever recall nodding off! I shall miss him. Requiescat in pace.

Father Martin was so kind & welcoming to myself & my family when we moved into the Parish some years ago. I am particularly grateful for his encouragement to let our disabled son be himself & feel part of the church community. God bless.

We were very sorry to hear the news about Father Martin. He made our wedding in August 2018 so very special for us and went down an absolute storm with all of the congregation due to his kindness and humour throughout the service.
It was also an absolute pleasure to work with him in his role as a governor at St. Paul's Catholic College, in particular as link governor to the Music Department. He was always so supportive, positive and genuinely interested in what we were up to musically at the college. Rest in peace Father Martin you really will be missed by so many. Lizzie & Jonny Pearson.

Rest well, Fr Martin. One of the kindest people I've known. Such a forward-thinking person... very much in support of modernising the Catholic church. Martin had a very fresh and liberal view of the world, and was very willing and able to argue his point. He brought Bible stories to life by explaining the context of their time and society, and thus made them relevant to today's world. Very much a man of the people, his angle on reconciliation and forgiveness was surprisingly eye-opening. He had wisdom and patience for everyone. An excellent orator, he had great musical talent and was a good singer to boot! He was an accomplished cook and an expert on everything French, and his favourite way to unwind was to try out new recipes on Friday evenings. He was a great laugh, and all the kids were crazy about him. Marie, Aoife, Fintan and I are so proud to call him our friend, and he will be very much missed.

I got to know Father Martin during my preparations to be received into the church soon after he came to the parish. He was always kind, thoughtful and also challenging. I also had the pleasure to serve as a school governor with him for eight years. He was wise, kind, perceptive and not afraid to ask difficult questions! He also always held his faith at the forefront of all decisions.
I will remember his homilies for being thought provoking but also for their humour. The world is a lesser place without him.
My son has just said that he had a real profound impact on all of our lives, and that when he thinks of faith he thinks of Father Martin. He was very non-judgemental. I think that completely sums up a dedicated and well respected priest. RIP dear Father Martin, you are sorely missed.

We give thanks for the vocation and service of Fr Martin. He was also loving of the St Paul’s family, parish and school. He leaves a real legacy of faith, hope and love.

Having known Fr Martin for some 20 years I regret not visiting him at St George’s before lockdown. Martin did so much for our town, so caring and jovial. I recall his passion for Churches Together and succinct deep homilies at Mass. In 2004 when I was Anglican Diocesan Missioner we worked together on a Year of Prayer. We exchanged pulpits when I served at St Giles, Horsted Keynes. Since my retirement I have been a regular at RC weekday Mass and appreciated his warm ministry. We remembered Fr Martin at the streamed parish Eucharist from St Wilfrid’s & Presentation on Sunday where I am covering. Requiescat in pace. Benedicamus Domino!

Always such a kind, non-judgemental person. He made time for my elderly father who had been catapulted into the South East at the end of his life. Just a few words before Mass began made my father's day.
Father Martin, sorely missed. Rest in peace, Colette

I knew Fr Martin before he became a priest. He was a friend of the late Fr Edward Holloway from Portslade parish. I came into the church where Martin was playing the organ and it sounded wonderful. He was also connected with Faith Movement of which I was a member. May the choirs of angels come to greet you, may they speed you to paradise.

We talked a lot and laughed a lot together Father Martin!
You have served your ministry well God will reward you for the difference you made to ALL of the communities you served. You were called to serve and you did that well.
Rest in Peace in Gods kingdom

I am grateful to Fr Martin for so many things. For his warmth and acceptance. For his foresight and forbearance in accommodating the Preschool. I am proud to have been part of his Parish family in my role in the Preschool and I am grateful for his dedication to the life of the Parish. I have witnessed his generosity of spirit and wonderful hospitality. I will cherish my memories. Rest in peace Fr Martin.

Rest in peace, Fr. Martin. Even though I lived in Burgess Hill, the Parish of St. Paul is the church that I have loved every Sunday for the 8:30 am. I shall always remember Fr. Martin for giving me the biggest hug when my nephew, Daniel died, and he told me that he will pray for him. Being a communion minister of the parish was a proud moment of my life, that I will forever cherish. I will definitely miss you, Fr. Martin.

Dear Fr Martin. Gone way too early. How we shall miss him. He was our parish priest here in Haywards Heath for practically twenty years and for nearly half of that time I shared parish life as one of his deacons. Fr Martin was so supportive of our diaconate formation and subsequent ministry and he gave us the freedom to develop.
He was very supportive of HCPT. He had served as chaplain to both summer and Easter groups and in the mid 80s, led the music for the Trust Mass. We give thanks for his wonderful ministry and his God-given talents, his liturgical advice, pastoral ministry, his music and his friendship. May he truly rest in peace and indeed rise in glory. Deacon Dave.

Rest in peace Fr.Martin. I will always remember the day when you were supporting me to become a reader, I couldn't pronounced Dueteronomy. You told me how but still can't when I am reading at times, despite practice. It's a real coincidence that at the mass for your intention on Sunday last, the same thing happened. You must have had a good laugh. I will miss your kindness and remember how helpful you have been to me and Michael. May you have a good time in Heaven.

Father Martin was a wonderful orator, I loved his homilies they were always so interesting and they always made me sit up and ‘listen’. The thing I will always remember him for was during Deacon Gerard's funeral when he said that ‘Gerard was the closest he had to a brother ‘ I feel he is with Gerard and his dear Mother and Father again.

Rest in Peace dear Father Martin.

Thank you Father Martin for your support and honesty as I became a Catholic. I knew I’d come home when, at one of my first Masses at St Paul’s, you arrived 15 minutes late and apologised, quite matter-of-factly, for just having slept in. Splendid peace be with you.

With heartfelt sympathy. RIP Father Martin. From The Balta's.

Fr Martin will always have a special place in my heart! He guided me through my many confirmation questions (transition from Church of England) providing an honest view of the world! I will miss bumping into him in Waitrose and hope he has found peace now! RIP Fr Martin, always in our prayers, Zoe Cliftlands (& Phil, Hannah & Frances)

Such a truly wonderful man that has brought such joy and happy memories. We will really miss him and feel so blessed to have known him and enjoyed his wonderful services and singing. Rest in peace Father Martin. With much love. x