Parish History
You are invited to present new material to help flesh out our history, and to help with any corrections. Please email any contributions to the parish office.
The first documented history of the Parish was written in 1992 by a Parishioner, Pat Kitchen. Later in 1995 Father Luke Rawlings compiled a short history based on Pat Kitchen's original document together with addtional material from Moira Pieterse, Merle Redmond, Bernice Martin, Greg and Pat Lynch, Frank and Mary Sainty, Doug Wood, the Dominican nuns and priests.
Milestones
The original Holy Name Parish Church foundation stone was laid in October 1951 by Cardinal Gilroy. The church was officially opened and dedicated on the third Sunday of Lent, March 21st 1954, by Cardinal Gilroy. Click the images above and below for enlargements.
More recently, the Holy Name Parish Church sanctuary was renovated in 2003 and a new altar, ambo and repository for the holy oils were constructed. The altar was dedicated by the most reverand Bishop David Walker, DD MTh, bishop of Broken Bay diocese, at 10:00 am on Sunday 20th July, 2003, the sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
History 1948 - 1992
written by
Pat Kitchen
At the end of World War II very few Catholics lived in the Wahroonga area. Those who did reside here attended Waitara and Pymble Churches. Despite this fact, when the Dominican Order decided to establish a Priory in Sydney, Wahroonga was the area selected.
"Green Meadows" in Billyard Avenue was for sale in this post-war time of home shortages, and presented itself as the most suitable property. Permission from the Cardinal was granted and negotiations followed with the owner, Mrs Noel Hunt.
Father Cussens, the Provincial, and Father Bernard Curran took possession of the property in March 1948. The first Mass was celebrated on St. Patrick's Day. By the end of the month, four Australian students to the priesthood arrived to commence their studies in Theology. They were accompanied from Melbourne by their Irish lectors, Fathers Paul Forrest and Declan Geraghty.
One of the students, Father Thomas Fitzgerald was to become, in 1962, the first Australian Parish Priest of Holy Name Parish. Fathers Curran and Forrest returned to Ireland and died some years later. Father Geraghty lives at the Priory in Galway (opposite Claddagh).
Brother Joseph Hartnett was appointed to look after the household. Later Brothers Dominic and Pius Bonsall, an Englishman, saw to the domestic arrangements. Brother Pius became widely known as he conducted the St Martin de Porres Centre. Brother Dominic served in the Solomon's mission for many years. Brothers Joseph and Pius both died of cancer in their mid sixties. Brother James Thredgold and Brother Mark Brereton succeeded them.
Holy Name Parish began with some forty families and were served by the aforementioned Irish priests. We owe so much to these men and the early parishioners who began our parish by attending church in the present day meeting room. On weekdays it was the lecture room for the students. It was not long before the congregation began to flow out on to the terrace, and many of us attended Mass looking through the French doors.
Father Colin Jennings was appointed as the first parish priest, and under his administration plans were made to build the Church.
Mrs Nancy Davey, a parishioner and architect, was commissioned to design the Church. Her husband's firm Gutheridge, Haskins and Davey, was engaged as structural engineers. Another parish family, the Hutchinson's, were the builders.
The first fund raising function in the parish was held at the home of the late George and Kathleen McCauley. The funds raised purchased a Ford Prefect car for the priests. Then began the house parties and annual fetes. By October 1951 the foundation stone of the Church was laid.
In 1950 the Dominican Sisters opened Prouille School in Water Street. The school consisted of the present administration cottage and a room at the side of the Convent. Although the school was owned by the Sisters, a lot of fundraising was necessary to provide amenities. In 1952 there were eighty pupils some of whom were weekly boarders, so some fund raising efforts had to be diverted to the school.
However, the pioneers did not falter. A Dominican fete could always break a drought. The big events of the year were the Parish and Prouille dinner dances held in the Australia Hotel. All this effort made for a cohesive community.
Meanwhile the spiritual life of the parish flourished with a strong Holy Name Society for the men and the Rosary Confraternity for the women. The girls joined the Sodality of the Children of Mary and the boys the Altar Boys' group. Often, after the spiritual side had been attended to, meetings became planning grounds for fund raising.
By Christmas 1953 the Church had reached the stage \\'here Midnight Mass could be celebrated amid the building materials. Patricia Lynch, who still lives in the Parish, climbed a ladder to the platform that was to become the choir and played the Christmas music on a small organ. Three months later the completed Church was opened on March 21st 1954, just six years after the establishment of the parish.
Father Jennings having completed his task returned to Ireland and later worked in Trinidad. He was succeeded by Father Walter O'Brien who now lives in Galway. Father O'Brien had quite a task ahead. Funds now had to be raised to service the large debt. He appointed a finance committee to assist him. This forerunner of the modern Parish Council was made up of three original parishioners -Greg Lynch, Basil Rudd and Frank Sainty, plus Noel Martin and Mother St Peter from Prouille. Of these members some are deceased, but Frank Sainty still attends the Priory for Mass though he lives outside the parish. Greg Lynch, who was later a Chairman of Parish Council, is still working in the parish nearly forty years later. He is in charge of counting the Sunday collections.
When his term of office ended in 1956, Father O'Brien returned to Ireland. His successor was Father Eusebius John Crawford. He did not complete his term of office as he left late in 1959 to prepare for his consecration as Bishop. This was in May 1960 and he is still serving in the Western Solomon's. During Father Crawford's time fund raising was becoming more difficult and it was decided to transfer to the present system of pledging. Fund raisers were engaged, after many meetings and parish visitations to every home, we all assembled at dinner in the Pymble Community Hall. Right on schedule a violent thunderstorm descended on the area and we drove home through streets strewn with branches. The envelope system and the advent of television did change the social life of the Parish, but not entirely. A young New Zealand priest, Father Michael Shirres was completing his post-ordination studies and assisting in the parish. His Christmas pageants became the first step towards ecumenism as he included children of other denominations. Held on the Sunday before Christmas, they were not without incident. Live animals were used, and on one occasion a goat butted a shepherd, who fell onto the crib, which contained a four-month-old baby girl. In 1959, Father Michael arranged with Taronga Zoo to provide animals. The writer provided the baby, a five weeks old son. Not being partial to camels, it was a relief when his elder sister was selected to play the part of Mary.
Another gathering was a candlelit Rosary procession in October each year. The really great events however, were the ordinations that have taken place over the years. Father Martin Wallace, who was baptized at Holy Name was ordained here in 1982. Father Brendan McPhillips grew up in Wahroonga but was ordained in Canberra, as his family had transferred there. Fathers Peter and Tony Vidot's parents lived in Wahroonga when their sons were ordained. Other members of the Order, whose families live in Sydney, have been ordained in Wahroonga. Our most recent ordination was in Father Anthony Fisher in 1990.
Over the last forty-four years our parish priests have numbered fourteen, Father Thomas Fitzgerald succeeded Father Edward O'Leary who followed Bishop Crawford. Father O'Leary returned to Ireland after his three years and died a few years later. Father Thomas had the task of ushering us into the changes of post Vatican II. He formed our first parish council.
In 1968 Father Ambrose Loughnan, a New Zealander, took up the reins of leadership. He had served for many years in the Solomon Islands and returned there in 1970. He now lives in his native New Zealand.
Father John Hooper, who probably has had the longest connection with the Wahroonga Priory, held the position of parish priest from 1970 to 1974. During this time we had a very successful mission given by three Redemptorist Fathers. Prior to this only one small mission had been given by an Oblate Father. Father Hooper also introduced the 9.15am weekday Mass. Father Alphonsus Ebbs succeeded Father Hooper. He had great success with the Altar boys as he had a wonderful collection of model trains, which were set up in the basement of the Priory. Father Ebbs suffered poor health and Father Kevin Condon, an Irishman, came from Melbourne to serve for the next six years. Father Condon will always be remembered for his home visitations. He divided the parish into geographical groups and then invited each group to dinner at the Priory. This helped to unite the parish both spiritually and socially as many of the groups went on to have home Masses and Rosaries.
After a wonderful celebration of his silver jubilee of ordination, Father Condon returned to Ireland for a time to be with his dying Mother. He is now at the Camberwell Priory.
The next appointment was a short one, as Father Roman Carter served less than a year when he left to work in the Solomon's. An American by birth, he had attended University in England and studied for the priesthood in Spain.
Our next pastor was well known to many parishioners. In 1956 when the mission boat, the Salve Regina, sailed for the Solomon Islands, aboard was Brother Paul Purcell. After twenty years of service in the missions, Brother Paul returned to Sydney to commence his studies for the priesthood at St Paul's Seminary for late vocations.
Early in Father Paul's time our Church was dedicated. The same year, 1982, he invited two Dominican preachers from the St.Thomas More Centre in Minnesota to give the parish a week of renewal. Fathers Mike and Carson Champlin, two brothers, made a great impression on the parish. Sadly when a second renewal was held in 1990 Father Mike came alone, as Father Carson had died of cancer a few months earlier. However, a Franciscan nun, Sister Joan Buckrey ably assisted Father Mike.
Father Paul who will always be remembered for his tireless devotion to the sick and elderly, returned to the Solomon's mission in 1989. He is now parish priest at the Dominican parish in Brisbane.
Father Nicholas Punch, who had just completed eight years as Provincial, took up the reins from Father Paul. He spent some time at the St.Thomas More Centre and in 1990 left Wahroonga to join the preaching team giving missions in America and Australia.
It is not possible in a story such as this to recall all the assistant priests of the last forty-four years. On a number of occasions we have had acting parish priests while our pastors were on study leave. Fathers Colin Fowler, Peter Durning and Dennis Crowley (now deceased) assumed the mantle during these times. Father Tony Van Dyke was assistant priest in the early '80s. Father Nicholas Falzon our last assistant priest took charge also.
Father Luke Rawlings was known to many when he was appointed in 1991. As our current parish priest he is ably assisted by Sr Patricia Woodbury and Brother Ivan Currie. He left Wahroonga after completing his studies in the 19705 and set up a centre in the inner city along with Brother Mark Brereton who still works there. Father Luke then worked among homeless youth in the Liverpool area, and worked for some time in the Solomon's.
The beautiful window in Our Lady's Chapel is dedicated to the memory of Father Gregory Butler, a great Irish Dominican who lived in Wahroonga for twenty years and worked in the inner city with the Marist Fathers and preached to us at week-end Masses.
On this day forty-one years ago my family joined the parish. This story is compiled from those memories, but time does dim the memory!
Patricia Kitchen 3rd August 1992.