Holy Family Parish Celebrating 50 Years MILY P FA A R Y I L S O H Holy Family Ingleburn H 1968 2018 I N O G T L E YearsI N B U R N M Holy Trinity Minto FOREWARD he celebration of the fiftieth anniversary is a significant milestone in the history of the Holy Family Parish of Ingleburn - Minto, which was Tonce a part of the Campbelltown Parish and the nearest Catholic place of worship was the Catholic Army Chapel built at Ingleburn Army Camp during the second World War. From the appointment of Fr Frank O’Hara as its first Catholic Priest in 1968 until now, much has been achieved to the honour of God, for the spread of the Gospel, the growth of God’s Kingdom and the salvation of souls, by the dedication of its Priests and the generous commitment and support of the faithful parishioners. Land, which had been part of a dairy farm, was purchased in Oxford Road by the Wollongong Diocese, and on it a rectangular building was erected by Fr Leo Kearns, who succeeded Fr O’Hara. The building was designed to be converted into a Parish/School Hall after the Holy Family Primary School and the new Holy Family Church would be completed. The population of the Parish has grown considerably just in the past ten years and is still growing. There is much spiritual growth and evangelisation needed in the Parish. We give thanks to God, and to all present and past parishioners, for all that has been achieved and contributed for the welfare of the Parish. As we read in this booklet the beginning and past history of our Parish, we look forward with hope, confidence and trust in the generous Grace and Love of God, and in faith-filled priests and parishioners. FR PETER CARUANA Parish Priest 13 October 2018 1 In the sporting arena, we have had major events such as THE PAST 25 YEARS the celebrated success of the 2000 Olympic Games here The History of Holy Family Parish, in Sydney and the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006 and Gold Coast in 2018, plus, of course a myriad Ingleburn of other successes and failures, We won the Ashes, we lost the Ashes, our Rugby Union side has rarely bested the nd so another twenty five years have passed in the All Blacks, it is only recently that the NRL NSW State of history of our lives and of our Parish. They have been Origin side have been able to overcome the dominance of Amomentous years and somewhat tumultuous. We have seen Queensland, and so on. three Popes leading the Church, John Paul II, Benedict and In our Church there have been major changes. As a Parish now Francis. Our first Saint, Mary MacKillop was canonized we moved into our magnificent new Church before Christmas by Pope Benedict on the 17th of October, 2010 and the 2016 and Bishop Ingham officially opened it in February the progress for our second Saint, Eileen O’Connor, the founder of next year. In giving thanks Our Lady’s Nurses for the Poor, (the Brown Sisters), is well on Fr Caruana praised the the way, and of course, many of you took in pilgrims attending countless parishioners over World Youth Day in July 2008. These are the positive things the past 27 years that the about our Faith. On the negative side many of us have been Church has taken to come disturbed by the revelations of the Royal Commission into to fruition, many of whom Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse during the who have now passed on past five years. Accusations have been made against a wide and who all contributed range of Church organisations and punishments applied. Two to the building of the new senior members of the Catholic Church have faced court, church. The church has not because of actions of theirs, but because of apparent achieved a highlight with failures to report information given to them when they were the installation of six bells young priests. One, a former Bishop of this Diocese has been which will be (hopefully) convicted and the other, Cardinal George Pell still maintains rung for the first time as his innocence and the process against him continues. part of the celebration of There have been four Bishops of the Diocese of Wollongong, 50 years as a Parish. Bishop Murray 1975 – 1996, Bishop Phillip Wilson 1996 – 2000, Bishop Peter Ingham 2001 – 2017 and our current Bishop Brian Mascord from the 22nd of February, 2018. In the political sphere we have had a swinging door approach to our Prime Ministers, eight so far and the year is not yet over. We have not fared much better in the State sphere with seven Premiers ranging from Bob Carr through to Gladys Berejiklian. The positive note about all of this is that we have had relatively good Government and we still enjoy the freedoms of a growing Democracy. 2 3 case I miss a name here or there, I will mention just one, Father Stephen Reeves, who was a parishioner and an organist at Holy Family, and in March, 1991 following his successful completion as a seminarian at St Paul’s Seminary, Kensington, was ordained at Our Lady of Sorrows, Macquarie Fields. During these past 25 years Steve has left us to take up a new role in heaven as one of God’s chosen. To all of our parishioners, your faith in the Church continues to inspire us all and I am reminded of the words written by St Polycarp to the infant church at Philippi – these words are still appropriate today. The old church, now the new school hall “It does my heart good to see how the solid roots of your The completion of the Holy Family School and the faith, which have had such a reputation ever since early refurbishment of our old Church (opened on the 26th of times, are still flourishing and bearing fruit for Jesus Christ.” January, 1975) and originally established by Father Leo Kearns as the Parish Hall to be used while his dream of a Having said all of that I want now to introduce three new Church was never fulfilled, into the School Hall which constants in our Parish. One of them have been with us was blessed by Bishop Mascord and officially opened by Mr for over 34 years, the second will complete 34 years in Peter Turner, Director of Schools for the Catholic Education December 2018, and the third is someone who moves easily Diocese of Wollongong on the 25th of May, 2018. between our Parish and that of Macquarie Fields, and is part of both, and who celebrated his 97th birthday this year on October 2nd. One could say, we have one Priest, Two Nuns and a three times thirty two and a third year old, that is if one wanted to say that! The first is Father Peter Caruana, PP, who was appointed Parish Priest in January, 1984 (over 34 years ago), and has faithfully served this community, nurtured it and watched it grow all of those years. No one cannot deny his The new school hall blessed by Bishop Mascord and opened by Mr Peter Turner commitment to the Catholic Church and to his role as a Priest. When one Fr. Peter Caruana As I gaze around the parishioners of both of our churches, watches him celebrate the Eucharist, there can be no doubt in I see many new faces and also lots of greying and white one’s mind that a miracle has taken place and that the bread hair, and I am reminded of the stalwarts who have gone to and wine have been transformed, in a spiritual sense, into the their just reward over the intervening years. My memory body and blood of Jesus Christ. If he never did anything else is strong for many of them but rather that name any in but that, he has still fulfilled his vocation as a Priest! 4 5 But he has done more than that! In the past 34 years he has You will get a much better understanding of Sr Patricia when taken one holiday, a trip to his native Malta. Any other break you read Sr Kerry’s three-page Eulogy of her which is now on has been a couple of days here or there, locked away with the Parish website. Don’t know the URL? It is printed every family members in Wollongong during school holidays. How week in the masthead of the Parish Bulletin! many of us will have worked willingly for seven days in each week, doing a multitude of tasks on one’s own, with little We are all individuals and Sr Kerry is certainly one. In support and infrequent recognition for ANY period of time. addition to the love she has shared for 34 years for this Many priests take Monday off as their day of rest, but not our Parish, she has gone beyond the Parish and brought priest! He says Mass every week day and then four Masses others back into the Church and into Holy Trinity Church in on the weekend with an additional Mass on the first Saturday particular. Rather than try and give her the credit that is due morning, plus any other Mass that is asked for! to her I am going to use the words of one of my favourite politicians, Chris Hayes, when he was the Federal Member So what have been some of his achievements? A completed for Werriwa on the 11th of February, 2009.