St Thomas Aquinas Church, Springwood

Last updated

St Thomas Aquinas Church
Australia New South Wales relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
St Thomas Aquinas Church
Location in New South Wales
33°40′54″S150°35′22″E / 33.6817649°S 150.5893881°E / -33.6817649; 150.5893881
LocationHawkesbury Road, Springwood, New South Wales
CountryAustralia
Denomination Roman Catholic
Website stachurchspringwood.org.au
History
Status Church
Founded1892
Founder(s)Thomas Boland
Dedication Thomas Aquinas
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Years built1892 1996
Administration
Diocese Parramatta
Parish St Thomas Aquinas, Springwood
Clergy
Priest(s) Fr Paul Slyney
Assistant priest(s) Fr Shinto Francis

St Thomas Aquinas Church is a Roman Catholic church building located in Springwood, New South Wales, Australia. The church shares its grounds with the St Thomas Aquinas Primary School. [1]

Contents

History

Whilst no physical building stood then, the Catholic Church at Springwood dates back to 1839, when it was part of the Penrith parish. At this time, Mass was offered by Fr. Charles Sumner at the Springwood Inn owned by Thomas Boland, and later offered at the Boland family home. During the period from 1890 to 1907 the church became a part of the Blue Mountains parish, under the parish priest Fr. James McGough. [2]

In 1892 the church was given a building of its own thanks to donations of land and money by the Boland family. This was the first church of St Thomas Aquinas (Springwood), and was located at what is now Rest Park, on Macquarie Road. [3]

The church later relocated to Hawkesbury Road, to what is now the site of a retirement villa, Aquinas Court. In 1920 a primary school was opened in the old church building. In November 1981 the first stage of the new St Thomas Aquinas Primary School opened at its current site within the St Columba's grounds, Hawkesbury Road. In 1986 the church relocated again, this time to the former seminary, and current co-educational St Columba's Catholic College site. [2]

In February 1996, the current St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church opened within the grounds of the St Thomas Aquinas Primary School, on Hawkesbury Road, Springwood.

Priests past and present

St Thomas Aquinas Primary School

In December 2006, St Thomas Aquinas Primary School celebrated its 85th anniversary with the unveiling of the old school bell following its relocation, a dress-up for the students, a barbecue, and a bushdance.

The school opened in 1921 on the corner of Macquarie Road and Hawkesbury Road with 24 students. The school consisted of one building, the old church. At the time the school was staffed by Sisters Kevin and Catherine, and continued to be staffed by the Sisters of St Joseph until the late 1970s - early 1980s. In September 1939 a new school building was opened by Monsignor Phelan in the same location. In June 1962, with an enrolment of 187 students, an ]other school building was opened by Cardinal Gilroy. In 1969 a second storey was added to the 1939 building. In 1981–82 the school relocated to its current site on Hawkesbury Road.

The school serves the communities of Springwood, Faulconbridge, Hawkesbury Heights, Valley Heights, Warrimoo, Winmalee, and Yellow Rock.

The school's motto is: Love One Another. The school principal is currently Marina Hardy.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castle Hill, New South Wales</span> Suburb of Greater Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Castle Hill is a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, located 34 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district and 9.5 kilometres north of Parramatta. It is within the Hills District region, split between the local government areas of The Hills Shire and Hornsby Shire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmond, New South Wales</span> Town in New South Wales, Australia

Richmond is a town in New South Wales, in the local government area of the City of Hawkesbury. It is located 19 metres above sea level on the alluvial Hawkesbury River flats, at the foot of the Blue Mountains on the Cumberland Plain. It is about 65 km by road from Sydney and about 78 km by road from Lithgow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rednal</span> Human settlement in England

Rednal is a residential suburb on the south western edge of metropolitan Birmingham, West Midlands, England, 9 miles southwest of Birmingham city centre and forming part of Longbridge parish and electoral ward. Historically it was part of Worcestershire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winmalee, New South Wales</span> Town in New South Wales, Australia

Winmalee is a town in New South Wales, Australia. Winmalee is located 77 kilometres west of the Sydney CBD, in the local government area of the City of Blue Mountains. At the 2011 census, Winmalee had a population of 6,593.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Springwood, New South Wales</span> Town in New South Wales, Australia

Springwood is a town in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia. Springwood is located 72 kilometres west of the Sydney CBD in the local government area of the City of Blue Mountains. At the 2021 census, Springwood had a population 8,423 people.

Wilberforce is a small town in New South Wales, Australia, in the local government area of the City of Hawkesbury. It is just beyond the outer suburbs of north-west Sydney and lies on the western bank of the Hawkesbury River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Columba's Catholic College</span> School in Australia

St Columba's Catholic College, formerly the St Columba's High School, is an independent Roman Catholic co-educational secondary day school, located in the Blue Mountains region, on the border of Winmalee and Springwood, in New South Wales, Australia.

There has been Catholic education in the Diocese of Parramatta since before the Second World War. There are 76 Catholic systemic schools in the diocese with a total student population of around 41,000. There are also six non-systemic or congregational (independent) Catholic schools.

Bowral is a town in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia. It has a history spanning nearly 200 years.

The Church of St. Columba is a Roman Catholic parish church under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located in Hopewell Junction, Dutchess County, New York State.

St. Thomas Aquinas is a Roman Catholic church in Fairfield, Connecticut, in the Diocese of Bridgeport. The present Colonial-style church was designed by Polak and Sullivan of New Haven, CT.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St John's Cathedral, Parramatta</span> Church in New South Wales, Australia

St John's Cathedral is a heritage-listed, Anglican cathedral in Parramatta, City of Parramatta, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. St John's was given the status of provisional cathedral of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney in 1969, and designated a Regional Cathedral in 2011 for the Western Region. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 5 March 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Thomas Aquinas Church, Ham</span> Church in Richmond , United Kingdom

St Thomas Aquinas Church, Ham is a Roman Catholic church on Ham Street on the western corner of Ham Common, Ham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. The church is a former 19th-century school building, acquired in 1968 and converted for worship and community use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Maryborough</span> Church in Queensland, Australia

St Mary's Church is a heritage-listed Roman Catholic church at 271–275 Adelaide Street, Maryborough, Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia, on land donated to the Church by Maryborough pioneer James Cleary. It was initially designed by Charles Tiffin with later additions and alterations by Francis Drummond Greville Stanley and POE Hawkes. The initial construction was from 1869 to 1872 by G Smith and J Thomas. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kerry, Queensland</span> Town in Queensland, Australia

Kerry is a rural locality in the Scenic Rim Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Kerry had a population of 326 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Joseph's Church, Aldershot</span> Church in Hampshire, United Kingdom

St Joseph's Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Aldershot, Hampshire. Built in 1913, it is situated at the top of a ridge on Queens Road, overlooking the town centre, between the Municipal Gardens and Princes Hall. It is a Grade II listed building. Sir Nikolaus Pevsner described it as 'One of the most impressive churches of its date, brilliantly planned on a triangular site.'

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Anne's Church, Blackburn</span> Church in Lancashire, United Kingdom

St Anne's Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Blackburn, Lancashire, England. It was founded in 1848, built in 1926 and designed by the architectural firm of Hill, Sandy & Norris of Manchester, who were also behind the construction of St John the Baptist Church in Rochdale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Luke's Anglican Church, Liverpool</span> Heritage-listed church in Sydney, Australia

St Luke's Anglican Church is a heritage-listed Anglican church at Elizabeth Drive, Liverpool, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Francis Greenway and built from 1818 to 1820. The property is owned by the Anglican Parish of Liverpool and is the oldest still existing Anglican church in Australia. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St John's Catholic Church, Campbelltown</span> Church in New South Wales, Australia

St John's Roman Catholic Church and Cemetery is a heritage-listed former school and now Roman Catholic church building located in George Street in Campbelltown. It was designed by John Joseph Therry and built from 1824 to 1841. It is also known as St Johns Roman Catholic Church and Cemetery (former), Saint Johns Roman Catholic Church and Old St John's Church. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. The current church, called St John the Evangelist Catholic Church was built in 1886 and is located at Cordeaux Street, Campbelltown in the City of Campbelltown local government area of New South Wales, Australia. The property is owned by Trustees of the Roman Catholic Church for the Diocese of Wollongong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St John's Anglican Church and Macquarie Schoolhouse</span> Church in New South Wales, Australia

St John's Anglican Church and Macquarie Schoolhouse is a heritage-listed Anglican church building and church hall located at 43-43a Macquarie Road, Wilberforce, City of Hawkesbury, New South Wales, Australia. The church was designed by Edmund Blacket and built from 1819 to 1859 by James Atkinson, senior; and the schoolhouse was built by John Brabyn. The church is also known as the St. John's (Blacket) Church, while the hall is also known as the Macquarie Schoolhouse/Chapel and the Wilberforce Schoolhouse. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 20 August 2010.

References

  1. "Home page". St Thomas Aquinas Primary School. Catholic Schools, Parramatta Diocese. 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Springwood". Parishes. Diocese of Parramatta. n.d. Archived from the original on 5 September 2005. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  3. "Brief History of Springwood". Blue mountains Information Site. Springwood Historical Society. n.d. Retrieved 2 September 2023.