The opening of Concord West railway station in 1887 led to an increase of population in that area and the Catholic Church saw the need to establish a church so, in 1921, land on the corner of Queen & Stuart Streets was purchased to build St. Ambrose Catholic Church. Adjoining land was subsequently bought, at a cost of £590 ($1180) to establish a school.
A census taken in 1922 indicated that 38 Catholic families were living within the present Parish Boundaries so it was time to build a church in the area. At this time Mass was celebrated in private homes pending the building of a church.
The nearest Catholic Church at that time was St. Mary’s Church on Parramatta Road, Concord, at the other end of the municipality.
No time was wasted and by 1923 the foundation stone for the church was laid and was blessed by Archbishop Michael Kelly. Building proceeded rapidly and in 1924 the Church was opened by Archbishop Kelly. Their debt to the National Bank was £3,578-18-10.
Classes began in the church with Sister Thaddeus in charge. The Sisters of Charity were residing at St. Mary’s, Concord, and for 13 years they travelled daily to Concord West.
There was a movement in 1925 to separate from St Mary’s Parish but this was defeated in a local ballot of Catholic resident. The collection the previous Sunday was £1-10-00 ($3.00)
Finally, in 1929, St. Ambrose Parish separated from St. Mary’s. Father John O’Reilly was the Parish Priest and Sr. Blanding was in charge of the school. However, there were difficult times ahead as this was the onset of the Great Depression.
In 1930 a cottage in Stuart Street, opposite the school, was bought and served as a Presbytery until the building of the present Church and Parish House.
The following year Father (later Monsignor) Leslie Carroll was appointed as Parish Priest and he served the Parish until his death thirty-eight years later. He was the inspiration and motivating force behind the present Church and Presbytery.
In 1937 another cottage in Mackenzie Street was bought for use as a Convent.
Construction of a school building began in 1949
St Ambrose Catholic Church, Concord West
The foundation stone of the new Church was laid on 4th April 1965 by Monsignor Carroll.
In 1970 Father Patrick Frost was appointed as Parish Priest and the Parents and Friends’ Association was established. The first Parish Council was appointed during Fr. Frost’s incumbency.
Population in the area increased and in 1977 further extensions to the school were made.
The last Sisters of Charity left the school in 1978. The following year Father Kevin McGovern was appointed as Parish Priest.
The Presbytery was converted for greater community use in 1995 and a few years later a major school refurbishment was undertaken.
The old Confessionals in the Church were converted to Chapels dedicating Mary MacKillop and Saints Anthony and Lucy.
The school is appealing for help so the pupils can get to know some of the personal history of the school. If you have a story to tell or some photographs please contact Joanna Belfiore on 0423-022-275 or email jobelfiore@gmail.com.
The ‘world’s fastest man on water”, Ken Warby (83), died this month four decades after establishing his record-breaking speed of 411km/h. This was achieved by strapping a fighter jet engine onto the back of his speedboat Spirit of Australia. This record, set in 1978, has still not been broken. What many people don’t know is…
The fear and uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic may feel new to many of us. But it is strangely familiar to those who lived through the polio epidemic of the last century. Polio – the silent killer In the first half of the 20th century, as smallpox began to disappear, polio (infantile paralysis) was the…
We all have some possessions, collected through the years;Some bring happy memories, others bring the tears.Not many from our childhood, we didn’t bother then,We were far too busy learning and counting up to ten. When maturity came through we started to collect.Some we threw away later, the special ones we kept.And as the years went…
The Beginning of the Motor Industry in Australia It is very fitting that my Grandfather, Arthur Edwin Wood begins this story with his own words: “Evolution of the Motor Industry and the Man Behind the Wheel…This is the story of a beginning – the beginning of a new era in Australian history. It is the…
Though Christmas may be celebrated differently around the globe, there’s one festive tradition that is shared the world over – dinner. Be it roast turkey with all the trimmings, spicy meat stew, grilled seafood, or even Kentucky Fried Chicken, ‘tis the season for feasting. Here are nine traditional Christmas meals to truly whet your appetite….
On Saturday, 26h October firefighters were called to a fire at the Arthur Walker Reserve, Concord West, home of the Concord West Cricket Club. The clubhouse was totally enveloped when the five fire trucks and a cherry picker arrived shortly after 4:00 am. It took firefighters more than three hours to extinguish the fire. The…
2 Comments
Joelle Cook•
Great copy and paste!!! By the way you have the wrong image of the school. Maybe you need to check your sources before publishing.
Patricia Hayward•
The photo, as captioned, is of St Ambrose Catholic Church, across the road from the school.
Great copy and paste!!! By the way you have the wrong image of the school. Maybe you need to check your sources before publishing.
The photo, as captioned, is of St Ambrose Catholic Church, across the road from the school.