The Catholic Community of North Harbour

Each Wednesday, 8.15 am
Mass is celebrated (during school terms) at
St Augustine’s College
in the prayer room at the rear of the St Augustine’s Church Hall.
This Mass is open to the wider community.

North Harbour	Sunday         26 October Sunday         26 October	9.00 am    Church of St Cecilia   9.30 am    Church of St Kieran
Dee Why	1st Friday of the month	8.30 am           12.30 pm
Frenchs Forest	1st Tuesday of the month 1st Wednesday of the month	11.00 am          Wesley Gardens   9.15 am          Forestville
Manly	1st Friday of the month	9.15 am
Freshwater	1st Saturday of the month	9.00 am
Narraweena	4th Sunday of the month	8.00 am          10 am

  Narrabeen/Collaroy    2^nd Saturday every couple of months

In 1821 Father Therry, landed in Sydney and was appointed to St Patrick's Church, Sydney. The following year the 1,200 acres of land at Pittwater promised to Father Therry by Governor Brisbane was confirmed by Governor Bourke. In 1838 Father Therry was granted an additional 280 acres and he also bought land at the head of Narrabeen lake. Near the present Avalon. In 1859 efforts to build a church were postponed because of the sparcity of Catholics. A church named St Joseph's was erected at Careel Bay in 1875, eleven years after Father Therry's death.   On 6th December, 1917, this church was moved to become the first church at Narrabeen.

1873

Manly had 279 Catholics, one church and no school.

1876

Manly became a parish.

1883

Catholic population was 424. There was one church in Manly and one at Pittwater.

1885

St Patrick's College was built between 1885 and the end of 1888.

1919

Father McDonald was officially appointed Administrator of Manly Parish. The site of Manly Vale’s existing school, which of course was the first Parish Church, was purchased in the late 1940s by him.  He said the first Mass at Brookvale in the Pavilion at Brookvale Park.

1929

Balgowlah was made a separate parish which incorporated Forestville/Davidson area.

1952
Following negotiations between His Eminence Cardinal Sir Norman Thomas Gilroy & the Provincial of the Australian Province of the Order, Father Tom Hunt OSA, responsibility for a new parish (Manly Vale, incorporating Forestville /Davidson) was accepted by the Order of St Augustine — contingent on the opening of a new Augustinian boys school within three years.  The foundation stone for a church school at Manly Vale was laid in April 1952 and was dedicated in honour of St Kieran, the patron saint of Monsignor McDonald’s old school St Kieran’s College in Kilkenny.  The parish church of Manly Vale was officially opened by Cardinal Gilroy on 12 October 1952 and the first Mass was celebrated by Father John Walsh (assistant priest to Monsignor McDonald of Manly).

Father Daniel Brendan Ormonde osa was appointed as the first parish priest. Father Joe Fitzsimmons osa was appointed assistant priest

1953

St Kieran’s parish convent school opened with an enrolment of 50 children.  Two Good Samaritan Sisters, Sisters Mary Cabrini and Mary Raymond, travelled daily from their convent in Manly.

Parishioners at the northern end of the parish attended Mass each Sunday in the pavilion at Brookvale Oval and those in Frenchs Forest area attended Mass at the Community Centre in Forestville.

1954

The presbytery (priory) was made an official foundation of the Augustinian Order and in consequence the parish priest, Father Ormonde, was appointed the first Prior of the Manly Vale Community of Augustinians.

1955

There were 500 families registered in the parish and this number was growing.  Two extra classrooms were added to the church school.

Father Ormonde went home to Ireland and Father Joe Fitzsimons was appointed acting parish priest.

The first Mass at St Augustine’s  Brookvale was said by Father Fitzsimons.  The congregation was said to number 500.  Mons McDonald and Father Father Hunt osa made speeches after the Mass. 

Father Dave Brimson osa was appointed first Rector of St Augustine’s College.  He arrived in the parish on 7 November, 1955.

1956

Father Jim O’Byrne osa was appointed as the second parish priest of St Kieran’s.

In July two blocks of ground, adjoining the school grounds, were purchased with a view to building a proper church.

St Augustine’s College opened, initially in the Church Hall, moving into the school building later in the year.

1958

A new church hall was opened in Warringah Road, Forestville, to serve the needs of the parishioners in that area.

1959

The church at Forestville, named in honour of ‘Our Lady of Good Counsel’ was separated from the parish of Manly Vale and constituted as a parish in its own right.

Manly Vale continued to grow and with 276 children starting school at the beginning of the school year, further extensions to the school were ungently needed.  Fund raising activities were increased, including the commissioning of the Wells organisation to spearhead the efforts, and sufficient money was raised to build a second floor on the school building.

Father O’Byrne & his assistant, Father Dennis O’Shea osa, organised the ‘Wells System’ to conduct a most successful ‘planned giving’ drive to raise money for the building of the new church.

1960

A cottage next door to the allotments was also acquired.  This was used as a meeting place for parish activities for some years and consequently reduced the pressure on the use of the school buildings for parish purposes.

1961

Father Kieran O’Shea was appointed as parish priest

Father O’Shea proved very successful at raising funds — increasing the annual subscription pledged — and was looking forward to the time when he could build a church for the parish.

1962 & 1964

The parish rejoiced in the ordination of three young parishioners:  John McCall & Abel van der Veer to the Augustinian Order and John Truman to the diocesan clergy.

1964

The priory was enlarged by a four rooms addition.

1968

On 9 June His Eminence Cardinal Sir Norman Thomas Gilroy blessed and officially opened the new church of St Kieran at Manly Vale.  The church cost $140,000.

                                                                  
 1974
Father O’Shea was able to announce that St Kieran’s was free of debt.

The parish now needed a meeting place to accommodate meetings of numerous groups in the parish & Father O’Shea purchased a cottage, for this purpose, at 73 Gordon Street.

1975

Father Patrick Crilly osa was appointed parish priest.  He purchased a house and property in King Street to provide for the continuing needs of the school, purchased a new electronic organ for the church and initiated a new ‘planned give scheme’.  He built a new priory, allowing the old living quarters to be changed into school offices.

1983

Father Gerry Dullard replaced Father Crilly as parish priest.  He continued the expansion of parish activities.

1987

Father Tom Greally was appointed as the next parish priest of Manly Vale.  He put a lot of energy into strengthening the parish community.

1992

Father Anthony Banks osa was appointed Parish Priest.

1977

25 Year Celebrations were held in the Parish.

1998

St Kieran’s Parish Centre was blessed and opened by Most Reverend Bishop David Walker on 14 June.

2002

Parish’s 50^th Year was celebrated.

Sr Josefa L Mabini osa ( Sr Josie) arrived from the Philippines as was appointed as Pastoral Associate Manly Vale Parish.

2003

Father Peter Wieneke osa was appointed Parish Priest.

2004

St Augustine’s Brookvale closed as a church.

Parish Priests of St Kieran’s

On 1 July 2006 the parishes of St Kieran's Manly Vale and St Cecilia's Balgowlah were combined into the parish of The Catholic Community of North Harbour.  Our new parish is bordered by Balgowlah Road, Boyle Street, Clontarf Street, Condamine Street, Griffith Street, Sydney Road, Wakehurst Parkway.