HISTORY OF ST MARY'S PARISH CONCORD

The following dates recall some of the significant events in the history of the St Mary's Parish.

1844 - present parish site acquired for church and school

1845 - June: Archbishop Polding blesses the foundation stone for the first church (in front of the present hall near Parramatta Road)

1846 - 7 December: First church opened. Priests came from Parramatta each Sunday

1854 -  Concord became part of Petersham (now Lewisham) Parish

1870 -  Concord became a parish with Father Callaghan McCarthy appointed the first parish priest

1873  - 6 July: The foundation stone for the second church was blessed (facing Broughton St near the present Bell Tower)

1874  - 14 September: Archbishop Polding opened the second Church dedicated to Mary, Mother of God.

The first church continued to be used as a school/hall

1880 -  Sisters of Charity travel from Ashfield to teach at Concord

1881  - Corner stone of the presbytery (priests' residence) laid by Fr McCarthy

1883  - Sisters of Charity community at Concord

1890  - 7 June: extensions to the second church blessed by Cardinal Patrick Moran, the Archbishop of Sydney

1894 - 1 November: Fr McCarthy died after bring injured in a train crash at Redfern

1894 - 2 December Cardinal Moran blessed the Foundation Stone for a new school building

1898  - 3 May: Convent opened, built with funds left in the estate of Fr McCarthy

1917 - the first church, which had been converted into a hall when the second church was built, was demolished to make way for a new girls'school and hall (present hall site)

1928 - Laying of the foundation stone for the third (present) church by the Apostolic Delegate, Rev. Dr. Cattaneo

1928  - Christmas Day: first Mass in present church celebrated at midnight

1929  - 17 March: present Church blessed by Archbishop Michael Kelly, Archbishop of Sydney

1940  - New kindergarten school building built on Burton Street

1940  - The sanctuary wall of the church was lined in Wombeyan marble

1956  - The second church was demolished to make way for a new Girls' Intermediate School building

1963 -  House at 2 Ada Street was purchased for extra classrooms. It was later demolished to create playground space

1963  - Bishop James Freeman (Auxiliary Bishop Sydney) appointed Parish Priest and Fr William Delaney Administrator

1964  - Temporary timber classrooms opened which later became the library (present Library site)

1966  - Annex added to western side of Parish Hall; Scout Hall built on western side of 1894 school building

1968  - 1 March: modification to the sanctuary of the church and the dedication of a new altar facing the people

1969 -  Bishop Freeman appointed Bishop of Armidale and Bishop Edward Kelly appointed Parish Priest

1970 - April: Parish Centenary celebrations

1972 - 3 April: hall and classroom (1917 building) destroyed by fire

1972 - 3 September: New Classroom block bleesed and opened by Archbishop James Freeman over the foundations of the 1894 school building (1972 block demolished 2011 - present grass area)

1973 -  New hall with classrooms above opened and blessed by Bishop Kelly

1975  - 23 March: Community Centre in Burton Street opened by Bishop Kelly. The site was later developed for St Mary's Villa

1977  - Bishop Kelly appointed Bishop of Toowoomba and Bishop Patrick Murphy appointed Parish Priest

1980  - 24 February: four new classrooms opened as a first floor addition to the 1940 kindergarten building on Burton Street

1983  - Sisters of Charity leave St Mary's Convent

1884 - Bishop Murphy leaves Concord and Fr William Delaney appointed parish priest

1985 - 7 July: St Mary's Villa Hostel and Nursing Home blessed by Archbishop Clancy and opened by Prime Minister Hawke at 38 Burton Street

1988 - Christian Brothers' Primary School on parish site closed

1993 - January Fr Delaney retired and Fr Paul Crowley appointed parish priest

1993  - 28 January: fire extensively damaged the roof, ceiling and the interior of the church - Sunday Masses were celebrated in the hall and weekday Masses in the former Convent.

1994 - 28 May: 6 pm Vigil Mass, the first Mass celebrated in the newly renovated church following the fire

1994 -  31 July: Dedication of the St Mary's Church within the 9.30 am Mass by Cardinal Edward Clancy, Archbishop of Sydney

1994  - Parish office relocated to a house at 4 Ada Street.

1994  - December: Sr. Monette Mason RSC (Principal 1985-1994) retired marking the end of 112 years of the involvement of the Sisters of Charity in St Mary's School

2000  - Major refurbishment project for St Mary's School begins

2002 - 5 May: Blessing and Opening of new and refurbished buildings for St Mary's School by Archbishop Pell

2002  - Priest's residence relocated to house at 6 Ada Street

2007  - 13 November: Blessing and Opening of new Years 5-6 classroom block St Mary's School by Bishop Julian Porteous on the site of the original cottage at 2 Ada Street.

2009 - Christian Brothers' College Burwood celebrates its centenary and in December is closed

2010 - Southern Cross Catholic Vocation College is founded on the CBC Burwood site

2010 - 20 June: a  new building for St Mary's Villa  opened and blessed by Cardinal Pell, Archbishop of Sydney,  on the parish site next to the church - the site of the former Presbytery, Convent and 1874 Church/1956 School.

2011  - New building completed for St Mary's School and the demolition of the 1972 classrooms block

2012 - Refurbishment of the Parish Hall

St Mary's Parish History continues...