Excerpts from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Wentworthville: 1946 - 1996, © 1996, complied by Jennifer Rickard.

Wentworthville in 1919 was a small hamlet of which little was known outside of its own immedidate environs.

Wentworthville then could boast of a few small places of business and a railway station from which came and went almost a dozen trains to and from the metropolis each day.

Wentworthville was then part of the Parish of Parramatta, which extended roughly from Granville to Prospect, across to Blacktown, Schofields and Baulkham Hills, thence back to where it joined the Parish of North Parramatta, in what is now the City of Parramatta.

The late Monsignor Thomas O'Reilly was then Parish Priest, and he ministered to the spiritual needs of this vast area with the help of two assistant priests. Our numbers in Wentworthville were few, and of necessity Mass in our midst was infrequent and irregular. During this time (1889-1919), Mass was celebrated in the home of Mr and Mrs John Madden.

A list of weekly Catechism marks at Wentworthville in 1918 shows the family names of Austin, Benn, Bruce, Caulder, Clancey, Clayton, Cook, Currie, Curry, Daly, Davidson, Dorahy, Fairbanks, Gaynor, Gayton, Hales, Harcombe, Holland, Hunt, Hyde, Jenkins, Leonard, Liddle, Madden, Marshall, McPherson, Murphy, Readford, Reidy, Ricardo, Shepherd, Waski, Williams and Winkler. Six children were prepared for First Holy Communion on Christmas Day, 1918.

As time went on our number, though still small, were increasing and soon became too large for the private residence. Arrangements were made to hire the Wentworthville School of Arts for Mass every fortnight. Gradually this, too, failed to serve the purpose, and eventually a Committee was formed to explore the possibilities of purchasing a suitable site on which to erect a church-school.

The scheme was an ambitious one. Land was procured in Bennett Street, and on Sunday 9 April, 1922, the foundation stone of the first church in Wentworthville was laid by the Archbishop of Sydney, the late Archbishop Michael Kelly DD.

From then on the progress was marked and rapid. In May 1943 a 3 bedroom brick cottage was purchased for $2800. The cottage was on the land on the corner of Bennett and Garfield Streets. It was let until 1946 when His Eminence the Cardinal constituted Wentworthville a separate parish (St Columba's), embracing Westmead, Wentworthville, Pendle Hill and Toongabbie, and Rev Father Tim Kennedy was appointed its first Pastor. Father Kennedy boarded with Miss Fitzpatrick for six weeks until the people in the rented house vacated it.

On 22 December 1946, Margaret Bowman, George Muscat and Paul Vassallo were the first children presented for Baptism, recorded in the Parish Register.

In 1948, Fr Fullendorf was appointed Assistant Priest. He was followed by Fr JJ Hatton, Fr Hugh Leonard, Fr Maurice Roche, Fr Roland Darmenia, and Fr Joe Weaver who was his last assistant in Wentworthville.

Fr Kennedy laboured zealously amongst an ever-expanding Catholic population, until the area became to unwieldy, and in 1951 Westmead and Toongabbie were created seperate parishes.

The original church at Wentworthville became totally inadequate to cope with the congregations. The great building project of these years was the present church, built by AW Edwards & Son. This new church was solemnly blessed and opened by His Eminence the Cardinal on 6 March 1955.

In June 1956 the parish was placed in the care of the Carmelites. From 30 September 1956, the parish church became known as Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church.

Building of the present Priory commenced in 1959 and was completed and blessed by His Eminence Cardinal Gilroy in 1961.

PENDLE HILL (GREYSTANES)

In May 1957 volunteers were requested to dig the foundations of the new church and school at Pendle Hill. The tender, $82 000, of Mr C Frank Cefai was accepted and the work was begun on Monday morning, 27 May.

The Foundation Stone Ceremony, by His Eminence, the Cardinal, took place at Pendle Hill on Sunday 1 September.

School classes for 5 and 6 year olds were commenced on the opening day of 1958, 28 January. Classes were conducted in the open and in a garage for the first week, after which a small room was made available in the new building. The Teacher-In-Charge was Miss Margaret McGibbon, assisted by Miss Melita Camilleri.

On 13 April 1958 the Blessing and opening of the new church and school at Pendle Hill was performed by his Lordship Bishop Freeman. Two Masses were celebrated at the new church in Old Prospect Road each Sunday.

For some years it had been impossible to place all boys at Catholic schools when they left the primary school at the end of Grade 3. Early in 1959 plans were underway to commence the first section of a complete school for boys in the parish, at Pendle Hill.

At the beginning of 1960, St. Simon Stock College (now St. Pauls Catholic College, Greystanes) was commenced with Grade 4.

The new school building was commenced in September 1961. In 1962 staff, including Fr Robert Cassar OCarm, were appointed to teach the new classes. On Sunday afternoon, 1 July 1962, the new school was solemnly blessed and opened by His Eminence, Cardinal Gilroy. As time progressed, other religious orders, such as the Dominican Sisters, were appointed by the Cardinal to the Pendle Hill schools to increase the number of religious staff.

His Eminence, the Cardinal, in September 1969, approved the establishment at Pendle Hill of what is termed a "filial house", that is a branch house of the Wentworthville Priory. Two Carmelites were to reside at Pendle Hill and minister to the spiritual needs of those living in that section of the parish. The Carmelite Priory at Pendle Hill was blessed and opened by His Lordship Bishop Key msc on Sunday 26 October 1969.

On 20 January 1972 the new parochial district of Greystanes was created. Although a new parish in this area was long overdue, it was with regret that the Carmelite Fathers left the many friends that they made in that area. The new Parish Priest was Father T Duggan.