History of the Parish

We have been a parish community since 1949. Our church was built in 1927 as a school church. In the 1960s it became a church full time and the parish school was housed then in demountable classrooms. This occurred because a small church in the Beaconsfield part of the parish was sold. The parish school closed in 1992.

The demography of the parish has remained fairly static over the years. It has begun to change dramatically in more recent times.

The canonical boundaries of the parish extend from the Alexandra Canal in the west (our water frontage) northwards to Alexandria and cutting across then to Hansard Street, Zetland and Joynton Avenue going north to O'Dea Avenue and the eastern border then is the Southern Cross Drive. The southern border is Gardeners Road extending all the way to join up with the Alexandra Canal at Canal Road.

For a long time the Beaconsfield area of the parish was occupied with small workers' homes and a variety of large and small factories. Similarly, on the northern side of the parish the British Leyland Plant would later be replaced by the Commonwealth Government's Naval stores. However, this large area, called Victoria Park, is now being developed into medium density housing.

Another large area of development has been the Meriton Development in Dalmeny Avenue where there are eight hundred and thirty-five apartments.

Increasingly in Beaconsfield and along Botany Road, medium density apartments and townhouses are being built.

Our parish church is in Kimberley Grove. The presbytery is on the bottom of the block in Morley Avenue and the Verbum Dei Missionaries' residence is next to the church and fronting on to Rosebery Avenue.