1981
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MAITLAND-NEWCASTLE
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PARISH OF ST MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL BOORAGUL |
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FOUNDED 1981 |
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DIOCESE MAITLAND-NEWCASTLE |
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| PARISH CHURCH OF ST MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL | ||
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| PARISH | HISTORY | CHURCH |
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 | PARISH |  |
| BOORAGUL, LYING ON THE WESTERN SHORE OF LAKE MACQUARIE BETWEEN TORONTO AND BOOLAROO IS ONE OF THE GROWTH AREAS OF GREATER NEWCASTLE WITH A BOOMING POPULATION OF YOUNG FAMILIES ESCAPING THE CONGESTION OF THE CITY. THE ORIGIN OF BORRAGUL PARISH GOES BACK TO THE PURCHASE OF AN OLD CHURCH IN TERALBA AROUND 1910 TO PROVIDE A MASS CENTRE FOR THE LAKE MACQUARIE AREA. THE CHURCH WAS SERVED FROM LAMBTON UNTIL 1914 WHEN THE REGION WAS TAKEN IN BY THE ARCHDIOCESE OF SYDNEY AND BECAME PART OF WYONG PARISH. IN 1926 IT PASSED TO BOOLAROO PARISH AND THEN IN 1955 TO TORONTO. IT WAS DURING THIS PERIOD THAT THE OLD CHURCH WAS CLOSED AND A NEW CHURCH ERECTED IN BOORAGUL. IN 1966 THE REGION PASSED AGAIN TO MAITLAND DIOCESE. IN 1981 RECOGNITION WAS GIVEN TO THE RAPID GROWTH OF THE AREA WHEN IT WAS MADE A PARISH IN ITS OWN RIGHT COVERING THE AREA FROM TERALBA DOWN TO TORONTO. HISTORY |
 | FIRST CHURCH OF ST MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL |
| IN 1963 THE PARISH OF TORONTO SOLD THE OLD CHURCH IN TERALBA AND PURCHASED LAND IN BOORAGUL AS A SITE FOR A NEW CHURCH. AS WAS COMMON IN THAT TIME OF RAPID POST-WAR EXPANSION THE PARISH OBTAINED TWO SURPLUS HUTS FROM THE RATHMINES AIRFORCE BASE AND ERECTED THEM ON THE SITE TO SERVE AS A CHURCH AND HALL. IN RECOGNITION OF THE LONG YEARS OF SERVICE BY THE LITTLE CHURCH AT TERALBA, THE NEW CHURCH KEPT THE FORMER TITLE OF ST MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL. ESSENTIALLY A CHURCH HALL IT SERVED AS THE STATION CHURCH FOR 20 YEARS. WHEN THE PARISH OF BOORAGUL WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1981 A NEW CHURCH WAS BUILT AND THE OLD ONE BECAME THE PARISH ST VINCENT DE PAUL CENTRE IN WHICH CAPACITY IT STILL SERVES TODAY. SECOND CHURCH OF ST MICHAEL |
| SECOND CHURCH OF ST MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL |  |
| THE PRESENT PARISH CHURCH OF ST MICHAEL WAS BUILT IN 1985 IN THE LOW-KEY DOMESTIC STYLE THEN POPULAR FOR CHURCHES. IN STYLE IT MOST RESEMBLES A COLONIAL BUNGALOW WITH ITS WIDE VERANDAH AND LOW ROOF. IT IS CONSTRUCTED OF PLAIN BRICK IN A SQUARE WITH THE ENTRANCE IN THE NORTH-WEST CORNER AND THE SANCTUARY IN THE SOUTH-EAST CORNER. A SEPARATE ADDITION TO THE BUILDING ON THE EAST WITH MODERN STAINED GLASS WINDOWS FORMS THE BLESSED SACRAMENT CHAPEL. A TYPICAL DRIVE THROUGH PORCH IS PROVIDED AT THE MAIN ENTRANCE. NEXT |
 | IN KEEPING WITH THE OVERALL STYLE OF THE CHURCH THE INTERIOR IS BUILT AROUND THE OPEN-PLAN CONCEPT OF A SINGLE WORSHIP AREA. THE SEATING IS A MIXTURE OF OLD FASHIONED PEWS AND MODERN PLASTIC CHAIRS GROUPED IN A SEMI-CIRCLE AROUND THE SMALL SANCTUARY WHICH IS ITSELF DEFINED BY A WOODEN REREDOS AND A RAISED STEP. TO THE LEFT OF THE SANCTUARY SCREENED BY THE REREDOS IS THE BAPTISTRY. BEYOND IS THE SOLE ARCHITECTURALLY DEFINED AREA OF THE CHURCH - THE BLESSED SACRAMENT CHAPEL. THE FURNISHINGS OF THE SANCTUARY ARE VERY SIMPLE - A TABLE ALTAR, AMBO AND CENTRALLY PLACED CELEBRANT'S CHAIR BENEATH A WOODEN "RISEN CHRIST". THE BODY OF THE CHURCH CONTAINS SEVERAL EXAMPLES OF CATHOLIC ICONOGRAPHY INCLUDING A LOVELY NEEDLEPOINT IMAGE OF THE PATRON OF THE CHURCH, ST MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL, AND A SHRINE TO OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL SUCCOUR AS WELL AS A SIMPLE SET OF CARVED WOODEN STATIONS OF THE CROSS ON THE BACK WALL. NEXT |
| TO THE RIGHT IS THE PLAINLY FURNISHED SANCTUARY WHICH ACTS AS THE FOCAL POINT OF THE NAVE AND BELOW IS THE BAPTISTRY. UNUSUALLY FOR A MODERN CATHOLIC CHURCH THE BAPTISTRY IS CONTAINED IN A PARTIALLY DEFINED AREA DISTINCT FROM THE SANCTUARY. THIS AREA WITH ITS IMAGE OF THE 'LAST SUPPER' IS ALSO THE REPOSITORY FOR THE HOLY OILS. THE SEVERAL ITEMS OF CHURCH FURNITURE ARE CONSTRUCTED TO THE SAME DESIGN FROM POLISHED WOOD TO PROVIDE AN OVERALL SENSE OF UNITY. NEXT |  |
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| BLESSED SACRAMENT CHAPEL | |
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| (ABOVE) THE BLESSED SACRAMENT CHAPEL WITH ITS TABERNACLE AND ITS STAINED GLASS WINDOWS DRAWING ON LOCAL THEMES. NEXT (BELOW) THE CRUCIFIX, THE WROUGHT IRON SCREENS WITH THEIR EUCHARISTIC SYMBOLS AND THE NEEDLEPOINT IMAGE OF OUR LADY. | |
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| (LEFT) THE NAVE AND (RIGHT) THE SHRINE OF OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP. NEXT |
 | THE SIMPLICITY OF THE NAVE OR MAIN WORSHIP SPACE OF THE CHURCH IS HIGHLIGHTED BY SEVERAL DEVOTIONAL ITEMS INCLUDING THE NEEDLEPOINT IMAGE OF ST MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL (LEFT) AND THE CARVED WOODEN STATIONS OF THE CROSS (BELOW). AN ATTRACTIVE CARVED IMAGE OF ST MICHAEL IN THE PORCH (ABOVE) ALSO WELCOMES VISITORS TO THE CHURCH. TOP HISTORIC CHURCHES |
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| HISTORIC CHURCHES | |
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| TERALBA |
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| CHURCH OF ST MICHAEL, TERALBA | |
 | IN THE EARLY YEARS OF THE 20th CENTURY THE SHORES OF LAKE MACQUARIE WERE VERY SPARSELY SETTLED. WITH THE COMING OF THE MAIN NORTHERN RAILROAD HOWEVER SMALL SETTLEMENTS SPRANG UP ALONG ITS LENGTH AND ONE OF THESE WAS TERALBA NEAR THE COCKLE CREEK CROSSING. PRIESTS FROM LAMBTON WOULD TRAVEL DOWN TO SEE TO THE NEEDS OF THE LOCAL CATHOLICS AND AROUND 1910 THE FIRST CATHOLIC CHURCH IN THE AREA WAS ESTABLISHED IN TERALBA. IT WAS BOUGHT FROM THE PERSBYTERIANS BY FR KEENAN WHEN THEY WERE UNABLE TO CONTINUE THEIR LEASE AND BECAME THE CHURCH OF ST MICHAEL. THE CHURCH WAS LATER PURCHASED OUTRIGHT BY FR HEFFERNAN OF BOOLAROO WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE AREA AFTER 1926. THE SIMPLE LITTLE WEATHERBOARD GOD-BOX SERVED THE LAKESIDE COMMUNITY FOR NEARLY SIXTY YEARS UNTIL THE MOVE WAS MADE TO BOORAGUL. THE CHURCH WAS SOLD IN 1963 AND WAS LATER USED FOR A COMMUNITY RADIO STATION. THE LAST MASS WAS HELD ON JUNE 23 1963. TOP HISTORIC CHURCHES OTHER BUILDINGS |
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| OTHER BUILDINGS | |||
| EVEN BEFORE BOORAGUL BECAME A PARISH THE STATION POSSESSED IN ADDITION TO A CHURCH, A CHURCH HALL. THE LATTER, AN EX-RATHMINES HUT LIKE THE CHURCH LATER BURNT DOWN AND WAS REPLACED WITH A NEW PURPOSE BUILT HALL STILL IN USE TODAY. FOLLOWING THE ERECTION OF THE PARISH IN 1981 A PRESBYTERY WAS BUILT FOR THE PARISH PRIEST AS WELL AS A NEW CHURCH. THE FORMER CHURCH THEN BECAME THE PARISH ST VINCENT DE PAUL CENTRE. IN 1984 THE DIOCESE ALSO OPENED ST PAUL'S HIGH SCHOOL AS A REGIONAL SCHOOL FOR THE WESTLAKES AREA ON A SITE CLOSE TO THE CHURCH. | |||
| BOORAGUL PRESBYTERY | BOORAGUL PARISH HALL | BOORAGUL ST PAUL'S HIGH SCHOOL | BOORAGUL ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY |
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| PRESBYTERY, BOORAGUL | ||
 | ALONG WITH THE NEW CHURCH, THE FIRST PRIORITY FOR THE RECENTLY ESTABLISHED PARISH WAS THE CONSTRUCTION OF A PRESBYTERY FOR THE PARISH PRIEST. CONSTRUCTED ADJACENT TO THE CHURCH IN THE SAME LIGHT BRICK IT IS A TYPICAL LATE 20th CENTURY SUBURBAN BUNGALOW WITH LITTLE TO DISTINGUISH IT FROM THE EQUALLY NEW HOMES SURROUNDING IT APART FROM THE CROSS ON THE FRONT WALL MARKING IT AS A RELIGIOUS BUILDING. IN KEEPING WITH THE NEWER STYLE OF PARISH STRUCTURE THE PRESBYTERY IS ESSENTIALLY A DOMICILE FOR THE PARISH PRIEST RATHER THAN THE ORGANISATIONAL CENTRE OF THE PARISH AS WAS COMMON IN FORMER TIMES. ACCORDINGLY THE BUILDING DRAWS NO ATTENTION TO ITSELF. BEYOND BEING LOCATED NEXT TO THE CHURCH IT BLENDS QUIETLY WITH THE NEIGHBOURHOOD. TOP OTHER BUILDINGS PARISH HALL | |
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| PARISH HALL, BOORAGUL | |
 | WHEN THE STATION WAS MOVED FROM TERALBA TO BOORAGUL IN 1963 TWO OLD HUTS WERE TRANSPORTED FROM THE FORMER AIRBASE AT RATHMINES TO THE NEW SITE AND SET UP AS A CHURCH AND A HALL. THE HALL WHICH WAS LOCATED BEHIND THE CHURCH WAS UNFORTUNATELY BURNT DOWN SOME YEARS LATER. THE OPPORTUNITY WAS THENTAKEN TO CONSTRUCT A MORE SOLID AND ENDURING STRUCTURE FOR PARISH ACTIVITIES. ACCORDINGLY A NEW BRICK HALL WITH A WIDE VERANDAH AND A HIGH SLOPING ROOF WAS ERECTED BEHIND THE OLD CHURCH AND COINCIDENTALLY BEHIND THE NEW. A LIGHT AND AIRY INTERIOR SUITABLE FOR SOCIAL GATHERINGS IS LIT NATURALLY BY A ROW OF ROOF SKYLIGHTS. TOP OTHER BUILDINGS ST PAUL'S HIGH SCHOOL |
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| ST PAUL'S HIGH SCHOOL, BOORAGUL |
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| AS FAR BACK AS 1972 CATHOLIC PARENTS FROM TORONTO AND BOORAGUL HAD BEEN ASKING FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE WESTERN SIDE OF LAKE MACQUARIE AS THE NEAREST ALTERNATIVE WAS ON THE FAR SIDE OF THE LAKE. AT THIS TIME MOST OF THE TRADITIONAL ORDERS HAD WITHDRAWN FROM TEACHING AND SO IT FELL TO THE DIOCESE TO ESTABLISH A SCHOOL FOR THE AREA AND IN 1984 ST PAUL'S HIGH SCHOOL OPENED ITS DOORS TO THE FIRST INTAKE OF STUDENTS. |  | LAY STAFFED AND LED FROM ITS INCEPTION ST PAUL'S IS SET ON SPACIOUS TREE-LINED GROUNDS IN ACCORDANCE WITH LATE 20th CENTURY SCHOOL DESIGN PRINCIPLES. THE SCHOOL HAS UNDERGONE SEVERAL EXPANSIONS AS IT HAS PROGRESSED TO A FULL GRADE 7-12 HIGH SCHOOL. ST PAUL'S IS VERY MUCH A COMMUNITY MINDED SCHOOL THAT HAS CLOSE TIES WITH THE PARISHES OF TORONTO, BOORAGUL AND BOOLAROO FROM WHICH IT DRAWS ITS STUDENTS. NEXT |
 | THE SITE AT BOORAGUL WAS IN FACT CHOSEN BECAUSE OF ITS CENTRALITY TO AND THE CONVENIENT AND EFFICIENT TRANSPORT LINKS FROM THE THREE FEEDER PARISHES. <<< PROMINENTLY LOCATED ON THE LAWN IN FRONT OF THE SCHOOL IS AN IMPOSING STATUE OF ITS PATRON GRASPING THE SWORD OF HIS MATYRDOM AND HIS EPISTLES. vvvv PART OF THE MAIN BUILDING SHOWING THE SCHOOL'S COAT OF ARMS WITH THE CROSSED SWORDS FOR ST PAUL'S MATYRDOM IN ROME AND THE BOOK OF HIS LETTERS. NEXT |
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| TOP OTHER BUILDINGS ST VINCENT DE PAUL |
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| ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY, BOORAGUL | ||
 | BOORAGUL HAD BEEN A MEMBER OF THE TORONTO ST VINCENT DE PAUL CONFERENCE AND FOLLOWING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PARISH THE LOCAL MEMBERS SET ABOUT CREATING A LOCAL HEADQAURTERS FOR THEMSELVES. THE BUILDING OF THE NEW PARISH CHURCH PROVIDED THEM WITH A PLACE TO SET ABOUT THEIR WORK IN THE FORM OF THE OLD CHURCH, AN EX-RATHMINES HUT. FOR NEARLY TWENTY YEARS THE SIMPLE LITTLE WOODEN HALL SERVED AS A RETAIL CENTRE RAISING MONEY FOR THE LOCAL ST VINCENT DE PAUL CONFERENCE. THE CENTRE IS STILL ACTIVE AND IS OPENED ON MOST DAYS BY THE VOLUNTEER STAFF OF THE PARISH CONFERENCE. TOP OTHER BUILDINGS PARISH DIRECTORY | |
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| PARISH DIRECTORY | |
| PARISH CHURCH RANCLAUD ST BOORAGUL 2284 PARISH OFFICE: 140 WANGI RD KILABEN BAY 2283 POST: PO BOX 122 TORONTO 2283 PHONE: (02) 4959 2777 FAX: (02) 4959 6272 | SECONDARY SCHOOL ST PAUL'S HIGH SCHOOL PRIMROSE STREET BOORAGUL 2284 POST: PO BOX 194 BOOLAROO 2284 PHONE: (02) 4958 6711 FAX: (02) 4958 6145 EMAIL: admin@brgl.mn.catholic.edu.au WEBSITE: brgl.mn.catholic.edu.au |
| OTHER SERVICES ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY PRIMROSE STREET BOORAGUL 2284 PHONE: (02) 4943 9044 | RELIGIOUS ORDERS SISTERS OF MERCY RANCLAUD STREET BOORAGUL 2284 PHONE: (02) 4958 6215 |
