PARISH OF ST LAURENCE O'TOOLE

PARISH OF ST LAURENCE O'TOOLE

BROADMEADOW

FOUNDED

1939

DIOCESE

MAITLAND-NEWCASTLE

OTHER BUILDINGS

RELIGIOUS ORDERS

PARISH DIRECTORY

PARISH CHURCH OF ST LAURENCE O'TOOLE

PARISH	HISTORY	CHURCH

THE INNER INDUSTRIAL SUBURB OF BROADMEADOW LIES TO THE SOUTH-WEST OF THE CITY OF NEWCASTLE. A WORKING CLASS AREA OF SMALL FACTORIES AND COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISES TODAY IT IS BEST KNOWN AS THE SITE OF NEWCASTLE'S INTERCITY RAILWAY STATION. OVER THE YEARS THE POPULATION HAS DECLINED AS YOUNGER FAMILIES MOVED OUT OF THE AREA AND MOST RESIDENTS TODAY ARE RETIREES WHO HAVE LIVED MOST OF THEIR LIVES THERE.

THE HISTORY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN BROADMEADOW GOES BACK TO THE BEGINNINGS OF THE 20th CENTURY WHEN IT FORMED PART OF HAMILTON PARISH. IN 1904 A CHURCH / SCHOOL WAS OPENED TO CATER FOR THE CHILDREN OF THE LARGELY IRISH WORKING CLASS FAMILIES WHO LIVED IN THE AREA. IN 1917 IT BECAME PART OF WARATAH PARISH. IT WAS DURING THIS TIME THAT THE PRESENT ST LAURENCE O'TOOLE CHURCH WAS BUILT. IN 1939 BROADMEADOW BECAME A PARISH IN ITS OWN RIGHT. TOWARDS THE END OF THE 20th CENTURY BROADMEADOW IN COMMON WITH MANY PARISHES LOST ITS RESIDENT PRIEST AND TODAY IT HAS BEEN PLACED UNDER THE ADMINISTRATION OF NEWCASTLE WHICH EMBRACES THE WHOLE INNER-CITY AREA.

FIRST CHURCH

FIRST CHURCH OF ST LAURENCE O'TOOLE
THE FIRST CHURCH AT BROADMEADOW WAS OPENED CLOSE TO THE SITE OF THE PRESENT CHURCH BY THAT INDEFATIGABLE CHURCH BUILDER, DR MURRAY, ON JULY 17, 1904. AS WAS THE PRACTICE IN THOSE EARLY DAYS OF THE DIOCESE THE BUILDING WAS USED AS BOTH A CHURCH AND A SCHOOL. WITHIN THREE YEARS THE BUILDING HAD TO BE EXTENDED TO MEET THE HIGH DEMAND FOR SCHOOL PLACES. THE FEW REMAINING PHOTOS (BELOW) SHOW A LONG WOODEN HALL WITH SQUARE WINDOWS AND AN APSE-LIKE EXTENSION. INTERNALLY THE CHURCH WAS DIVIDED BY PARTITIONS INTO CLASSROOMS WITH THE SANCTUARY SCREENED OFF DURING THE WEEK. THE CHURCH / SCHOOL WAS INTENDED AS A TEMPORARY ARRANGEMENT PENDING THE BUILDING OF A PROPER CHURCH AND WHEN THAT TOOK PLACE IN 1933 IT REVERTED TO A SINGLE-USE SCHOOL BUILDING. IT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY DEMOLISHED WHEN THE NEW SCHOOL OPENED IN 1956. SECOND CHURCH

SECOND CHURCH OF ST LAURENCE O'TOOLE
IN 1933 BISHOP DWYER IN GREAT SOLEMNITY BLESSED AND OPENED THE IMPRESSIVE NEW CHURCH OF ST LAURENCE O'TOOLE, THEN STILL A STATION OF WARATAH. ITS GRANDEUR AND SIZE CLEARLY MARKED OUT A BRIGHT FUTURE FOR THE NEW CHURCH AS A LATER PARISH CENTRE. NEXT

THE NEW CHURCH WAS BUILT AT THE TAIL-END OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION AND REPRESENTED A GREAT SACRIFICE FOR THE PEOPLE OF BROADMEADOW FOR WHAT WAS THEN STILL A STATION CHURCH, ALTHOUGH ONE OBVIOUSLY DESTINED FOR FUTURE PARISH STATUS. THE CHURCH WAS DESIGNED BY P.J. GANNON WHO BUILT SO MANY OF THE EARLY CHURCHES OF THE DIOCESE AND AS ORIGINALLY DESIGNED IT WAS TO HAVE INCLUDED TRANSEPTS, A LARGE CHANCEL AND A NUN'S CHANCEL TOTALLING OVER 100' IN LENGTH. AS WAS TYPICAL OF THE TIME THE CHURCH WAS BUILT IN STAGES. THE POWERFUL WEST FRONT (BELOW LEFT) AND NAVE TOTALLING 63' WERE COMPLETED IN 1933. A TEMPORARY WOODEN CHANCEL (BELOW RIGHT) WAS ADDED PENDING COMPLETION OF THE CHURCH. SADLY THE PROJECTED EAST END WAS NEVER COMPLETED (A NOT UNUSUAL EXPERIENCE FOR MANY POST-DEPRESSION CHURCHES) AND THE WOODEN CHANCEL REMAINS TO THIS DAY GIVING THE CHURCH A STRANGELY TRUNCATED APPEARANCE (ABOVE). THE ORIGINAL PORCH WITH ITS NORMAN DOORWAY WAS REPLACED IN THE 1980's. THE CHURCH WAS SEVERLY DAMAGED IN THE 1989 NEWCASTLE EARTHQUAKE BUT WAS RESTORED IN JULY 1992.

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	THE INTERIOR WAS EXTENSIVELY REMODELLED DURING THE 1992 RESTORATION OF THE CHURCH. A NEW SANCTUARY WAS PLACED FORWARD OF THE MODERN STAINED GLASS-SCREEN AND THE BLESSED SACRAMENT CHAPEL CREATED BEHIND IT. A CARVED WOODEN RISEN CHRIST REPLACED THE TRADTIONAL CRUCIFIX. THE ALTAR ITSELF IS A SMALL CABINET-STYLE STRUCTURE SUITABLE FOR THE CELEBRATION OF THE NEW LITURGY. NEXT


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(ABOVE) THE LOVELY WOODEN FONT AND (RIGHT) THE 'ASCENDING CHRIST' CROSS. BLESSED SACRAMENT CHAPEL		(ABOVE) A STATUE OF OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY OF FATIMA. BLESSED SACRAMENT CHAPEL


THE BLESSED SACRAMENT CHAPEL IS LOCATED IN THE OLD SANCTUARY BEHIND THE GLASS SCREEN INSTALLED IN 1992. THE PLAIN WALLS AND WHITE-WASHED STUCCO REREDOS FOCUS ALL ATTENTION ON THE PROMINENT CENTRALLY-PLACED TABERNACLE AND ITS STAND. NEXT


SEVERAL STATUES WERE 'SAVED' DURING THE RENOVATION AND TODAY DECORATE THE FORMER NORTH AND SOUTH CONFESSIONALS. NEXT


THE WIDE NAVE HINTS AT THE ORIGINAL DESIGN OF THE CHURCH WHILE A LINK WITH THE PARENT PARISH OF WARATAH IS PROVIDED BY THE BARREL VAULT ROOF AND THE RED-BORDERED WINDOWS BOTH OF WHICH ALSO APPEAR IN WARATAH'S CORPUS CHRISTI CHURCH . NEXT


	(RIGHT) ONE OF THE FRAMED COPIES OF LUIGI MORGARE'S STATIONS OF THE CROSS. THE PAINTED WESTERN ROSE WINDOW (ABOVE) IS A TYPICAL GANNON FEATURE AND IS ONE OF THE ARCHITECTURAL TREASURES OF THE CHURCH. (LEFT) LIT BY THE LATE SUN IS THE STATUE OF ST THERESE PATRON SAINT OF AUSTRALIA.
TOP OTHER BUILDINGS

OTHER BUILDINGS
DESPITE THE GREAT PROMISE WITH WHICH THE CHURCH WAS OPENED IN 1933 SADLY THE PARISH OF BROADMEADOW NEVER ACHIEVED ITS FULL POTENTIAL. DEMOGRAPHIC SHIFTS AND THE RAPID POST-WAR EXPANSION OF NEWCASTLE'S OUTER SUBURBS SAW TO THAT. THE SCHOOL OPENED BY THE SISTERS OF MERCY IN 1904 REACHED ITS PEAK IN AROUND THE LATE 1930's AND THEREAFTER DECLINED STEADILY UNTIL IT WAS CLOSED IN THE LATE 1970's. THE ORIGINAL PRESBYTERY DATED FROM 1939 AND WAS LOCATED NEXT DOOR TO THE SCHOOL. THE CHURCH WAS PLACED UNDER THE SCALABRINIAN MISSIONARIES IN 1960 AND IT WAS THEY WHO BUILT THE PARISH HALL IN 1964 AND THE NEW PRESBYTERY IN THE LATE 1960's. IN 2004 THE REDEMPTORISTS TOOK OVER THE VACANT PRESBYTERY FOLLOWING THE CLOSURE OF THE MAYFIELD MONASTERY.
BROADMEADOW PRESBYTERIES	BROADMEADOW PARISH HALL

PRESBYTERIES, BROADMEADOW
	THE FIRST PRESBYTERY IN BROADMEADOW WAS A WEATHERBOARD COTTAGE ADJACENT TO THE OLD SCHOOL BUILDING. IT DATED FROM THE FORMATION OF THE PARISH IN THE 1930's AND SERVED AS THE HOME OF THE PARISH PRIEST FOR THIRTY YEARS. IT WAS LATER SOLD AND MOVED ACROSS THE ROAD WHERE THE PEAK OF THE ROOF CAN STILL BE SEEN DESPITE THE EXTENSIVE ALTERATIONS MADE. IN 1960 THE SCALABRINIAN FATHERS WERE GIVEN RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE PARISH AND UNDERTOOK SEVERAL PROJECTS WITHIN THE PARISH. AMONG THESE WAS A NEW PRESBYTERY (LEFT) ADJACENT TO THE PRESENT CHURCH. COMPLETED IN THE LATE 1960's IT IS A PLAIN SQUARE BUILDING IN RED BRICK WITH AN INTERESTING VINE-COVERED PORCH. IN IN 2004 THE REDEMPTORISTS FROM MAYFIELD TOOK OVER THE VACANT PRESBYTERY AS THEIR NEWCASTLE HOME AND REMAIN THERE TODAY. TOP OTHER BUILDIGNS PARISH HALL

PARISH HALL, BROADMEADOW
	IT WAS DURING THE TIME OF FR MARTOLOZZI, FIRST SCALABRINIAN PARISH PRIEST OF BROADMEADOW PARISH THAT STEPS WERE TAKE TO PROVIDE A PARISH HALL FOR SOCIAL EVENTS AND VARIOUS GATHERINGS OF THE PARISH COMMUNITY. UNDER FR MARTOLOZZI'S GUIDANCE FUNDS WERE RAISED AND A PLAIN BRICK HALL ERECTED AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE SCHOOL. IN 1964 THE BUILDING WAS OPENED BY BISHOP TOOHEY OF MAITLAND. THOUGH LACKING ARCHITECTURAL DISTINCTION, THE HALL PROVED A GREAT BOON TO THE PARISH ESPECIALLY IN THE DAYS WHEN IT SERVED THE ITALIAN COMMUNITY. TODAY THE HALL IS USED BY THE ST LAURENCE CENTRE RUN BY THE DIOCESE. TOP OTHER BUILDINGS RELIGIOUS ORDERS PARISH DIRECTORY

RELIGIOUS ORDERS
SCALABRINIAN MISSIONARIES ST FRANCIS XAVIER CABRINI PROVINCE	CONGREGATION OF THE MOST HOLY REDEEMER PROVINCE OF AUSTRALIA / AOTEAROA-NEW ZEALAND

RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS

ST LAURENCE O'TOOLE PRIMARY SCHOOL

PARISH DIRECTORY
PARISH CHURCH 127 BROADMEADOW ROAD BROADMEADOW 2292 PHONE: (02) 4961 3160 FAX: (02) 4940 0269 PARISH OFFICE 25 FARQUAR STREET THE JUNCTION 2291 POST: PO BOX 6 THE JUNCTION 2291 PHONE: (02) 4979 1101 FAX: (02) 4962 4644 EMAIL: hamilton@mn.catholic.org.au	CATHOLIC SCHOOLS OFFICE ST LAURENCE CENTRE 137 BROADMEADOW ROAD BROADMEADOW 2292 PHONE: (02) 4902 9100 FAX: (02) 4962 3019 EMAIL: resourcecentre@mn.catholic.edu.au
	RELIGIOUS ORDERS CONGREGATION OF THE MOST HOLY REDEEMER 125 BROADMEADOW ROAD BROADMEADOW 2292 POST: PO BOX 100 BROADMEADOW 2292 PHONE: (02) 4961 4837 FAX: (02) 4961 5762

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

INFORMATION AND SOME PHOTOS FOR THIS PAGE WERE PROVIDED BY MRS JEAN O'BRIEN INCLUDING A HAND-WRITTEN HISTORY PREPARED BY HER LATE HUSBAND MR LAWRENCE O'BRIEN. HER KIND ASSISTANCE IS HERE ACKNOWLEDGED WITH GRATITUDE.

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