1970
 |
PARRAMATTA
|
PARISH OF ST PAUL THE APOSTLE WINSTON HILLS |
|
FOUNDED 1970 |
|
DIOCESE PARRAMATTA |
|
| PARISH CHURCH OF ST PAUL THE APOSTLE | ||
 | ||
| PARISH | HISTORY | CHURCH |
 |
 | PARISH |
| THE AREA NOW KNOWN AS WINSTON HILLS WAS ORIGINALLY PART OF THE SUBURB OF TOONGABBIE. IT WAS A SEMI-RURAL AREA OF FIELDS AND A FEW DWELLINGS. WITH THE RAPID EXPANSION OF OUTER SYDNEY FROM THE EARLY 60's HOWEVER WINSTON HILLS BECAME ONE OF THE BOOMING SUBURBS ALONG THE OLD PARRAMATTA-RICHMOND CORRIDOR. IT SOON ATTRACTED MANY YOUNG FAMILIES DRAWN BY LOWER HOUSE PRICES AND THE READY AVAILABLITY OF LAND. THAT DEMOGRAPHIC HAS REMAINED TO THIS DAY MAKING WINSTON HILLS A PARTICULARLY YOUNG AND VIBRANT COMMUNITY. THE ORIGINS OF THE PARISH OF WINSTON HILLS GOES BACK TO THE ERECTION OF A SMALL CHAPEL BY THE SISTERS OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD AT THEIR CONVENT IN OAKE ROAD. LOCAL RESIDENTS BEGAN ATTENDING THE CHAPEL FOR SUNDAY MASS. AS THE COMMUNITY GREW THEY MOVED TO THE CHAPEL OF THE CARMELITE NOVITIATE AT LANGDON ROAD. FINALLY IN 1970 THE PRIOR OF THE NOVITIATE WROTE TO BISHOP KELLY REQUESTING THAT A PRIEST BE APPOINTED TO WINSTON HILLS WITH A VIEW TO ESTABLISHING A PARISH FOR THE AREA. IN 1970 FR DAVID SCOTT BECAME THE FOUNDATIONAL PARISH PRIEST OF WINSTON HILLS AND THE PARISH WAS ESTABLISHED. SINCE THAT TIME THE PARISH HAS KNOWN CONTINUOUS GROWTH LEADING TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A PARISH SCHOOL, THE BUILDING OF TWO CHURCHES AND THE ERECTION OF A PRESBYTERY AND CONVENT. ALL OF THIS HAS BEEN ACHIEVED IN JUST THIRTY-FIVE YEARS OF PARISH EXISTANCE. TODAY THE PARISH OF WINSTON HILLS CAN RIGHTLY CLAIM TO BE ONE OF THE MOST ACTIVE IN THE PARRAMATTA DIOCESE. FIRST CHURCH |
| FIRST CHURCH OF ST PAUL THE APOSTLE | |
| THE FIRST PARISH CHURCH WAS BUILT IN 1971 AND OPENED BY ARCHBISHOP FREEMAN IN SEPTEMBER THAT YEAR. THE FOUNDATION STONE WAS BLESSED BY HIS HOLINESS POPE PAUL VI. |  |
 | |
| NEXT | |
 |
 |
| THE CHURCH WAS A SIMPLE HALL STRUCTURE INTENDED TO FILL AN IMMEDIATE NEED UNTIL A LARGER PARISH CHURCH COULD BE BUILT. ITS DESIGN WAS THUS REQUIRED TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT POSSIBLE FUTURE USES AS PART OF THE PARISH INFRASTRUCTURE. THE CHANCEL WAS A SMALL SQUARE SPACE MARKED BY A SKYLIGHT AND A PLAIN WHITE CROSS (LEFT). THE INTERIOR REFLECTED THE GENERAL SIMPLICITY OF THE DESIGN APART FROM THE UNUSUAL TABERNACLE GIVEN TO THE CHURCH AND LATER TRANSFERRED TO THE PRESENT BUILDING (RIGHT). WITH THE BUILDING OF THE NEW CHURCH IN 1985 THE OLD CHURCH BECAME THE PARISH OFFICES AND HALL. NEXT | |
 | |
| SECOND CHURCH | |
| SECOND CHURCH OF ST PAUL THE APOSTLE | |
 |
IT HAD ALWAYS BEEN INTENDED TO BUILD THE PARISH CHURCH ON THE HIGHEST POINT OF THE HILL ON WHICH THE PARISH COMPLEX IS LOCATED. IT WAS TO BE FOURTEEN YEARS BEFORE THE FUNDING WAS AVAILABLE BUT IN 1985 THE PRESENT PARISH CHURCH OF ST PAUL WAS BLESSED AND OPENED. DESIGNED AS A SINGLE ALL-EMBRACING WORSHIP SPACE AND MARKED BY A SOARING FRAME-CROSS IT DOMINATES THE SITE FROM ITS CENTRAL POSITION. RISING FROM THE LOW PORCH TO THE CLIFF-LIKE EAST END IT RESEMBLES IN FORM THE HILL ON WHICH IT STANDS. IT ALSO SYMBOLISES THE UPWARD PATH TO CHRIST REPRESENTED BY THE CROSS. A LONG TUNNEL-LIKE SKYLIGHT GIVES NATURAL LIGHT TO THE NAVE. NEXT |
 |
 |
| NEXT | |
| THE INTERIOR OF THE CHURCH (RIGHT) HAS BEEN FOCUSED TOWARDS THE RAISED SANCTUARY WHICH DOMINATES THE BODY OF THE CHURCH. THE NAVE (BELOW RIGHT) IS DESIGNED TO ALLOW ALL WORSHIPPERS AN UNOBSTRUCTED VIEW OF THE SANCTUARY. IN THIS AREA DECORATION HAS BEEN ESCHEWED TO PREVENT DISTRACTIONS FROM THE CENTRALITY OF THE HIGH ALTAR AND IS LIMITED TO A STATUE OF ST PAUL AT THE REAR, STATUES OF OUR LADY AND THE SACRED HEART TO THE RIGHT AND LEFT OF THE CHANCEL AND THE UNOBTRUSIVE YET CLEARLY NAMED STATIONS OF THE CROSS AROUND THE WALLS. THE CHANCEL AREA IS IN TURN DOMINATED BY THE ALTAR, TABERNACLE AND EAST WINDOW RISING IN LINE LIKE A SERIES OF MOUNTAINS. THE LOCATION OF THE WINDOW NECESSITATED THE PLACING OF THE CRUCIFIX TO THE SIDE AND THIS IS BALANCED BY THE CARVING OF ST PAUL ON THE LEFT. THE BAPTISTRY HAS BEEN KEPT DISTINCT YET LOCATED AT THE FRONT LEFT. NEXT |
 |
 |
 |
| NEXT | |
 |
THE FURNISHINGS OF THE SANCTUARY WERE ALL CREATED AS PART OF THE OVERALL DESIGN OF THE NEW CHURCH TO PRODUCE A 'GESAMTWERK' OF THE KIND FAVOURED BY SOME 19th CENTURY ARCHITECTS LIKE GEORGE PUGIN. EACH OF THE REQUIRED ELEMENTS - FONT, AMBO, ALTAR AND CELEBRANT'S CHAIR - ECHOES IN SHAPE EACH OF THE OTHERS. THEY THUS SERVE TO UNIFY THE VARIOUS ASPECTS OF THE CHURCH'S LITURGY. THE OUTSTANDING FEATURE OF THE SANCTUARY IS THE UNUSUAL MONSTRANCE-LIKE TABERNACLE SET INTO A FEATURE WALL BEHIND THE ALTAR. THIS JUXTAPOSITION OF THE TWO ELEMENTS ENSURES THAT THE BLESSED SACRAMENT, BOTH ITS CONFECTION AND ITS RESERVATION, REMAIN THE CORE FOCUS OF ATTENTION IN THE CHURCH. TWO NOTEWORTHY FEATURES ARE THE MODERN CRUCIFIX AFFIXED TO THE FRONT OF THE ALTAR AND THE WORDS OF THE PARISH MOTTO TAKEN FROM ST PAUL - ALL I WANT IS TO KNOW CHRIST - THAT ENCIRCLE THE MULTI-RAYED TABERNACLE. NEXT |
 |
 |  |
 |
||
| (TOP) DETAILS OF THE ALTAR AND TABERNACLE. ^^^^ THE HIGH ALTAR. THE HIGH ALTAR AND TABERNACLE FEATURE WALL >>>>. NEXT | ||
 |
 |
 |
| ^^^ THE FONT AND BAPTISTRY. >>> THE EAST WINDOW REPRESENTING THE HOLY TRINITY AND THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. | ^^ THE MODERN SANCTUARY CRUCIFIX ^^. NEXT |
 |
 |
 |
| << THE SACRED HEART AND OUR LADY >>. ^^ ONE OF THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS ^^. NEXT |
 |
 |
| TO THE RIGHT OF THE ENTRANCE LOBBY OF THE CHURCH IS THE SMALL MARIAN CHAPEL SET ASIDE FOR WEEKDAY CELEBRATIONS OF THE MASS (ABOVE). THE SPECIAL GLORY OF THE CHAPEL IS THE STAINED GLASS WINDOW OF OUR LADY THE WORK OF ONE OF THE PARISHIONERS, HILDA BLOXHAM. NEXT |
 |  |  |
| ^^^^ THE PLAIN WOODEN CRUCIFIX HANGING BEHIND THE ALTAR IN THE MARIAN CHAPEL. THE ATTRACTIVE CARVED WOODEN STATUE OF ST JOSEPH THE WORKER ADORNING THE SIDE WALL OF THE MARIAN CHAPEL >>>>. TOP | ^^^^ IN A QUIET CORNER OF THE MARIAN CHAPEL IS THE WOOD-PANELLED SHRINE OF OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP WHICH WITH ITS VOTIVE STAND HAS BEEN SET ASIDE FOR THE PRIVATE DEVOTIONS OF THE FAITHFUL. OTHER BUILDINGS |
|
| OTHER BUILDINGS |
| THE CATHOLIC PRESENCE IN WINSTON HILLS PRECEEDS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PARISH BY SOME 23 YEARS. IN 1948 THE SISTERS OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD ESTABLISHED A FARM AND CONVENT IN WHAT WAS THEN TOONGABBIE TO SUPPLY PRODUCE TO THEIR ASHFIELD CONVENT. IN 1953 A SMALL SCHOOL WAS ADDED TO THE CONVENT. THE PRESENT PARISH COMPLEX IS BUILT ON LAND ONCE OWNED BY THE SISTERS. IN 1965 THE CARMELITE FATHERS ALSO CAME TO THE AREA OPENING A NOVITIATE IN LANGDON ROAD. WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PARISH IN 1971 STEPS WERE TAKEN TO ERECT A PARISH INFRASTRUCTURE INCLUDING THE FIRST CHURCH, NOW THE PARISH OFFICES AND HALL, A PRESBYTERY AND A SCHOOL. THE SISTERS OF THE HOLY FAITH WERE DULY INVITED TO RUN THE SCHOOL AND A CONVENT WAS BOUGHT FOR THE COMMUNITY TO RESIDE IN CLOSE BY. |
| WINSTON HILLS PRESBYTERY |
|
| PRESBYTERY, WINSTON HILLS | |
 | |
| THE BRICK DOMESTIC STYLE PRESBYTERY WAS ONE OF THE INTIIAL PROJECTS UNDERTAKEN BY THE NEW PARISH. IT WAS BUILT IN 1971 AND OPENED BY CARDINAL GILROY. IT IS LOCATED AT THE REAR OF THE COMPLEX CLOSE TO THE FIRST CHURCH, NOW THE PARISH OFFICE. TOP OTHER BUILDINGS RELIGIOUS ORDERS PARISH DIRECTORY | |
|
|
| RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS |
| ST PAUL THE APOSTLE SCHOOL WINSTON HILLS |
|
| PARISH DIRECTORY | |
| PARISH CHURCH BUCKLEYS ROAD WINSTON HILLS 2153 PHONE: (02) 9639 6516 FAX: (02) 9686 1727 EMAIL: sptawh@bigpond.com.au WEBSITE: www.stpaultheapostleparish.org | PRIMARY SCHOOL ST PAUL THE APOSTLE PRIMARY SCHOOL BUCKLEYS ROAD WINSTON HILLS 2153 PHONE: (02) 9639 2555 FAX: (02) 9686 2212 EMAIL: WinstonHills@parra.catholic.edu.au WEBSITE: http://www.parra.catholic.edu.au/stpaultheapostle/ |
| RELIGIOUS ORDERS SISTERS OF THE HOLY FAITH HOLY FAITH CONVENT 103 BUCKLEYS ROAD WINSTON HILLS 2153 PHONE: (02) 9624 5831 | |
