1928
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BROKEN BAY
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PARISH OF ST AGATHA PENNANT HILLS |
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FOUNDED 1928 |
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DIOCESE BROKEN BAY |
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PARISH CHURCH OF ST AGNES |
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| PARISH | CHURCH |
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 | PARISH |
| THROUGHOUT MOST OF THE 1800's PENNANT HILLS WAS A SPARSELY POPULATED AREA, AND IT WAS NOT UNTIL THE ARRIVAL OF THE RAILROAD IN 1886 THAT ANY SIGNIFICANT POPULATION GROWTH OCCURRED. DURING THIS PERIOD THE CATHOLICS OF THE AREA WERE RELIANT ON VISITING PRIESTS FROM PARRAMATTA AND PYMBLE. THE AREA OF THE PRESENT PARISH WAS ALSO DIVIDED BETWEN THESE TWO TOWNS, WITH WEST PENNANT HILLS FALLING INTO PARRAMATTA PARISH AND PENNANT HILLS PROPER INTO PYMBLE. FINALLY IN 1928 PENNANT HILLS WAS DECLARED A PARISH IN ITS OWN RIGHT. | |
| FIRST CHURCH OF ST AGATHA, PENNANT HILLS | |
| THE FIRST PARISH CHURCH WAS AT WEST PENNANT HILLS AND LATER AT THORNLEIGH BUT THESE WERE MERELY STOPGAPS UNTIL A PROPER PARISH CHURCH COULD BE BUILT. IT WAS NOT UNTIL 1954 THAT PENNANT HILLS GOT ITS FIRST PROPER PARISH CHURCH, WITH THE BUILDING OF THE RED-BRICK CHURCH/SCHOOL OF ST AGATHA, WHICH TODAY IS USED AS THE PARISH HALL. NEXT |
| SECOND CHURCH OF ST AGATHA, PENNANT HILLS |  |
| WITH THE IMPACT OF VATICAN II AND THE NEED FOR A LARGER BUILDING THE PRESENT CHURCH WAS BUILT IN 1982. REFLECTING THE CHANGES WROUGHT BY VATICAN II THE CHURCH IS BUILT TO ENABLE ALL ROUND ACCESS TO THE SANCTUARY. RISING FROM THE CENTRE OF THE ROOF IS A TALL, SLIM SPIRE TERMINATING IN A CROSS. THE EXPOSED RIBBING IS A UNUSUAL FEATURE RECALLING THE FLYING BUTRESSES OF GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE. NEXT |
 | THE INFLUENCE OF VATICAN II IS CLEARLY SEEN IN THE INTERIOR OF THE CHURCH WITH SEATING TAKING UP THREE SIDES AND THE FLOOR SLOPING DOWN TO THE FOCAL POINT OF THE SANCTUARY ENSURING VISUAL ACCESS BY THE WHOLE CONGREGATION. LIGHTING IS PROVIDED BY THE CENTRAL SKYLIGHT AND THE CIRCULAR RING OF WINDOWS BETWEEN WALL AND ROOF. NEXT |
| MANY OF THE SANCTUARY FURNISHINGS WERE MADE OR PROVIDED BY LOCAL PARISHIONERS. OF NOTE IS THE BEAUTIFUL WOOD PANNELLING PROVIDING A TYPE OF BALDACHINO AND THE PLAIN BRICK REREDOS. EXTRA LIGHTING IS PROVIDED BY THE SANCTUARY WINDOWS. THE TABERNACLE IS PLACED TO THE LEFT RATHER THAN IN THE SANCTUARY ITSELF. THE OVERALL IMPRESSION IS ONE OF ELEGANT SIMPLICITY. TOP HISTORIC CHURCHES |  |
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| HISTORIC CHURCHES | |||
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| THORNLEIGH | WEST PENNANT HILLS | ||
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| CHURCH OF ST JOACHIM, THORNLEIGH |
| THE OLDEST CHURCH IN THE PARISH WAS ERECTED IN 1901 AT THORNLEIGH AND DEDICATED TO ST JOACHIM. A SMALL WEATHERBOARD STRUCTURE, IT WAS ESTABLISHED AS A STATION CHURCH OF PYMBLE PARISH WHICH AT VARIOUS TIMES DOUBLED AS A SCHOOL. THORNLEIGH WAS NOT ORIGINALLY PART OF THE PARISH, BUT FOLLOWING THE CLOSURE OF ST COLUMBA'S, THE BOUNDARIES WERE REVISED TO ENABLE ST JOACHIM'S TO BE USED AS THE PARISH CHURCH. WITH THE COMPLETION OF ST AGATHA'S IN 1954, ST JOACHIM'S REVERTED TO A STATION CHURCH, THIS TIME FOR PENNANT HILLS. IN 1989 THE CHURCH WAS SOLD TO THE GROWING LEBANESE COMMUNITY OF THE AREA, AND AS A MARONITE PARISH UNDER THE NAME OF ST GEORGE, IT CONTINUES IN USE TO THIS DAY. TOP HISTORIC CHURCHES NEXT |
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| CHURCH OF ST COLUMBA, WEST PENNANT HILLS |
| THE FIRST CHURCH IN THE WESTERN PART OF THE PARISH, A SMALL WEATHERBOARD BUILDING, WAS BUILT IN 1908 IN WEST PENNANT HILLS AS A STATION CHURCH OF ST MONICA'S, NORTH PARRAMATTA, WITHIN WHICH THAT PART OF PENNANT HILLS FELL. LOCATED ON PENNANT HILLS RD, IT WAS ORIGINALLY DEDICATED TO ST COLUMBKILLE, FOUNDER OF IONA, BUT OVER TIME THE SHORTER ANGLICISED NAME OF ST COLUMBA CAME TO BE USED. WHEN PENNANT HILLS BECAME A PARISH ST COLUMBA'S BECAME THE PARISH CHURCH, BUT PROBLEMS WITH SIZE, LOCATION AND A WHITE-ANT INFESTATION LED TO ITS CLOSURE IN 1931. IN 1932 IT WAS DEMOLISHED. TOP HISTORIC CHURCHES |
