St Augustine's Church, Salisbury facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Augustine's Catholic Church
Old St Augustine's Catholic Church, Salisbury, South Australia.
34°45′54″S 138°38′59″E / 34.7650239°S 138.6497883°E / -34.7650239; 138.6497883
Location	23 Commercial Rd, Salisbury, South Australia
Country	Australia
Denomination	Catholic Church in Australia
Architecture
Architect(s)	Walter Hunter
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1851
Completed	1925 (bell tower)
Administration
Diocese	Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide

St Augustine's Catholic Church is part of the Catholic Church in Adelaide. It is located in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. The church serves the area known as the City of Salisbury.

The Salisbury Catholic Parish has three main churches or "mass centres": St Augustine, St Finbar, and Holy Family. It also has three schools: St Augustine School, Holy Family School, and Thomas More College. The parish also includes the Pioneer Cemetery and supports various community groups and charities.

Every two years, the Parish holds a fun carnival just before Lent.

Explore the Churches

The St Augustine's Church area includes the old church, the newer church, the priest's house (presbytery), a school, and other smaller buildings and playing fields.

The Old St Augustine's Church

The old church building has a special Gothic style. It is one of the oldest buildings in South Australia. The local council wanted it added to a list of important heritage sites. This is because of its unique style and its key location on a main road in Salisbury.

Building the church started in 1847. People gave money to help pay for it. Walter Hunter was chosen as the architect. He had also designed another church in Kapunda.

Early settlers helped by using bullocks to bring stones from nearby hills. The first stone for the old St Augustine's chapel was laid on April 1, 1851. But the building work faced problems. There was a labor shortage because many people left for the Victorian gold rush. Also, both the architect and the builder died early on. Walter Hunter died just weeks after the first stone was laid. The builder, Peter Walsh, died 18 months later. George Kingston then helped finish the church.

Bishop Francis Murphy opened St Augustine's Church on March 1, 1857. It replaced an older wooden church built in 1848.

In 1882, the community decided to buy a large bell. They set aside £80 for it. Bishop Christopher Augustine Reynolds ordered a one-ton bell from Dublin. The bell was blessed on December 2, 1883. This was a big event for the local Catholic community. For 42 years, the bell stayed in a wooden tower behind the church. From 1916 to 1926, the church was updated. A proper bell tower was finished in 1925.

The main altar was given to the church in 1920 by Miss Nellie Sheehan. It was a gift to remember her parents.

Today, the old St Augustine's chapel is a protected heritage site. It is still used for special events like wedding ceremonies.

People sometimes called the old church by other names, like ‘the Little Para’ or ‘Salisbury Plains’ church.

The New St Augustine's Church

The new St Augustine's church building was built in 1972. In the 1980s, it was also used by the Greek Orthodox community. They used it until their own church, St Dimitrios, was built nearby.

New St Augustine's Church, Salisbury, South Australia

St Finbar Church

This church was built in December 1957. Archbishop Matthew Beovich officially opened it in 1958.

The priest at the time, Fr Frederick Gatzmeyer, helped make this church happen. His parents had given a special cup (chalice) for any of their sons who became a priest. Fr Gatzmeyer was the first of three brothers to become priests. This chalice is still used today at St Finbar's Church during services.

St Finbar Church, Salisbury, South Australia

Holy Family Mass Centre

The Holy Family Mass Centre is the newest church building. It is part of the Holy Family School complex.

Parish Schools

St Augustine's Parish School

This school is right next to St Augustine's Church. It was started by the Dominican Sisters in 1955. The school follows the traditions of St Dominic. In 2004, over 600 students attended the school.

Thomas More College

The Thomas More College was started in 1979.

Holy Family School

The Holy Family School is the newest school in the Parish. It opened in the 1980s.

The Pioneer Cemetery

The Pioneer Cemetery is the old churchyard of the Salisbury Catholic Parish. It used to be part of the same area as St Augustine's Church. Now, Ponton Street separates it from the church and school.

History of the Parish

The Catholic community in Salisbury has a history almost as old as the town itself.

In 1845, Bishop Francis Murphy bought a farm called Leigh Farm. This farm was part of a large gift to the Catholic Bishop of Adelaide. When Bishop Murphy visited the farm, he would also visit the area and hold Mass for the Catholic community. The first Catholic Mass in the area was held in 1846. By 1850, a school was opened on the site of what is now part of the priest's house.

The first small chapel was built near the Pioneer Cemetery. It was made of "pug and pine" (a simple building method). This church was destroyed by fire in 1855. Meanwhile, the growing community decided to build a stronger church made of stone. In 1851, land was bought from the government for St Augustine's Church.

The first priest to serve St Augustine's Church was Fr Christopher A. Reynolds from Gawler. He later became the first Archbishop of Adelaide. A special window above the main altar remembers him.

In 1869, Salisbury became its own independent parish. Fr Frederick Byrne was appointed as the first parish priest.

In 1916, Fr John Eviston and Parish Priest Fr R A Morrison worked together. They organized the renovation of St Augustine's Church and its grounds. They also rebuilt the priest's house.

Soon after the bell tower was finished in 1926, Fr Frederick Gatzmeyer became the parish priest. He served until he died in a car accident in 1957. He helped the Catholic community in South Australia grow a lot. He was the youngest of three brothers who became priests. He saw the parish change from a country area to a city area.

In 1954, the Dominican sisters came to Salisbury. The first part of St Augustine School was opened.

St Finbar's Church was officially opened by Archbishop Matthew Beovich in 1958.

When Fr Philip Marshall left the Salisbury Parish, Fr Roderick O’Brien became the Parish Priest.

During his time, Fr Roderick O’Brien started the first Parish Carnivals in Salisbury. These fun events happen every two years at St Augustine's School. The first carnival was in 2014.

Parish Priests

Here is a list of the priests who have led the Salisbury Parish: