The celebration for the 75th Anniversary of St Theresa Church in Gwelup will be held on Sunday 15th January 2012 starting with Mass @ 11.30am followed by lunch at the Croation Club, Wishart Street in Gwelup.
Please call our office for more info.
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On Sunday January 15thFr Irek Czech SDS, parish priest of Balcatta-Gwelup Community, celebrated special mass in a packed church of St. Theresa, to commemorate the 75thAnniversary of the opening of the church by Archbishop Prendiville on January 17th1937.
St. Theresa was built as a church/school in 1936/7 by Fr John Moloney, parish priest of Leederville, and was part of the Leederville Parish. In 1942 it became part of Osborne Park-Wanneroo Parish, then a part of North Beach Parish and finally part of Balcatta-Gwelup Community.
The school had an equally varied life; the first teaches were the Sisters of Mercy, then in 1951 the Dominican Sisters and finally the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth who had to close the school in 1968. The representatives of these Orders were present at the celebration.
A booklet outlining the first 75 years of the church was published and given at mass as a memento for those attending.
After the Eucharist a luncheon was enjoyed at the local Croatian club by over 130 parishioners and special guests, many of whom were ex-students. Sister Anne Larney OP, one of the Dominican nuns who taught at the school in the 1950’s, told of her experiences and thoughts of some of her students.
Over the last 75 years St. Theresa’s church has been a focal point for many Catholic families from the Gwelup area. Generations of children were baptized, received their First Holy Communions, took their marriage vows and said “goodbye” to their loved ones there. Together with Fr Irek, parishioners of St. Theresa work hard to preserve and maintain their little church, which is called by many the “Jewel on the hill”.
Paul Woodward