St Patrick’s Catholic Church in Nimbin destroyed by fire

A nearby resident is deeply saddened by the fiery end to a church in which her husband was schooled and her son was married.

Nimbin resident Daisy Stewart was deeply saddened as she surveyed the rubble of a church with which her family had a longstanding connection.

Investigators sifted through the wreckage of St Patrick’s Church in Cullen St, Nimbin, on Monday morning after it was destroyed by fire on Sunday night.

Emergency crews had been called to the Thorburn St site about 8pm.

Mrs Stewart, 91, said she had lived near the building her whole life.

“My late husband Barry Stewart did his schooling in that building, he passed away seven years ago,” she said.

Daisy Stewart, 91, said the destruction of St Patrick‘s Church in Nimbin was a loss for the whole community.

Mrs Stewart said despite not being Catholic, her family had strong ties with the building.

“My youngest son got married there,” she said.

“We went to many funerals and weddings there over the years, it’s a big loss for our community.

“It’s a shame to see something like this happen.”

The resident said she saw workers reinforcing windows at the church about a week ago.

“Looks like people were breaking in and sleeping there,” she said.

“The workers seemed to be getting every entrance and window covered with wood.”

Catholic Bishop of Lismore, Gregory Homeming, told ABC radio the building had been secured only last week.

“There has been no mass in Nimbin for about three years,” he said.

“We had people vandalising the building, breaking windows.

“Only recently I was talking to people within the diocese about the need to turn that building into a centre to benefit the community.”

A spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Lismore said all holy items had been removed.

“St Patrick’s was still a consecrated building and therefore a sacred site in the Catholic Church,” the spokesman said.

It’s unclear whether the building was insured and whether it belonged to the local parish or the Lismore Diocese or it was privately owned.

The Diocese and Bishop Homeming were contacted for further comment.

A NSW Police spokeswoman said crews from NSW Rural Fire Service extinguished the blaze but the building was completely destroyed.

A crime scene was established with detectives attending on Monday, October 18.

The cause of the blaze is currently unknown and an investigation has commenced.

Anyone who may have information is urged to contact Lismore Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

St Patrick's Catholic Church in Nimbin before it was destroyed by fire. Picture: Cathy Adams

History

St Patrick’s Catholic Church was built in 1914.

The land was purchased by Mr F G Cullen Snr for 200 pounds.

According to records from the Lismore Regional Museum, the first bride married at the church was Ms Kennedy in 1914, who in the 1990s was still living in Cullen St.

In January 1937, a convent for the Sisters of St Joseph was operating in Thorburn St, next door to the church.

St Patrick’s stopped celebrating regular masses around three years ago and all valuable religious and other items had been removed from the building.