St Luke’s Catholic community to become official parish on January 1, 2025

A tight-knit northwest Sydney community has finally been decreed a parish and is a step closer to having a formal Catholic church where the faithful can worship.

Young churchgoers during Mass at St Luke's Catholic College, Marsden Park.

St Luke’s at Marsden Park will finally be declared a parish next year and is a step closer to having a formal church.

However it has a lot more Bunnings sausage sizzles ahead before a deposit on a permanent place of worship is achieved for the burgeoning community.

High demand has led the Diocese of Parramatta to formally decree St Luke’s a parish, with it to be formally recognised on January 1 when Fr Gayan Thamel will be its inaugural parish priest.

The Catholic community was first established on December 22, 2017, by Bishop Vincent Long as a response to the rapid growth in Sydney’s northwest.

The community has used the performance hall at St Luke’s Catholic College for its Masses. Over the next 12 months, the community hopes to build a hall on the site of the future church next to the school.

So far, Bunnings sausage sizzles and dinner dances are among the fundraisers that have helped raise $500,000 towards the church, which is estimated to cost $7m.

Tessie James and her husband Joseph James Birudayaraj are among hundreds of St Luke’s fledgling but large congregation.

“Tiny drops of water make an ocean,’’ parishioner and St Luke’s College science teacher Tessie James said.

“People are very generous.’’

St Luke's Catholic College is used as a church until a permanent place of worship opens.

The Marsden Park resident and married mother-of-two adult sons has witnessed the growth of the parish along with the suburb and college – which takes in primary and secondary students.

“Just bringing people together for the first mass there were about 150 people, but today there are more than 450 people on a Sunday and 150 on Saturday,’’ she said.

“It’s a lovely community.’’

Like her, many churchgoers are from a South Asian background, while Filipinos make up about 60 per cent of the congregation along with people from Pacific Islander, African and Anglo backgrounds.

A Mass is held in the school’s performance hall.

“Becoming a parish is such a lovely thing because we’re going to be having our own eucharist celebration every day, which is exciting,’’ Mrs James said.

“I think in all communities people expect the church to be a welcoming place and the homilies to be interesting. I think that’s happening here.

“I think the school and church are growing together. Each and every member I think they have that sense of belonging.

“All the people living here come for that connection.’’

Bishop Vincent Long with members of St Luke's Catholic community Marsden Park.

Deacon Tony Hoban and his wife Annette.

Deacon Tony Hoban has held Masses since January 2018 while “supply priests” carried out sacraments.

With the transition to a parish, Deacon Tony and his wife Annette will step down from their pastoral duties to spend more time with family and travel around the country.

Deacon Hoban, 62, reflected on his time at Marsden Park memorably.

“It’s a wonderful community – we’re all pioneers to some degree because when you start a new faith community you chart your own course,’’ he said.

“We’ve built a welcoming community, it’s really been community driven.’’