Churces, Convents & Church Schools

Written by Graham Wilson

Australian Themes - developing Australia’s cultural life.
NSW Theme - religion.
Local Themes - activities associated with particular systems of faith and worship.
Church, convent, rectory; presbytery, manse, parsonage, hall, graveyard, cemetery, carved tree and monuments.

Australian Themes - marking the phases of life.
NSW Theme - persons.
Local Themes - activities of and associations with individuals, families and communal groups.
Monument to an individual or group, family home, place of residence, statute, commemorative place name, place dedicated to the memory of a person (eg a hospital wing).

Prior to the construction of permanent church buildings in the small country towns and outlying villages, ministers of various persuasions travelled throughout the North West from the larger towns including Inverell.  The ministers travelled by horseback or sulky to serve the people.  Once more settlers arrived particularly families, demands arose for the construction of permanent churches in towns and surrounding small communities.  Generally small timber churches were built in outlying areas and often substantial town churches were made of brick.  A distinguishing feature of these brick churches is the scale and size considering the congregations were relatively small.

The original Bingara town plan of 1865 set aside a church reserve at the corner of Finch and Riddell Streets.

St Patrick’s Church, Warialda

Between 1850 and 1853, Tamworth clergy visited Warialda’s Roman Catholic community.  The first Catholic Church was built on the block of land at the back of the present church, prior to 1874. An old timber slab church building served as a classroom until 1932 when a new building was completed.  

In April 1914, O’Connor and Ogilvie architects of Inverell called tenders for construction of a brick Catholic Church at Warialda.  A month later the Warialda Standard announced that the tender of S.H. Currie of Inverell for a sum of ₤1,627 had been accepted.  The Bishop of Armidale, the Right Reverend Patrick James O’Connor laid the foundation stone on 31 May 1914.  At the time Father J. Collender was the parish priest and Father Bernard O’Brien, the curate.  The St. Patrick’s Church of Warialda was the first church in the Parish or Mission District.

Bishop O’Connor accompanied by Father Collender opened the church on 30 May 1915.  Mrs G. Ryan gave ₤100 for the purchase of new altar.  In 1938, Warialda became a Parish of its own and the church celebrated its Silver Jubilee on Sunday 26 November 1939.

Photograph 26: St Patrick's Catholic Church, Warialda. Blake & Wilson 2006.

St Joseph’s Convent, Warialda

Early in January 1904 architect J.F. O’Connor called tenders for the erection of a convent building.  Later that month, the Committee of the Convent Building Fund met to open tenders.  After close consideration, the tenders were left in the hands of the architect.  The convent was completed in June and on Arbor Day Wednesday 24 August 1904, a number of townspeople planted trees obtained from Sydney in the Convent ground.  It was Bishop Torregiani who had introduced the Sisters of St Joseph to Warialda.  Tenders were called in January 1912 for additions to the convent.  Warialda Standard, 15 January 1912.

In the early days, some of the students from the remote areas of the parish boarded with the sisters so that they could attend school.  By the early 1990s, the Convent was in a state of disrepair and because of the poor financial position of the Parish, serious consideration was given to demolishing the building.  A grant was obtained through the NSW Heritage Council’s assistance program, enabling this magnificent building to be fully restored.  The grant was matched on a dollar for dollar basis, with the parish community contributing the labour voluntarily.

Photograph 27 (above): St Joseph's Convent, Warialda. Blake & Wilson 2006