Our Story

Catholic worship first began Wentworthville in the years after the First World War.  The small community gathered in local homes, then halls for Mass on the occasions a priest from Parramatta was able to celebrate.

As the community grew, the first property on our parish site was purchased.  The Sisters of Mercy established what is now our parish primary school, and our first church was built and opened in 1922.

The population of Wentworthville continued to grow, and did so rapidly after World War II.  Cardinal Gilroy established the parish of St Columba, Wentworthville (then including Westmead, Pendle Hill and Toongabbie) and appointed Fr Tim Kennedy as its first parish priest.

The young parish soon outgrew its first church; the current church was blessed and opened on 6 March 1955.

Cardinal Gilroy appointed the Carmelite Friars to care for the parish of Wentworthville in 1956.  They immediately sought to share with the parish their Carmelite charism, provide pastoral care to the growing Maltese community and upgrade the parish primary school.  They also began the work of establishing a church and schools in the Pendle Hill area; these became the beginnings of the parish of Greystanes.

The church and pastoral facilities were improved with the opening of the Paul Knüppel Parish Centre in 2000.  The parish hosted the pilgrimage of the relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux in 2003, and World Youth Day catechesis and events in 2008. Extensive repairs, maintenance and renovation works were undertaken on the church in 2017. More recently in 2020, the relics of St Thérèse were welcomed back to Wentworthville, accompanied by the relics of her parents, Sts Louis and Zélie Martin.

Today our parish is characterised by is cultural diversity and unique Carmelite spirit.  We strive to be a community where all families feel connected, supported and valued as they live and grow in their faith in Jesus Christ.

Learn more about our story today and the people who make up Wentworthville’s Catholic Community – view the profile of our parish from 2021 Census data.