Fifty years ago, Father Eamon Leonard was appointed Parish Priest at the new Kingscliff-based St Anthony’s Parish. There was no church, no presbytery, but there was a determined congregation.
And now, with the Tweed-based Parish set for its golden jubilee on Sunday, current Parish Priest Father Jim Griffin oversees not only St Anthony’s Church at Kingscliff, but Saints Mary and Ambrose Church in Pottsville and the fast-growing St Anthony’s Primary School.
Jubilee organiser Carmel Atkinson said the Parish had come a long way in a short time and several of those people responsible for helping to raise the money for the first Kingscliff Church are still involved today.
“Although in a historical sense fifty years is but a blink of an eye, for our Parish and its parishioners, it is a testament to the vision, dedication and conviction of Faith to all those who have been part of this journey,” she said.
She said what the Parish has become was a credit to all the people who got together in the first place and the vision they had.
“They had a vision of what had to be done to make the parish viable and they just got in and did it,” Carmel said.
The Kingscliff Parish had originally been part of Tweed Heads, with churches at Duranbah and Chinderah. However in March 24, 1960, after several years of discussions, a decision was made in March 24 to “cut from Tweed Heads Parish all territory on the south side of the river and set up a new parochial district with Kingscliff at the centre”. And, while the territory has changed several times, with Pottsville being added in 1977 and Tumbulgum moving in and out of the Parish on a couple of occasions, St Anthony’s now services the Catholic community of the Tweed Coast.
As part of the celebrations, over the past few months, Carmel has been busy researching the history of churches in the area and the foundation of St Anthony’s Church in 1961, St Anthony’s Primary in 1968 and Sts Mary and Ambrose Church in Pottsville in 1983. However, finding just four pieces of literature about the Parish’s foundation at diocesan headquarters in Lismore, she set about talking to fellow parishioners and trying to piece together the history.
The result is a book which will be sold during Sunday’s celebrations and at the church through until Christmas.
The Jubilee celebrations will include Sunday Mass at 10.30am, followed by a picnic in the school grounds and a display of memorabilia in the hall and a performance by the school choir. It will be a byo lunch or there will be a sausage sizzle.
Carmel said special guests would include representatives of the Presentation Sisters who worked at the school from 1968 through to 1980.
