A trip back in time… M A Y 2 0 1 5 P A R I S H I S S U E 2

S C E N E S E T T E R :

P A R I S H P R I E S T S O V E R

T H E F I R S T

2 0 Y E A R S

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F R . J E R E M I A H M C G R A T H

( A S S I S T E D B Y F R .

W I L L I A M C L A N C Y

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1 9 5 2 - 1 9 5 9

F R . J O H N K A V A N A G H

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F R . B R I A N F O X

The early years of a parish remembered.. Both churches were built in the hope, but not with

the immediate expectation, that there would

eventually be a resident priest. However, neither

had one until Irish born Father Jeremiah McGrath

was appointed as the first parish priest at St.

Theresa’s parish when it was finally established in

1940.

Before St. Theresa’s church was built Plimmerton

School had been made available to Catholics in the

district for Sunday worship. In Pukerua Bay Mass

was also celebrated “in a tiny two room cottage

with the central wall removed” and later at the

Anglican St. Mark’s Church (Mass continued to be

celebrated there until 1980).

The cost of £1,700 for the church was offset to

some extent by the gift of the land for the church

and school by the Walker family. James Walker,

and his family had arrived from Scotland in 1842

and set up a boat-building company in Paremata.

His son, also called James, became Paremata’s

most extensive land owner, owning an area

stretching from the whaling station to Whenua

Tapu. James Street, on which the church and

school is sited, is named after him.

A S P A R T O F

S T . T H E R E S A ’ S

P A R I S H ’ S 7 5 T H

A N N I V E R S A R Y

W E W I L L B E

S H A R I N G S O M E

O F T H E S T O R I E S

F R O M O U R

C O L O U R F U L

P A S T

St. Theresa’s parish was established in 1940,

ninety six years after the establishment of the

parent parish (at Otaki in 1844). Our parish was

the twenty-fourth of the forty-nine parishes in the

Archdiocese to be established.

There were two Catholic communities, at

Plimmerton and Pauatahanui, that persisted

through difficult times to finally join into one

parish. The churches of St Joseph’s and St.

Theresa’s were built over half a century apart

(1878 and 1931 respectively) and both were built

at a time when there were still too few priests to

go around. Both communities had felt the need

for communal worship and, with transport not

easy, the decision was made to erect a new

church—St. Theresa’s—more central to the

growing community. This consolidated future

communal worship at Plimmerton.

With the main trunk line already in place in 1939

the main road north (which had been through

through Pauatahanui over the Paekakariki hill)

was built to run parallel with the railway line.

The location of a new church on the new main

road seemed like a logical choice.

St. Theresa’s Church in Plimmerton sits alone on farmland, 1930’s

A trip back in time—the first 20 years— continued...

Do you have a story to tell about St. Theresa’s parish, or know anyone who does? If you can help with stories, photos or records over any decade speak with one of these people at Church: Rusty Norris, Jude McKee or Eleanor Cater (email eleanor.cater@xtra.co.nz or phone 233 2389).

Contact us, we would love to hear from you!

When the church was built in 1931 it was part

of the Johnsonville parish. The Plimmerton

parish, established in 1940, included within its

boundaries the church at Pauatahanui, extending

also to Pukerua Bay, Porirua and Titahi Bay.

While Father McGrath was appointed as the

first resident parish priest the presbytery was

not built until the following year. Father

McGrath slept for a year in the vestry!

Nine years after Father McGrath arrived he,

together with Archbishop O’Shea, proudly

opened St. Theresa’s School. The school,

opened on 30 January 1949, was built at a cost

of £8,000. A major part of the Church’s mission

in the early years was the employment of religious Sisters of St.

Joseph of Nazareth for the education of local Catholic children (until

the school opened Catholic children had attended the State schools in

Pauatahanui and Plimmerton or the Catholic school in Tawa.)

Father McGrath remained as parish priest at St.

Theresa’s for nearly 12 years until February

1952 when he was transferred. Father Kavanagh

took his place, assisted by Father Bill Clancy as

curate, then later by Father Hyland. Father Brian

Fox was parish priest from 1959-1960.

So right through its first 20 years the parish was

led by Irish priests (it wasn’t until 1976 Father

Stieller, in conjunction with Father Leo Curry,

were the first New Zealand-born priests in

residence.)

The church location at Plimmerton was certainly

fortuitous with a handy location close to transport links and central to

the parish. Land had also been purchased in Whitby early on with the

intention of eventually building a church there but St.

Theresa’s was seen to be meeting its parish’s needs so that

land was sold off and the planned Mass Centre in Whitby

did not go ahead.

Acknowledgements:

Much of this historical text has been sourced from “Parish with a Mission”, a jubilee 2000 project by the parish, and in

particular by writers and researchers Maurice John Harris and Geoff Pryor (with additional research by Russell Norris, Marie

O’Leary and Helen Reilly).

Next edition!

1960-1980

The second 20 years of

St.Theresa’s parish ...

Fr. Jeremiah McGrath, St. Theresa’s first Parish Priest

Magic moments and

memories... “I made my first communion at

Plimmerton and I was present at the

blessing and opening of St.

Theresa’s church in 1931. In the

early days the priest, Father Lane,

rode on horse back from Lower Hutt,

then later came on the train from

Johnsonville. He would arrive on the

Saturday evening, hear

confessions, sleep in the sacristy,

say the Mass on Sunday, then

some of the parishioners

would take him out to

Pauatahanui.”

Mary Bryce

Fr. Bill Clancy was curate at Plimmerton during the 1950’s