St Augustine's Catholic Church

About

St Augustine's Catholic Church in the Salisbury Catholic Parish forms part of the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide. Located in the northern suburbs of the city of Adelaide, South Australia, the parish's boundaries roughly coincide with the limits of the City of Salisbury. In the Salisbury Catholic Parish, there are three mass centres: St Augustine, St Finbar, the Holy Family; three parish schools: St Augustine School, Holy Family School, and Thomas More College; the Pioneer cemetery; and some parish and migrant groups and communities, as well as charities. The Parish celebrates a biannual carnival on the eve of Lent.

The complex includes the old church, the new church, the presbytery, a school, and numerous small buildings, outbuildings and playing fields.

The old building is of Gothic style and it is among the oldest constructions in South Australia. The City of Salisbury Council recommended its inclusion on the Register of State Heritage Items and on the Register of the National Estate due to its distinctive style and its landmark location on one of the main roads of Salisbury.

Construction of the church was funded by voluntary subscription, beginning in 1847. Walter Hunter was selected as the architect responsible for building the church. Hunter had unsuccessfully contended for the design of St Francis Xavier's Cathedral in Adelaide, and had designed the Church of St John the Evangelist that was then under construction in Kapunda.

Early settlers worked with bullocks provided by a man named Andrew O'Leary to cart stones from the nearby hills for construction of the church. The first foundation stone of the old St Augustine's chapel was laid on 1 April 1851, but its construction suffered setbacks, including a labor shortage caused by the Victorian gold rush. To add more difficulty to the project, both the architect and the builder died in the first year: Walter Hunter died on 19 April 1851, less than three weeks after the laying of the foundation stone, and contractor Peter Walsh died eighteen months later. The architect George Kingston supervised completion of the church by contractors Long and Co. of Adelaide.

St Augustine's Church was opened by Bishop Francis Murphy on 1 March 1857, replacing a temporary church constructed of wood in 1848.

In 1882, the community decided to buy a large bell, setting aside £80 (equivalent to GB£8,321 in 2025) for the purchase. Bishop Christopher Augustine Reynolds ordered a one-ton bell from Murphy's Bell Foundry in Dublin. The bell was blessed by Bishop Reynolds on 2 December 1883. The blessing of the bell provided the opportunity for a pageant for the local Catholic community. The bell remained in a wooden belfry at the rear of the church for 42 years. During the administration of the Rev. Fr Morrison as Parish Priest from 1916 to 1926, the church was renovated and refurnished, including the completion of a bell tower in 1925.

The high altar was presented to the congregation in 1920 by Miss Nellie Sheehan of Melbourne, in memory of her parents.

Today, the old chapel of St Augustine is listed as a heritage building and historical site, and it is still used for wedding ceremonies.

St Augustine's Church was also colloquially known as ‘the Little Para,’ ‘Dry Creek,’ ‘Salisbury Plains’ and ‘Salisbury’ church.

The new church building of St Augustine was constructed in 1972. During the 1980s, it was also used by the Greek Orthodox community until the St Dimitrios Church was erected at Salisbury Park.

This Mass Centre was built in December 1957, and officially opened by the Archbishop Matthew Beovich in 1958.

The then Salisbury Parish priest, Fr Frederick Gatzmeyer promoted the construction of this Mass Centre. His parents had donated a chalice for any of their sons that would choose to become a priest, and he was the first of three brothers that became priests. This chalice is still in use at St Finbar's Church during religious services.

The Holy Family Mass Centre is the newest mass centre, and is part of the Holy Family School complex.

The old building is of Gothic style and it is among the oldest constructions in South Australia. The City of Salisbury Council recommended its inclusion on the Register of State Heritage Items and on the Register of the National Estate due to its distinctive style and its landmark location on one of the main roads of Salisbury.

Construction of the church was funded by voluntary subscription, beginning in 1847. Walter Hunter was selected as the architect responsible for building the church. Hunter had unsuccessfully contended for the design of St Francis Xavier's Cathedral in Adelaide, and had designed the Church of St John the Evangelist that was then under construction in Kapunda.

Early settlers worked with bullocks provided by a man named Andrew O'Leary to cart stones from the nearby hills for construction of the church. The first foundation stone of the old St Augustine's chapel was laid on 1 April 1851, but its construction suffered setbacks, including a labor shortage caused by the Victorian gold rush. To add more difficulty to the project, both the architect and the builder died in the first year: Walter Hunter died on 19 April 1851, less than three weeks after the laying of the foundation stone, and contractor Peter Walsh died eighteen months later. The architect George Kingston supervised completion of the church by contractors Long and Co. of Adelaide.

St Augustine's Church was opened by Bishop Francis Murphy on 1 March 1857, replacing a temporary church constructed of wood in 1848.

In 1882, the community decided to buy a large bell, setting aside £80 (equivalent to GB£8,321 in 2025) for the purchase. Bishop Christopher Augustine Reynolds ordered a one-ton bell from Murphy's Bell Foundry in Dublin. The bell was blessed by Bishop Reynolds on 2 December 1883. The blessing of the bell provided the opportunity for a pageant for the local Catholic community. The bell remained in a wooden belfry at the rear of the church for 42 years. During the administration of the Rev. Fr Morrison as Parish Priest from 1916 to 1926, the church was renovated and refurnished, including the completion of a bell tower in 1925.

The high altar was presented to the congregation in 1920 by Miss Nellie Sheehan of Melbourne, in memory of her parents.