Parish Story

Foreword

This History Section was drawn mainly from the book "Memories of St Anthony's Marsfield 1942-1992"  which was published on the occasion of the the 50 Years Jubilee of the Parish in 1992.  The following introduction to the History of St Anthony's is given by the parish priest at the time, Michael J Walsh:

"In February 1968 when I walked through the doors of Curzon Hall, I was greeted by the Rector, Tom O'Reilly and the Priests of St. Anthony' s Parish, Hugh Murray and Gerry Harper. In the ensuing years we, as students, not only came to know these men, witnessed the construction of St. Anthony's Church, but also in the seven years came to regard many parishioners as our close friends.

Who'd have thought twenty-four years later I'd be living across the road.

It has been a privilege to serve St. Anthony's sharing the joys and sorrows of life with the Lord and with each other. I believe that the people of this parish community have responded admirably to God especially to that call to renewal of recent years. Whilst recognising the wonderful challenges of the future, I believe you can and should acknowledge that in the parish one can experience much of the renewal called for by the Second Vatican Council.

I congratulate all those who have contributed to this fine parish and all those who have been a part of the people of God of St. Anthony's Catholic Parish, Marsfield."

MICHAEL J. WALSH C.M.

PARISH PRIEST (1992-1997)

Formation of St Anthonys Parish

1942 was, and still is, the most disastrous year in the history of Australia. Singapore fell to the Japanese and 22,000 Australians were captured, about 8,000 were to die in captivity.

The first bombing raid on Darwin killed some hundreds of people and more were to die in the following raids. Invasion threatened and 3 Japanese midget submarines raided Sydney harbour and the explosions of the depth charges and torpedoes could be heard in Marsfield.

In New Guinea, Rabaul fell with the loss of 1400 men and the Kokoda Trail fighting dragged on, but there were a few bright spots on the cloudy horizon. The United States Navy and the Anzac Naval Squadron defeated the Imperial Japanese Navy in the Battle of the Coral Sea in May. The United States Navy inflicted another defeat on the Japanese at the battle of Midway in June and on 20th June 1942 Archbishop Norman Thomas Gilroy D.D., later Cardinal, later still Sir, and always "Bluey" declared St. Anthony's a parish of the archdiocese of Sydney.

Due to the large number of Italians in Marsfield it was decided to name the Parish after one of the most popular Italian saints. St. Anthony is known as "il Santo" in Padua where he died and is buried in the great basilica there. He was born in Lisbon in 1196 and became a Franciscan monk in 1220. He went to Morocco as a missionary but ill health forced his return to Europe where he became an eloquent preacher. He is represented in our church in the famous statue depicting one of his visions where he held the child Jesus. Apart from his uncanny ability to find lost objects he performed many miracles, one of the most famous of which was portrayed by Donatello (the Renaissance artist, not the Ninja turtle) in the basilica at Padua. It is called "the Healing of the Irascible Son". This young man kicked his mother and in a fit of remorse afterwards he cut off his foot. The Donatello bronze depicts St. Anthony refitting the errant foot, possibly the earliest example of micro-surgery.

Marsfield, originally the Field of Mars, was named early in the last century. Land grants were made to the Marines and later to former soldiers of the N.S.W. Corps. As they were mostly veterans of Wellington's Peninsular Army they named the streets after their own Napoleonic war battles and other famous British victories.

The area was mostly small farms and remained fairly stagnant until the first Gladesville road bridge was built in 1881 and five years later the Northern Railway Line was opened. Our Parish was originally part of Ryde Parish and in 1916, Epping Parish, including Marsfield was cut off from Ryde. St. Anthony's had it's official beginnings in Marsfield in 1922 when the Vincentians purchased Curzon Hall for use as a seminary and named it after St. Joseph.

This imposing building pictured above was built in 1898 by a wealthy business man, Mr Harry Smith, who named it after one of his wife's relations, Lord Curzon of Kedleston (Viceroy of India 1899 to 1905). He was renowned as an able politician and the most blatant snob in England and in 1900 that really meant something. He was apparently planning to visit Curzon Hall after his stint in India but resigned his post after an unseemly row with Lord Kitchener of Khartoum, Commander in Chief of the Army, and returned to England.

Had he come to Australia I doubt he would have met many of the locals and share a glass of vino and a few jokes in a tin shed off Balaclava Road. More's the pity, it was quite good stuff once you fished out the twigs.

In the twenties and thirties Marsfield was predominantly an Italian area of market gardens, orchards and a few small cottages. As St. Joseph's Seminary had its own chapel, the Parish Priest of Epping requested the Vincentians to allow the local Catholics to attend Mass at the chapel. They also attended Benediction and a children's catechism class was also held.

In 1929 Eastwood Parish, including Marsfield, was cut off from Epping and Father J.M. Cusack was appointed Parish Priest. Father Cusack had been an outspoken member of the "Manly Union", a group of Priests who fervently believed that the Australian church should be served, primarily, by Australian born clergy. His attacks on the Irish monopoly of the time caused him to be banished to a country Parish and by the thirties he was Parish Priest of Eastwood.

Father Cusack did not like his parishioners attending Mass at the Seminary and demanded that the Vincentians lock the gates on Sunday. The Vincentians locked the gates and Father Cusack commenced saying Mass at the old Eastwood Town Hall in Agincourt Road. The uncharitable remarked that the lockout had more to do with the collection plate than religious rivalry. Amongst other great achievements he started the Marsfield tradition of clerical characters (or eccentrics?). Older residents tell great stories about his refusal to give communion to women wearing large brimmed hats or too much lipstick and his novel method of counting the communicants before Mass was nominated for an academy award. A well known parishioner recounts the story of when her parents took her to be baptised. They wanted her named Beverley but as Father Cusack had never heard of St. Beverley he gave her a popular Catholic name of the time.

Father Cusack arranged the building of the old church/school which was opened on 24th June 1934 by the Apostolic Delegate Archbishop Philip Bernardini S.T.D. J.U.D.

Like the many church/schools scattered throughout Australia in those days, a curtain was drawn across the altar during weekdays when class was in session. Children were seldom bored as they could tune in to the next class on the other side of the hessian curtain. Some were even educated.

But the winds of change were starting to blow.

The Vincentians are Endorsed

Early in 1942 Archbishop Gilroy suggested to Fr. Cusack that the Vincentians might take over Marsfield. Fr. Cusack discussed the possibility with the Vincentians and replied in a letter to the Archbishop:

"l certainly think such a change would be for the good of souls as with their own nuns, the Daughters of Charity in their midst and their own novitiate, they could do great things. ..as they always have some Priest who has been educated in Rome they would be able to speak in Italian and hear confessions of the Italian people".

Marsfield finances were in a parlous state. The Sisters of Mercy collected only three or four shillings a week in school fees, Parish revenue was around 200 pounds per year and the debt was 1775 pounds. Fr. Cusack had done all that he could, but he could do no more.

On 5th May 1942 Archbishop Gilroy wrote the following letter to Pope Pius XII. The original is in Latin and as Italy and Australia were at war the letter was sent to the Pope' s representative in Australia, Archbishop John Panico S.T.D. J.U.D. the Apostolic Delegate.

St. Anthony's School

When the church/school was opened in 1934, the school was run by the Sisters of Mercy who travelled each day from their convent in Ryde. It was a typical country school with about 10 pupils, but it certainly grew. By the time the Daughters of Charity took over on 31st January 1939, there were about 40 pupils. The first teachers were Sister Mary Fagan and Sister Josephine Polley. Sister Polley returned to the Seminary in a few weeks and was replaced by Sr. Xavier Piggot who was in turn replaced by Louise Dilley in 1941. Sister Louise remained at St. Anthony's until 1948.

Sister Mary Fagan

"Those were the days when the Daughters of Charity were synonymous for their flying winged hats, heavily starched and brilliantly white. Furthermore, the nuns in those days did tremendous penance - teaching, gardening, walking to Eastwood Station in 110 degree temperatures dressed in the thickest, pleated skirts ever invented which must have weighed a ton! Naturally designed for Europe where they have only one hot day of summer, it took a long time for the traditional habit to be changed and I am sure the change was appreciated by all." "The winged hat, as we know, was revived for the younger generation later on by Sally Field on the "Flying Nun" television series. I am sure the Flying Nun series brought back memories to the older ex students at St. Anthony's as Sally Field, with her hand firmly holding her hat, flies off in the stiff breeze. I can certainly remember Sister Mary and Sister Agnes walking swiftly everywhere they went they were nearly flying away!"

As well as her teaching duties, Sr. Mary also taught music, played the church organ and sang. She also learnt Italian so that she could converse with the Italian mothers of her pupils who couldn't speak English. Her legend lives on.

When the Vincentians took over the Parish in 1942 they said mass daily so that all the school furniture had to be packed up and re arranged every day. During the war years school numbers increased to about 85 when many Italian families came to stay with their Marsfield relatives due to the invasion scare. To cope with the increase the shelter shed in the playground was utilised as a classroom.

During 1950, the first school building for the Primary classes was erected, by voluntary labour, adjacent to the Church School. It consisted of two classrooms, a small staff room and a small storeroom leading onto an open verandah. This building has been used for the Library, Staff Room and Class I in recent times.

1952 saw two classrooms added to the first building thereby releasing the Church from being used as a school.

A second Primary School building was built in 1957 consisting of three classrooms, an office, a music room and a tuck shop. The first school building then became the Infants building. The latest building has served as Classes 3, 4 and 6, tuck shop, Principal' s of fice and storeroom over the past few years.

The building of the new Church in 1969 enabled the division of the old Church into two classrooms to cater for the increase in pupils caused by the rapidly expanding settlement of the locality.

The latest school building was commenced in December, 1976 and consists of 4 classrooms, tuck shop and large covered areas. The classrooms will house Kindergarten, Classes 1, 2, and 3 allowing Class 5 to be incorporated into the existing primary building and freeing the old Church for use as a Parish and school hall.

The infants block was renovated to cater for a larger library, larger staff room and a sick bay. The existing Kindergarten and Class 2 can be used for special classes or purposes. The existing tuckshop was converted to a Secretary's office.

The "Daughters" celebrated the Golden Jubilee of the school in 1984 with a dinner at Curzon Hall. It was a sell out performance with 530 people present.

The Daughters of Charity left Marsfield in 1986 to take up a more demanding and challenging role. A farewell "Merci Beaucoup" dinner was organised by the Parents and Friends and held in Curzon Hall on 12th September 1986. The sisters were presented with a Papal Blessing and a copper plaque in commemoration of their years of service to the Parish.

Since 1986 the school has been run by the Catholic Education Office. The first lay principal was Miss Jeannie Hunt and the present principal is Mrs Woods. The school caters for 222 pupils.

In 58 years St. Anthony's has progressed irom 10 to 222 pupils and from slates to computers but some things have remained intact from 1934. They are the dedication, devotion, love and sheer hard work that goes into that most important work, the education of our children. We may not say it very often but believe me we truly appreciate it.