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Our journey so far.

Our journey began long before 1960. We acknowledge the first inhabitants of this area, the Turrbul People, and those of this mob who remain connected to our parish community. We acknowledge the founding Church of the Brisbane Archdiocese, whose faith and commitment fostered the faith in the promising colony.

We of St Williams are a community that has emerged from another. From the foundation of our archdiocese, St Stephens, to St Brigids Red Hill, to St John the Baptist, Enoggera,to the Redemporist Monastery at Oxford Park, to Our Lady of Dolours, Mitchelton, and in the midst of this, the community of Samford were blessed with the building of the Sacred Heart Church circa 1895.While Samford parishioners enjoyed a place of worship with a priest travelling over the range from the inner city and later from Enoggera, the post war residents of Grovely walked to Mitchelton or the Monastery.

It was in 1957 that the foresight, the generosity and the faithfulness of a community and it pastors became a reality when St Philomenas School was begun here on land purchased from our next door neighbours Frank and Peg Nugent. Frank and Peg took an avid interest in the church and her activities and we are pleased that Peg is here with us today. We now had a place to gather. Fr George Nugent came down from Mitchelton to say mass in the classroom cleared of desks and as is true for all communities, ownership and pride grew out of the commitment of the volunteers that gave their all to make it happen.



Our journey so far. Our journey began long before 1960. We acknowledge the first inhabitants of this area, the Turrbul People, and those of this mob who remain connected to our parish community. We acknowledge the founding Church of the Brisbane Archdiocese, whose faith and commitment fostered the faith in the promising colony.		Early days at Grovely
	Samford's Sacred Heart Church and St Philomena's School Grovely
We of St Williams are a community that has emerged from another. From the foundation of our archdiocese, St Stephens, to St Brigids Red Hill, to St John the Baptist, Enoggera,to the Redemporist Monastery at Oxford Park, to Our Lady of Dolours, Mitchelton, and in the midst of this, the community of Samford were blessed with the building of the Sacred Heart Church circa 1895.While Samford parishioners enjoyed a place of worship with a priest travelling over the range from the inner city and later from Enoggera, the post war residents of Grovely walked to Mitchelton or the Monastery. It was in 1957 that the foresight, the generosity and the faithfulness of a community and it pastors became a reality when St Philomenas School was begun here on land purchased from our next door neighbours Frank and Peg Nugent. Frank and Peg took an avid interest in the church and her activities and we are pleased that Peg is here with us today. We now had a place to gather. Fr George Nugent came down from Mitchelton to say mass in the classroom cleared of desks and as is true for all communities, ownership and pride grew out of the commitment of the volunteers that gave their all to make it happen.
In 1960 we became the Parish of St Philomenas, Grovely. We had our own pastor, Fr Brian Daley, and we had a school which nurtured our children and on Sunday it became the space that drew the whole community together for mass and to dream of the future. What more could we want? But there were the dreams to be fulfilled. Fr Daley continued to live at Mitchelton presbytery until one was built at Grovely and after a massive effort under darkness of moving the old Mitchelton church this site took on the shape of things to come.		Father Brian Daley
	By 1964, after being renamed on the 15th July 1963, the dedication and faithfulness of the people established the nucleus of the St. Williams site - a school, a presbytery and a church.
These buildings, built, renovated and refurbished with a large component of voluntary labour, are part of our life history. With all life histories, there is sadness and in this jubilee year we saw our original Church of St William disappear. Although old and at times shabby it was loved for its place in our family.Refreshed to welcome us back for liturgy in 2004. It reflected us as a community with its versatility and comfortableness to convert from place of worshipto bingo hall,concert hall and dance studio,place of adult education to social gathering space after massand play area for children. And of course the latest use, the St Williams Markets.

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