Welcome to Our Lady Help of Christians Church, East Brunswick

Welcome to Our Lady Help of Christians Church, a parish with deep spiritual roots and a rich history in the heart of East Brunswick. The parish began in 1911, when Archbishop Carr appointed Fr Joseph King as its founding pastor. The first parish Masses, simple but heartfelt, were offered on 22 January 1911 in Excelsior Hall, using an altar made from packing cases.

Within just months, plans were underway for a combined church‑school building on land gifted to the parish by the Archbishop. This first building opened later in 1911, staffed by the Sisters of Mercy, and quickly became the centre of community life. Soon after, Fr King set his sights on a permanent church. The chosen site, an abandoned quarry at the corner of Barkly and Nicholson Streets, saw its foundation stone laid in December 1916, and by May 1918, Archbishop Mannix blessed and opened the still‑developing church. The first Mass in the new building was celebrated just days later, on 26 May 1918.

One of the parish’s most beloved features is the striking gold‑leafed statue of Our Lady that crowns the church tower. Carved from Queensland beech wood and installed in 1918, it was the first statue in Australia erected specifically in honour of Our Lady Help of Christians. Restored during renovations in the 1990s, it remains a cherished landmark and a symbol of hope for the local community.

The parish’s devotional life has always been centred on Mary under the title Help of Christians, officially approved as Australia’s patron in 1852. From early monthly devotions to annual novenas and family traditions, this Marian spirituality continues to shape the parish’s identity and warmth.

Today, Our Lady Help of Christians Church remains a community of welcome, faith, and resilience, built on more than a century of prayer, service, and shared stories.