Our parish

Minto’s first Mass Centre was established in the School of Arts Hall in the summer of 1957. At that time, Minto was part of the parish of Campbelltown. The first Catholic Church in Minto was built in 1962 and was consecrated by Bishop McCabe of the Diocese of Wollongong on the 2 September 1962 and named as the Holy Trinity Church. It was of brick construction and cost about £7,000 including the land. On that same day, the bishop also consecrated identical buildings in Macquarie Fields (Our Lady of Sorrows) and in Glenfield (Christ the King). The only one of this type that still exists today is the church hall at Mary Mother of the Church in Macquarie Fields.

Fr Grant at that time was the administrator of the parish of Campbelltown. The Church was located across Monaghan Street—basically where Sarah Redfern Library is now—and the parish owned five acres of land. At that time, the street was known as Stafford Street. In December 1968, the parish of Ingleburn comprising the districts of Ingleburn, Macquarie Fields and Glenfield was established. Minto remained as part of the Campbelltown parish. In February 1977, the parishes of Ingleburn and Macquarie Fields were further defined when Macquarie Fields and Glenfield became a separate parish and Minto was added to the parish of Ingleburn. In 1978, the State Education Department resumed the land and demolished the Church. In return, they gave the parish about 3.5 acres of land and $45,000 to build a new church and two conjoined demountable classrooms which continue to exist today as the Church of the Holy Trinity.

The strength of the Holy Trinity Church has always been its people. They have remained faithful in spite of the many changes and difficulties. They have made it the great community it is today—welcoming, friendly and open-hearted.

On the 14 December 1984, Srs Patricia Murphy and Kerry MacDermott of Our Lady’s Nurses for the Poor (The Brown Sisters) took up residence at Minto in a Department of Housing house so as to live alongside and minister to the surrounding suburbs of the Macarthur area—offering friendship and support in people’s homes to those in crisis, or in need of long-term support, including listening to people, advocating for them and offering bereavement and night phone support.

Sr Patricia passed away on the 13 June 2018. Sr Kerry, along with Aunty Muriel Brandy and other Aboriginal friends, began the Aboriginal Catholic Ministry in 1985 from the Holy Trinity Church, with the approval of Bishop William Murray and Fr Peter Caruana. In our church the Aboriginal community feel welcome and appreciated. There is a monthly Aboriginal Mass, and Baptisms when required. Fr Tony Daly was the first appointed chaplain and we have had Fr John Pickering OFM, Fr David O’Brien, Fr Greg Burke and now Fr Aloysius Rego OCD and Fr Paul Maunder OCD.

For more information on the history of Holy Trinity Catholic Church Minto, download Holy Family Parish: Celebrating 50 Years.