Our Lady Help Of Christians was established as a parish on December 8, 1994. The parish church is located at Rosemeadow but the parish also incorporates historic St. Bede's Church at Appin. The areas covered by the Our Lady Help Of Christians Parish include Ambarvale, Appin, Englorie Park, Glen Alpine, Menangle Park, Rosemeadow, St Helens Park, Macarthur Gardens and Wilton.
Our Lady Help Of Christians is part of the Diocese of Wollongong, established in 1952, which covers the Illawarra, Macarthur, South Coast and Southern Highlands regions of New South Wales. The Most Reverend Bishop Brian Mascord was installed as the fifth Bishop of Wollongong on 22 February 2018. While the Wollongong diocese is relatively recent, the churches of Campbelltown (1835), Appin (1837), Wollongong (1838), Picton (1847), Kiama (1852), Camden (1859), Shellharbour (1861), Nowra (1863), The Oaks (1865), Albion Park (1867), Bulli (1886), Berrima (1889) and Milton-Ulladulla (1890) trace their Catholic legacy back to the early times of European settlement and to the era of Archbishop John Bede Polding, Australia's first bishop.
The Diocese of Wollongong is the eighth largest diocese in Australia in terms of Catholic population (out of 33 total) and the largest non-capital city diocese. The diocese now ministers to 191,000 Catholics in 32 parishes, with 15 migrant chaplaincies. There are 46 Catholic schools, various youth ministries and a range of aged care, disability and welfare services together with special faith movements in the local area.
Parish Priest
Father Christopher Sarkis PP