HOLY FAMILY PARISH at St. Thomas Line, Paradise, Newfoundland & Labrador, Newfoundland A1L 1W3 CA - Learn more About Us
Learn more About Us
Holy Family Parish, Paradise-St. Thomas Holy Family Parish encompasses two communities, Paradise and St. Thomas. Prior to 1982 St. Thomas was a Mission Community of Holy Rosary Parish, Portugal Cove which was established in 1833. The first Parish Priest, Father Edward Troy visited the different settlements of the South Shore of Conception Bay for the celebration of Mass and Administration of the Sacraments. Bishop Thomas N. Power saw with the increasing population in the area the need for a new parish to be established in the Power's Court, Manuel's area known as St. Edwards Parish. The first parish priest appointed was Father Lawrence Vereker. On July 18, 1914 the Catholic community of the area was devastated to find that their church had burned to the ground. The task of rebuilding the church fell to Father Peter Kelly. The cornerstone was laid in 1917 and blessed by Archbishop Roche at its completion on August 14, 1918. The parish at the time extended from St. Anne's to Kelligrews. St. Anne's was a village in the area of St. Anne's Industrial Park. St. Edward's Parish was divided and Holy Family Parish was formally established on September 15, 1982, comprising the town of Paradise, then a part of St. Edwards Parish, Topsail and St. Thomas, part of Holy Rosary Parish, Portugal Cove. Before the construction of a church, Masses were held at Immaculate Conception School Chapel in St. Thomas, the old Lions club and in the Anglican church in Paradise. The parish was originally served by Sister Brenda Phelan of the Sisters of Mercy, as pastoral minister, and by Father Denis Walsh. In 1984, Father John Wallis was appointed as Holy Family's First pastor, and under his guidance a new church and presbytery were constructed. The new church opened in 1985, and currently serves the town of Paradise, with 970 families. In 1987, Holy Family School was opened. Among the church's striking features are two stained glass windows, installed in 1987 as a Marian Year project. They were designed and assembled by Graham Howcroft, whose work can be seen in several other churches on the island. The windows represent the Holy Spirit and the Immaculate Conception, symbolic of the two schools which had served the parish from its inception until September 5, 1997 when by Referendum sponsored by Government we lost our Catholic Schools. The windows were funded by the Catholic Women's League, which remains active in the parish. In 1989, Father Wallis was succeeded by Father Edward Purcell, who remained in Paradise until 1996. On July 18, 1996 he was appointed to Holy Family after serving at Sacred Heart Parish, Marystown for approximately six years. Father Richard McHugh followed Father Purcell as our priest and continued faithfully until his passing in the winter of 2006. Father Charles Kelly succeeded Father McHugh serving the parish at a time of substantial increase in the parish community untill his appointment as pastor to the Bacillica parish July, 2009. Our present pastor is Father David Butler. We look forward to building our community together.
Survey Results
Of a total of 236 completed questionnaires that were returned an overwhelming 229 or 97% of respondents agreed that an extension is essential to the continuing viability of the Parish.
To Bear Witness To the Truth:
An Unequivocal Moral Obligation for All Christians
Every Catholic and, indeed, every Christian faithful to the Gospel, has the moral obligation to bear witness to the truth, “in season and out of season, convenient or inconvenient,” accepted or rejected. This mandate is nothing new, of course. It’s as old as the Old Testament, and as new as the New Testament. Nonetheless, I’m afraid that it has become more necessary than ever to remind ourselves of it.