The Parish of Mary Help of Christians includes the communities of Sawtell, Toormina, Boambee, Bonville and Crossmaglen. As a Parish, we strive to: be faithful to Christ’s mission of proclaiming God’s word to others; to be sanctified by His gifts; and through serving others be the face of Christ in our place and time.
Currently our Parish Office is undergoing construction. The parish office is now temporarily located in the main street of Sawtell (1/59 First Ave, Sawtell).
An Historical Snapshot
Sawtell was originally part of the Parish of Coffs Harbour. The expanding parish population, however, brought about the formation of Mary Help of Christians, Sawtell on 1st July, 1983. The inaugural Mass of our parish was held on Thursday, June 30, 1983. Fr. John Kelly was welcomed as the first Parish Priest.
The original properties with which the new parish was established were:
The Church
Our Church had been built originally as a Church Hall in, or perhaps slightly before, 1951. By late 1974 it was in a sad state of disrepair, and during the next 12 months it was restored and extended by voluntary labour, and with the assistance of a Federal Government grant, was transformed into a Youth Camp.
Parish Office
The Parish Office has had a number of uses since its construction in the 1940s. Originally it was built as a family residence, then used as a convent by the Sisters of Mercy, a temporary presbytery by Fr Kelly, then Parish Office.
Mary Help of Christians Primary School
The first stage of the school opened in Toormina in 1980 while we were still part of the Coffs Harbour Parish. The school commenced with 130 pupils in 6 classes. Our school is commonly known as Mary Help of Christians Sawtell because of its parish links, rather than by its geographical location in Toormina.
The Toormina Presbytery
The previous presbytery was originally the school caretaker’s residence, a small two-bedroom dwelling. It was extended with a room and garage to accommodate Fr Kelly and the subsequent parish priests.
In 2015, construction was completed on the new presbytery which is located adjacent to the primary school and near the site of the previous presbytery.