Holy Cross Church is the oldest Catholic Church on the Central Coast.
When the idea of building a Catholic Church in the Brisbane Water District was conceived, Sydney was regarded as merely a town, bordered in the east by Hyde Park and the Domain, in the west by Darling Harbour and to the south by Campbell Street at the bottom of Brickfield Hill. On contemporary maps, St Mary's "Chapel" is located east of Hyde Park, but St Patrick's on Church Hill was yet to be built. Governors of this era still resided in the original Government House and European settlement in Australia had existed for but fifty (50) years. The Catholic pioneers of the Brisbane Water district bequeathed to future generations something very unique. There are many churches n Australia, but none quite like Holy Cross.
Its origins date back to 1838 when a Pioneer of the district, Thomas Humphreys, donated a portion of land to Archbishop Polding, the first Bishop in Australia, for the building of Holy Cross Church. The Church was opened for Mass in 1842 and completed in 1843. A number of Catholic churches were constructed in the period 1835 to 1845 but few remain. Holy Cross is the fifth oldest Catholic Church in continuous use in Australia. Andrew Johnston commenced quarrying stones for the building prior to 1841. The stone was sourced from the property of William Samson Pickett, from a hill to the east of the church, which is currently skirted by MacKillop Drive. Erection of the stonework commenced in 1841 and completed in October 1842. It is estimated that there are approximately 4,100 blocks of stone in the building.
In 1978, Holy Cross Church was classified by the National Trust due to the following listings - "A small country church with rudimentary Gothic detailing. It has unusual castellated octagonal towers on either side of the western facade with a projecting central entrance porch. A commanding site overlooking Brisbane Water and a historically important adjacent graveyard." It was restored in the 1990's.
The first resident priest appointed to the Brisbane Water District was Rev. P.A. Hogan who was appointed in 1842. In 1887, Blessed Mary of the Cross MacKillop, the foundress of the Sisters of St Joseph set up the Kincumber Boys Home and often worshipped in Holy Cross. In 1947, Cardinal Gilroy created Kincumber Parish and Fr Patrick Croke became the first Parish Priest. Fr Croke had been appointed Chaplain to the St Joseph's Home for Boys in December 1945 and lived in on the convent grounds. He served the local parishioners until his retirement in 1987. Fr Croke is buried in the cemetery adjoining the church and is remembered with deep affection.
For over 100 years, much of the movement around the local and wider area was by water transport and this is one of the reasons for the proximity of Holy Cross Church to Brisbane Water. People rowed boasts to church - in some instance quite long distances, - or in later years they came by ferry. Holy Cross has been a cultural, social and spiritual centre of Catholic life and parishioners of earlier times had a deep affinity with St Joseph's Home for Boys, or "the Orphanage" as it was known by the locals. In the cemetery are the graves of people who know this church and place well.
A historic cemetery is located adjacent to Holy Cross Church, wherein is buried former parishioners, priests and pioneers of the area. A new section of the cemetery has recently been opened and burial sites and ashes sites can now be purchased by contacting hccemetery@gmail.com
Holy Cross Catholic Primary School was opened, in stages from 1991.
Holy Spirit Church was completed in 2009 and the first Mass was celebrated on Holy Thursday evening 9 April 2009. The Church was officially opened by Bishop David Walker – Bishop of Broken Bay – on 16 August 2009. Holy Spirit Church has become our parish church and the centre of our worship on weekends with Holy Cross still being used for weddings and funerals, and special feast day Mass.