History of the Parish

Prior to 1962
People had to attend Mass at St Cecilia’s Wyong.  Toukley was just a holiday place with very few permanent residents.
1962                           
 A hall was built at the corner of Main Road and Holmes Avenue the Toukley Parish was established as a Station Church of the Wyong Parish.  The Holy Mass was said in a Quonset hut where the RSL car park now stands.  
1962- March 1970     
 Father John Hatton was appointed as the 1st Parish Priest.
1964
A 14 acres of land was purchased at Noraville by  Father Hatton.
7 December 1969     
The construction of the Church started.  Bishop T. Muldoon officially blessed and opened the Parish Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour.
North of the Parish, Mass was said at Gwandalan Community Hall then in the Gwandalan State School and then the High School at San Remo.  When the vigil mass came, Mass was held in the Community Hall at Lake Munmorah. 
The Budgewoi ‘Mass Centre’, a former cinema located opposite Budgewoi Hotel next door to the Bakery. This Church was called St Joseph’s and Fr Williams celebrated the Mass.
March 1970- 1994     
 Father Paul Fitzgerald was appointed as the 2nd Parish Priest.  The 11 Pandora Parade, Noraville, Toukley was built as the first Presbytery.
1973                           
 St. Mary’s Primary Catholic School commenced.  The former Presbytery was later occupied by the religious nuns, the Josephite Sisters namely,  Sr. Monica, RSJ and Sr. Anthony Hogan, RSJ assigned as the first pastoral nuns.  Later followed by Sr Eileen Barry, Sr Margaret, Sr Thomasine and Sr. Timothy.
1980   
The Parish Hall was opened and named after Fr.Fitzgerald.
1980- 1986
Construction of the extension of the St. Mary’s Church area.
1982- 1987                 
 Father Thomas Isaac was the Assistant Priest.
1989
St. Brendan’s Primary Catholic School commenced. 
1991- 1999                 
 Father Ian Abbott was the Assistant Priest.
January 1992            
 The First Mass was held at St. Brendan’s Mass Centre .
1 November 1992     
 St. Brendan’s Church was blessed by Bishop Patrick Murphy.
1994- 2000                 
 Father Brian Moloney was appointed as 3rd Parish Priest.
2000
Father Colin Fowler was appointed as Administrator of the Parish.
2001- 2006                 
 Father Carl Stafford was the 4th Parish Priest. The parish purchased the house next door to the Church, now called Higgins House, the parish bus and the shed behind the Presbytery.  He also opened the Presbytery Office making it more accessible to people.  Father Jim McKeon was Assistant priest for 15 months.
1 May 2003- 1 August 2006
Sr Eileen Quade,a Sister of Mercy, was assigned to the parish. She ran various formational programmes for the parish.
2004- 2006     
Father Lucas Myint as the Assistant Priest.
2007- 2015
Father Anthony Peter D’Souza as the fifth Parish Priest.   He worked for the construction of the new church at St. Brendan.  Father Lawrence Selvanayakam, as Asst. priest
28 April 2007
Blessing of the foundation of the cornerstone and the opening of St. Brendan’s as a Mass Centre by Bishop David Walker.
July 2007
World Youth Day.  The WYD Cross and Icon arrived  in the parish.
2008
Father Joseph Rebello became assistant priest. 
April 2010
Bishop David Walker made a pastoral visit to the parish.
2012
The Parish purchased the land at St Brendan’s.  A multipurpose Hall and Early Learning Centre was built.
2015- 2017                 
 Father Stephen Wayoyi, AJ became Parish Priest. 
February 2017- February 2020       
 Deacon Paul Simmons was appointed to the parish.
21 May 2017              
 The 10th Anniversary of the Opening of St Brendan’s Mass Centre.
2017- June 2019
Father Tiziano Torresan was appointed as the Parish Administrator. Assisted by Father Vincent Varghese.
7 June 2019             
 Father Tomy Kuruvelil Ouseph, CFIC was appointed as the Parish Administrator and Father Baby Thomas, CFIC as the Assistant Priest.
3 August 2019          
 Sr. Josefa Mabini, OSA and Sr. Jennifer Canillas, OSA of the Congregation of the Augustinian Sisters of Our Lady of Consolation, from the Philippines arrived and were assigned by the Diocese to work at St. Brigid’s Catholic School, Lake Munmorah and MacKillop Catholic College, Warnervale, respectively.  They are now occupying the former Presbytery at 11 Pandora Parade, Noraville.
30 November 2019
Golden Jubilee of the dedication of Our Lady Of Perpetual Succour Parish.  It was presided over by Bishop Anthony Randazzo and Father David Ranson, Vicar General.
4 November 2019
Bishop Anthony Randazzo was appointed as the fourth Bishop of the Diocese of Broken Bay.
March 2020
It was declared that all the churches (place of worship) will be temporarily be closed in response to the restrictions to the Coronavirus (Covid- 19) pandemic. 
27 April 2020
Our Parish open a Facebook account in response to have an online streaming of Holy Week and Sunday Masses.
April 2021
After a year of no singing, it was the first time the congregation were allowed to sing during the Easter Triduum.
26 June 2021
A day before the Feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, the Premier order a lockdown for the Greater Sydney area, including Central Coast, Blue Mountain and Wollongong due to a sudden intense of COVID outbreak.  All the churches of the Diocese of Broken Bay are closed until further noticed.  The Sunday Masses was via livestreaming.
19 October 2021
After 14 weeks that our Churches were temporarily closed Bishop Randazzo announced the resumption of public Masses in the Diocese of Broken Bay given to follow the COVID safety requirements around the density of gatherings.
6- 10 February 2022
Recarpeting of St. Mary's Church.
12 February 2023
Blessing of the new carpet of St. Mary's Church.