Welcome to our history
Holy Spirit Parish, formerly St Kevin's Parish, Bangalow, was established by Bishop Jeremiah Doyle in 1902. The Parish's first recorded baptism took place on 6th December, 1902 . With the endorsement of Bishop John Satterthwaite, the name of the Parish was changed officially to Holy Spirit Parish on 30th November 2001 .
Established from Lismore parish
Bangalow and district was settled from the South Coast of New South Wales in 1881 and 1882, and prior to the establishment of St Kevin's Parish this entire district was part of the Lismore parish, with Bishop Doyle as its Pastor. The newly established St Kevin's Parish embraced the present day parishes of Bangalow and Mullumbimby, extending from Clunes to Yelgun.
Boundaries
In 1917, Bishop Carroll divided Bangalow parish in two. Fr Dick Williams moved ‘up the road' from Bangalow to Mullumbimby becoming its first Parish Priest. He was replaced by Monsignor Brian Scott who began a long 45 year appointment in Bangalow. With the new 1917 boundaries, St Kevin's Parish ended up with two centres: the town of Bangalow and the small fishing village of Byron Bay .
Today
Today the boundaries of the Parish extend from Clunes (about 15kms north from Lismore); east along Emigrant Creek to a point immediately south of Broken Head; west through Eureka, Federal, to Coorabell and Ewingsdale; north through Bangalow, St Helena, Suffolk Park, Byron Bay; finishing at Tyagarah, to the south of Mullumbimby. Since the first of July 2007 due to a chronic shortage of priests in the Lismore Bishop Jarrett conjoined the parishes of Mullumbimby and Holy Spirit. Though still two separate parishes they share a pastor Fr. Anthony Lemon. The boundaries of the conjoined parishes are now the same as pre 1917.
Industries & Interests
The Parish acknowledges the many blessings that derive from its industries, old and new, whether dairy farming, the Norco dairy products, meat processing, whaling, shipping, and beef production. Today's farming sector works in sub-tropical industries such as macadamia nuts, coffee production and the like.
Visitors and Tourism
Tourism and industries associated with its infrastructure have been a major focus in the area since the mid-1970s. It is estimated today that some 300,000 backpackers visit Byron Bay each year, while the attractions in the district at Christmas and Easter time swell the population to upwards of some 50,000.
Growth in Bangalow & Byron Bay
The town of Bangalow remained an attractive quiet little village during the years of Byron Bay 's growth. And while it has retained much of its original attractiveness, it is enjoying modest expansion and development.
Churches
The first St Kevin's Church, Bangalow, was established and opened by the Diocese's first Bishop, Jeremiah Doyle in January, 1894 (the year the North Coast Railway opened). The Church was later replaced in 1935. The foundation stone of the new Church was laid by the Diocese's second Bishop, Most Rev. John Carroll in January 1935, and was blessed and opened six months later by Most Rev. Patrick Farrelly, the Co-adjutor Bishop (later the third Bishop of the Diocese).
The first St Finbarr's Church, Byron Bay, was established and opened by Bishop Doyle in February, 1901, and was replaced in July, 1979. The new St Finbarr's was blessed and opened by Bishop John Satterthwaite, the fourth Bishop, in 1979.
Parish Name & Personnel
Until November 2001, the official name of the Parish was St Kevin's Parish, Bangalow. During the late 1960s and 1970s, major growth began to take place in Byron Bay and the ‘centre of gravity' in the parish began to shift: St Kevin's school, Bangalow, closed and catholic pupils transferred to St Finbarr's school, Byron Bay.
With the new St Finbarr's Church in the Bay, along with the growing school community and a significantly expanded population, the new local residents in Byron Bay began to replace the parish's official name, St Kevin's, by referring to the parish as St Finbarr's. By the mid-1990s the confusion created led to the deletion of both Saints names from the parish letterhead: the parish was simply referred to as “ Bangalow-Byron Bay Parish”. After consultation with parishioners, and the endorsement and approval by Bishop Satterthwaite on 29th November, 2001, the name Holy Spirit Parish was adopted, with St Kevin's Church, Bangalow, as one Mass centre (and the “principal Church” of the Parish), and St Finbarr's Church, Byron Bay, the other.
Parish Priests
Monsignor Brian Scott was Parish Priest for 45 years from 1917-1962. There were 4 priests before him from 1902 onwards, spanning 15 years between them: Fathers C. Casey, M. Walshe, W. Sullivan, R. Williams. There have been five priest after him: Fathers Arthur Daley - 15 yrs, Rex Hackett - 15 yrs, Vincent Doyle - 6 yrs, Francis Devoy - 8 yrs and Fr. Anthony Lemon - since 2006.
Schools & Religious
St Kevin's Primary School began in 1909, staffed by Lismore Presentation Sisters. The Presentation Sisters were replaced in 1914 by the Sisters of St Joseph , the Brown Josephites, who occupied the commodious Bangalow convent featured above. The school was closed in 1973 and the convent was relocated in part by private owners.
School Principal
With the school's closure, St Kevin's amalgamated with St Finbarr's Primary, Byron Bay , also run by the Josephites since its establishment in 1916. The Sisters of St Joseph left the school at the end of 1994 and Mrs Nola Richmond was appointed principal. The school is fully staffed with fine, committed, and competent lay teachers.
