Hartley, NSW - St Bernard's Catholic

Year Built: 1848

Denomination: Roman Catholic

Saint: Bernard

Address: Old Great Western Highway, Hartley, New South Wales, 2790

Architect: Unknown

Traditional Owners: Wiradjuri people

Last Updated: 12/05/2022

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History and Architecture:

An Historical plate reads,

Completed in c1848, the Church was funded by popular subscription, led by two prominent Irish families of the Hartley district: the Finns and the Grants. Designed and built by Alexander Binning, the church is made from sandstone sourced from a quarry at South Bowenfels, near Lithgow. Prior to the construction of St Bernard's and St John the Evangelist Anglican Church, local church services were held in the Courthouse.

"The completion of the interior of this mountain chapel well and most appropriately dedicated to St Bernard appears to have excited the true old spirit of Catholic liberality in our district; and ....from the circumstances in which most of the settlers are placed ... each has given his mite ... in a manner which shews the interest which is taken in the decoration of the house of God"
- Sydney Chronicle 23 March 1848

The Presbytery was completed in the late 1850s as accommodation for priests at St Bernard's Catholic Church, a more fitting arrangement than the Farmer's Inn which was for a time an unofficial presbytery. The lower section of the Presbytery was a kitchen and service area, with the upper level consisting of bedrooms and living areas. The attic had additional bedrooms, most likely inhabited by a housekeeper. In the 2010s, the Presbytery was converted into boutique holiday accommodation, with a new bathroom added to the rear of the building.

 

Clergy:

This list may not contain every serving cleric, past or present, for this church.
Further submissions welcomed.

Years Name Annotation D.o.B D.o.D
1869 - Father James Phelan

Organ:

No information currently available. Submissions welcomed.

Source:

1. Sydney Chronicle 23 March 1848