On a Sunday morning in 1953, before Sacred Heart Parish existed, Eileen Doyle arrived early at the Mount Druitt Community Hall.
The remnants from the Saturday night picture show needed to be swept and dusted. Eileen tidied the hall to prepare the space for another purpose. She hauled two large suitcases from home and arranged an altar on the stage with linen, candles and fresh flowers, prepared the water and wine and made sure everything was ready for Mass. On 4 October 1953, the first Catholic Mass was celebrated, and the story of Sacred Heart Parish began.
In June 2026, the parish celebrated its 50th anniversary with a Jubilee Triduum, including Holy Hour devotions, Mass on the Feast of the Sacred Heart with Fr Peter Williams AM, Vicar General as principal celebrant, and a parish dinner dance.
Dancers at the 50th anniversary celebrations. Image: Supplied
The celebrations were an opportunity to give thanks for more than five decades of parish life and for the faith of those who laid its foundations.
From a hall to a parish
The establishment of Sunday Mass owed much to the initiative of Eileen Doyle, whose husband Patrick was the local stationmaster.
She contacted Fr McGovern of Parramatta in 1953 to ask whether Mass could be celebrated in the Hall each Sunday morning. After a survey confirmed sufficient Catholic families in the area were supportive of it, Mrs Doyle took responsibility for preparing the hall, negotiating its use and rent and even accepting responsibility for any damage.
The ornate hall had been built by the Advancement Club in 1925 and is now one of only a few remaining interwar public buildings in the Blacktown council area. For six years it was the home of the Catholic community.
In 1959, Sacred Heart Church was built at 9 Ropes Creek Rd by Mr Chris Murphy. Fr James Page, Parish Priest of St Marys, wrote to Cardinal Norman Gilroy asking him to bless the new church on his next trip to the Seminary in Springwood, which he did on 30 November 1959. The first Sunday Mass was celebrated on 6 December.
Clergy, parishioners and supporters at the 50th anniversary celebrations at Sacred Heart Parish, Mt Druitt South. Image: Supplied
The growing community was initially served by priests from St Marys and, from 1965, Holy Family Parish, Emerton. Among them were Fr Patrick Archbold, Fr Carl Boes, Fr Roderick Bray and Fr Denis Foley.
By 1970, the Catholic population of Mount Druitt had ballooned from 1,825 people to around 6,000 people in just three years. There were two priests (Fr Archbold and Fr Boes), two churches (Holy Family and Sacred Heart) with six Sunday Masses between them, three Schoenstatt Sisters, 17 catechists, 30 altar servers, five St Vincent de Paul men, and 46 families involved in Schoenstatt groups.
In those three years there had been 42 marriages, 378 baptisms, and 127 confirmations. There were around 2,000 Catholic children in six state primary schools and one high school.
On 8 February 1976, the Parish of South Mount Druitt was formally established, with Fr Tim Crowley appointed its first Parish Priest.
The Ashton years
The following years would be shaped by one of the longest-serving priests in the Diocese of Parramatta, Fr Carl Ashton.
Parish fundraising for World Youth Day. Image: Supplied
When Fr Crowley was appointed to St Bernadette’s, Lalor Park, the future of South Mount Druitt Parish was uncertain. Fr Ashton was appointed to Emerton parish in 1978 and later recalled that several priests had been considered for the parish.
“One wouldn’t come; one died before he got here; and the third came for a day and left,” he recounted. As he was already there, Fr Ashton was asked whether the parish should continue. His response was swift and he was appointed Parish Priest in 1979 and remained at Sacred Heart for more than 42 years.
His ministry touched generations. He celebrated almost 100 weddings and more than 600 baptisms, personally conducted sacramental preparation for most of his priesthood, taught Scripture in local public schools for more than 40 years and ministered to patients at Mount Druitt Hospital.
He oversaw the opening of Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School in 1983 and established parish ministries including St Vincent de Paul and the Legion of Mary.
Yet perhaps his most remarkable legacy was his practical support for families struggling to establish themselves.
Fr Carl Ashton with Cecile, a parishioner at Sacred Heart Parish. Image: Diocese of Parramatta
Beginning with the purchase of a neighbouring property that had been a source of disturbance during Sunday Mass, Fr Ashton acquired eight houses on Ropes Creek Road and Edith Street over the following decades.
The properties were rented to families at affordable rates, enabling them to save towards home ownership. Families from Europe, the Philippines, Iraq, India, Uganda, Samoa and elsewhere benefited from the initiative.
His generosity extended beyond housing. Parishioners later recalled his assistance with emergencies, education and other needs.
At the centre of the church stood his famous “green box”, through which he encouraged the parish to support people in need, including missions in Sudan and Uganda.
Fr Ashton retired in November 2021 and died on 14 July 2023.
“Fr Ashton was a quiet but profound priest, loved by all at Sacred Heart,” said Monsignor Ron McFarlane following his death. “His legacy at Mt Druitt will be remembered by all for a very long time.”
A truly Catholic community
Sacred Heart has also become a home for Catholics from many cultures.
Fr Carl Ashton with candidates for first Holy Communion. Image: Supplied
Masses have been celebrated over the years in Polish, Chaldean and Tagalog, while the Samoan Chaplaincy began celebrating a fortnightly Sunday Mass in the parish in the early 2000s.
Today, the parish community includes people of Polish, Croatian, Bosnian, Chaldean, Filipino, Maltese, Indian, Bangladeshi, Anglo-Indian, Malaysian, Samoan and Tongan backgrounds.
Their traditions have enriched parish liturgies and community life, giving visible expression to the universal nature of the Catholic Church.
In his message to the parish, Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv, Bishop of Parramatta said: “[The 50-year celebration] is a Good News story, which speaks of the foresight, hard work and dedication of pioneering pastors and parishioners.”
“Here, generations of Catholic faithful have lived out their call to be a sign of God’s presence and an oasis of faith, hope and love. This parish through its commitment to worship, mutual support, outreach and education has made a difference to many families and individuals,” he said.
The parish continues to invest in its future through youth and young adult initiatives, including LIFTED and the Young Adults Faith Formation Group, as well as its Seniors’ Group, Samoan and Tongan youth groups, Sunday school and choirs.
The Sacred Heart youth sports team, The Ashtons, after winning the 2025 LIFTED Sports Day. Image: Supplied
The parish youth team, The Ashtons, has also become a familiar name at diocesan LIFTED Sports Days, winning four times and becoming the most successful parish in the competition’s history.
Looking to the next 50 years
During the Jubilee celebrations, Pastoral Director Deacon Roderick Pirotta reminded parishioners that an anniversary is not simply an opportunity to remember the past.
“We are blessed with strong pastoral leadership. Under the guidance of Monsignor Ron McFarlane, our Administrator, and with the dedicated ministry of our assisting priests, Fr Marcus Hazelman and Fr Taliai Hausia serving our Samoan and Tongan communities respectively, our parish continues to grow in faith and unity. It is a privilege for me to serve alongside them, sharing in the daily life and mission of this parish.
“What makes this community truly special is its people. It is seen in the quiet generosity of those who serve, the faith of our families, and the hope of our young people.
“The Sacred Heart of Jesus … continues to call us forward,” he said, inviting the parish to remain a people of “compassion, mercy, and missionary discipleship”.
Members of the parish’s Legion of Mary in 2022. Image: Supplied
That mission is visible throughout the parish’s history – through the quiet dedication of Eileen Doyle sweeping the floor so Mass could be celebrated. It was there when parishioners built the church, it was there in Fr Ashton’s determination to help families achieve home ownership.
And it remains there today in the countless parishioners who teach, sing, serve, welcome, visit the sick, support the vulnerable and pass the faith to the next generation.
The 50th anniversary was more than a celebration of the parish’s formal establishment – it is a celebration of the Catholic community coming together for more than 70 years.
As Deacon Roderick concluded during the celebrations: “We entrust the future of Sacred Heart Parish to the love of Christ, whose heart burns with mercy for all people. And we pray that, 50 years from now, those who gather in this place will look back on us and give thanks for what we have done.
“May the Sacred Heart of Jesus continue to bless this parish, guide its people, and keep us united in faith and love.”
A statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Mt Druitt church. Image: Diocese of Parramatta
The 50-year jubilee celebrations are an example of the Diocesan Pastoral Plan priorities of a Church renewed in Prayer and Spirit. Visit Synodality to find out more.
