For Monsignor John Boyle, the events of February 1996 were probably the lowest point of his almost-55 years as a priest.
St Patrick’s Cathedral in Parramatta, at which he was Parish Priest at the time, had just burnt down and he was left to deal with a grieving and deeply traumatised community while also managing his own feelings of loss. Talking about it now still brings tears to his eyes.
“That was devastating, just watching the stained-glass windows, they didn’t break or crack, they melted and a brown substance oozed down the window sills,” he said. “It was a nightmare; it was unbelievable that this had happened.”
Yet despite this, he was able to draw on his faith and long, priestly experience to help the shattered community get back on its feet. It took time, and it wasn’t easy. Historical treasures from the cathedral were lost in the fire and the beautiful old building was changed forever.
A historical image of the St Patrick’s Cathedral fire in 1996. Image: Diocese of Parramatta.
But out of the ashes, a new cathedral emerged, and a community spirit was reborn.
Mons Boyle remembers about 1000 people gathering at a memorial service the next day to console each other and show solidarity with the parish community and what it had lost. And then there were the many committees that were set up in the aftermath of the fire to organise the rebuilding effort.
“There was a coming together, that community aspect was, I think, the most significant thing about the destruction of the cathedral,” he said.
Now, almost 30 years after those tragic events, the retired priest has written a book about the fire and its aftermath – entitled Tested by Fire. It’s due to be released in late October.
But as dramatic and important as it was in his time as a priest, the fire was only one part of Mons Boyle’s long journey of faith ministering to people in the Diocese, which began before the Diocese came into existence in 1986.
A historical image of Monsignor John Boyle outside St Patrick’s Cathedral following the fire. Image: Diocese of Parramatta
Significance of Service
His first experience as a parish priest was at Sacred Heart Parish, Westmead, more than a decade before the fire, and several years before the Diocese was formed. It was a homecoming of sorts for Mons Boyle, who spent his early years as a priest ministering in other parts of Sydney.
He had grown up just down the Great Western Highway in Parramatta, was baptised at St Patrick’s Church and went to the same primary school as his mother, St Patrick’s, before going off to Marist Brothers Parramatta.
He remembers his family being very close, and very involved in the community.
His dad was on the board of the Eels Leagues Club, while his grandmother volunteered with Meals on Wheels, helped found the Parramatta Eisteddfod and would play piano in the Parramatta Girls’ Home, as well as the jail next door.
A historical image of Monsignor John Boyle celebrating Mass in the rotunda in Prince Alfred Park following the fire at St Patrick’s Cathedral. Image: Diocese of Parramatta
Mons Boyle remembers he and his sister were often called on to also give concerts at the girls’ home and the jail.
“I spent my adolescence with these naughty girls, mad people and murderers, and thought that’s what adolescence was about,” he said.
But more importantly, from these encounters, the “concept of community service was somehow instilled in us”. So, when he was old enough, he decided to become an altar server at St Patrick’s Church under Parish Priest Monsignor Joseph McGovern, who was “a big influence on my life”.
“That led on to me thinking, well, maybe I could be a priest and serve in that particular way,” he said.
“Service has been quite a significant thing in my life. I think it’s important.”
Called by God
This idea of “service” might have led him to the priesthood, but faith helped keep him there.
Many times over the course of his decades as a priest, Mons Boyle said he was tempted to give it away when things got hard. And got hard they did.
Quite apart from dealing with the cathedral fire, he was often confronted with death, tragedy and illness, from his early years as a priest and hospital chaplain in Darlinghurst through to his later ministries in the western suburbs.
Monsignor John Boyle speaking at the 2025 Clergy Conference. Image: Alphonsus Fok/Diocese of Parramatta
But every time, he was able to call on his faith.
“What made me continue on? I think it was a belief that I was called by God to be a priest and couldn’t just give up over something that was a problem at that particular moment.
“I’ve got that kind of faith that somehow this was meant to be, and this was my opportunity to give back something to the community.
“There’s been difficulties and challenges, but somehow with your faith, with family and friends, you come through all of that, and I think you’re a stronger person coming through those ordeals.”
But listening to Mons Boyle talk about his vocation, these “difficulties and challenges” seem only a small part of his experience of being a priest, a treasured life being invited into important moments of people’s lives, and forming many enduring friendships with fellow clergy and parishioners.
“I would never have had the opportunities that I’ve had in life had I not joined the priesthood,” Mons Boyle said. “I can see the contribution that the Diocese and the people have made to me as a person has been quite significant.
“I’ve really been shaped by all those experiences in a good way.”
Tested by Fire will be released later this year. You can register to receive communications about the book by emailing comms@parracatholic.org with the subject line: TESTED BY FIRE
This article was originally published in the 2025 Season of Creation | Spring edition of the Catholic Outlook Magazine. You can read the digital version here or pick up a copy in your local parish.
