At the furthest edge of the Diocese of Parramatta, Sacred Heart Parish, Blackheath, embraces its village environment and looks beyond the walls of the church building.
There are three churches in the boundaries of Sacred Heart Parish – the main church at Blackheath, St Paul’s at Mount Victoria and St Joseph’s in the Megalong Valley. Speaking to parishioners, you’ll hear how stepping in and stepping up to help is part of their culture.
Dianne and Murray Stewart have lived in Mount Victoria since 1976 and play a huge role in maintaining St Paul’s. Dianne, who has been an altar server for 30 years, cleans the church and sets up for Mass on a Saturday night. Murray, who is not Catholic, has been the church groundskeeper for 30 years.
“We’re all like a big family,” Dianne explains. “We just all get in and help.”
Vitality in the parishioners
Julie O’Keeffe, a parishioner of over 40 years, talks about the purpose she’s found since getting more involved in the parish.
“There’s a vitality and energy up here in the high altitude that makes you want to get involved.”
“There are parishioners who quietly go about doing what needs to be done – they’re the unsung heroes of the parish,” she says.
Parish ‘a family of Christ’
Pat Drummond is another familiar face of Blackheath Parish. A musician by trade, Pat has served for years in the parish’s music ministry, writing original hymns for Mass, and is the parish’s SRE catechist coordinator.
Pat credits the community feel of the parish to its leadership during the early 1990s when the parish was in the care of the Sisters of Charity without a resident priest.
“The parish is centred on caring for the people in front of you. It’s very people-centred.”
“There’s so much input from the parishioners and the priests that minister to us work in a really lovely harmony with the people they serve,” he explains.
Fr John very ‘Christ-centred’
Parish Priest of three years, Fr John McSweeney, understands the village nature of Blackheath Parish, having grown up himself in the Mountains.
“Our parish has attracted people from across the Upper Blue Mountains to worship here because they are attracted to the charism of our church community,” he explains.
Julie describes Fr John as being very approachable in his ministry in Blackheath. “He’s very friendly, has a great sense of humour and he’s really effective.”
RELATED: A cuppa with the priest: Fr John McSweeney, Sacred Heart Parish, Blackheath
Pat added, “He [Fr John] focuses on the way that Jesus was in the time of His ministry, of meeting people where they are, and leading them towards a productive and holy relationship with the Lord.”
Parish continuing to look towards those on the margins
The Blackheath parish frequently collaborates with other local Christian churches. Together, with the local Anglicans, Baptists and Uniting Churches, they celebrate the World Day of Prayer every March and the veggies from the parish’s community garden are used in the Uniting Church’s weekly soup kitchen.
“We’ve become great friends with other faith communities,” Julie describes.
“We’re very open and outward-looking. We have a tenacity that even though we are a small parish, we are determined to keep going.”
RELATED: Blackheath community garden grounded in faith
The parish has a strong Vinnies group, they support the local neighbourhood centre and have a great relationship with the Catholic Care Drop-In Centre at Springwood and the Blue Mountains Refugee Support Group.
“We have had great people over the years who were and continue to be dedicated and have great conviction working with social justice issues. They didn’t sit back, they were really active and they walked the talk,” Julie said.
Fr John explains, “It’s about living the Gospel in your own lives and utilising the words of the Lord in your own words. As St Paul suggests, speaking the truth in love and that should always be the truth, never condemnatory, but invitational.”
This article was originally published in the 2023 Season of Creation | Spring edition of the Catholic Outlook Magazine. You can read the digital version here.
