Ninety years apart and going strong
News
St Paul of the Cross, one of the three churches in the merged parish of the Holy Family Catholic Parish in the Adelaide Hills celebrated its 90th anniversary on 12 July 2026.
Two photographs taken 90 years apart give a strong feel both of the similarities then and now and the vast changes over the near century.
In 1936, the ‘Ladies of Blackwood parish’ took a group photo with the new church as the backdrop after its official opening with the second group photo taken after the 7.30am Sunday Mass on the precise day of the 90th anniversary.
The Holy Family Catholic parish serves the southern foothills and outer southern/hills fringe area, covering Aberfoyle Park and Blackwood.
A local parishioner and historian, Peter Donovan, has published a book titled Towards the New Jerusalem: A History of the Catholic Community of Blackwood and which is a history of the origins and development of the Catholic parish and community within Blackwood.
CAPTION:
HILLS UNITE: Parishioners gather at St Paul of the Cross on 12 July 2026.
Below, the Ladies of Blackwood parish’ at the church in 1936.
