By Fr Michael Williams
Talk of a new church at St Clare’s, Narellan Vale, has been circulating for well over 30 years.
Once the local primary school opened in 1994, ideas about the need for a new church began to emerge.
That was a difficult undertaking, however, because debt servicing on St Paul’s Church, Camden, remained substantial, having only been built and opened in 1987. Now, in 2026, after many years of saving, the time has finally arrived to build – and just in time.
The Bishop of Wollongong, Brian Mascord, visited the parish on 28 May for the official sod-turning ceremony.
There were representatives from across our community and beyond, including members of the funeral industry, our schools, visiting clergy, parishioners, senior church personnel, builders and architects. The reasons for building the church are simple. The parish is continuing to grow, especially with the ongoing development of Spring Farm.
The primary school is expanding, while St Paul’s Church is overflowing at times such as Christmas, Easter and First Holy Communion celebrations. The location of the new St Clare’s Church is also just a short distance from Magdalene Catholic College.
We hope the church will become a place of spiritual comfort and renewal for people of all ages, especially our young people.
In keeping with contemporary church architecture, the architects, DTA from Gregory Hills, have designed a beautiful church that is modern while still embracing tradition, featuring a highly polished sanctuary, sacred altar, baptismal font and other liturgical furnishings.
The completion date is expected to be around this time next year. Already, across our parish there is a great sense of anticipation.
Our parishioners are quietly confident that St Clare’s Church will become a true house of prayer for the many people who come to celebrate and commemorate life’s most important occasions.
