St Joachim’s Catholic Church, Lidcombe, celebrated 100 years of faith and community on 26 July, marking both the parish’s centenary and the feast day of its patron with a day of prayer, thanksgiving and festivities.
The celebrations began with Mass before hundreds of parishioners prayed the rosary and processed with a relic of St Carlo Acutis from the church to neighbouring St Joachim’s Primary School.
At the school, the celebration continued with a lively multicultural festival featuring food stalls, children’s games, sporting activities, live music and entertainment that reflected the rich cultural diversity of the parish. Funds raised throughout the day will support the ongoing renovation of the historic church, which has served the Lidcombe community since 1926.
Parishioner Villiami said the centenary was also an opportunity to welcome new families into parish life.
“Everyone enjoyed the festivities. Some of the families from the school aren’t part of the parish, so it was their first time experiencing parish life,” he said.
Gregory Manu said the opportunity to pray before the relic of St Carlo Acutis gave the celebration a distinctly spiritual focus.
“It was great to have a space where people could pray before the relic,” he said.
“It was so wholesome, there was something for everyone and the emphasis on celebrating the relationship between the school and the parish was special.”
The centenary celebrations reflected a parish that has become known for taking the Catholic faith into the public square. In recent years St Joachim’s has hosted large rosary processions through the streets of Lidcombe, youth festivals, family faith days and pilgrimages inspired by St Carlo Acutis, drawing together parishioners, school families and the wider community in public witness to the Gospel.
From toddlers to centenarians, old friends to first-time visitors, the anniversary brought together generations of parishioners to give thanks for those who have built the community over the past century.
As St Joachim’s enters its second hundred years, parishioners prayed that the same spirit of faith, hospitality and evangelisation that has shaped its history will continue to bear fruit for generations to come.
