Here at Holy Spirit Parish, do you notice the spire? It punctuates the New Farm skyline. Holy Spirit is one of Brisbane’s oldest Catholic churches. Its foundation stone was laid in 1930.
Before 1923, Catholics from New Farm went to St Patrick’s. Mr. and Mrs. Dempsey cared for “Wynberg” on Brunswick Street. Archbishop Duhig lived there. The Dempseys moved into a house owned by a solicitor named Bunton. Duhig bought it. It became part of the New Farm Church property. The back of this house served as a Mass Centre.
St. Patrick’s still served this new area. Father O’Keeffe and Monsignor Lynch cared for both churches. Miss Fuller taught children about First Holy Communion. They went to St Patrick’s, a state school, or a private school.
After the foundation stone was laid in 1927, the new Church of the Holy Spirit opened on June 1st, 1930. The Apostolic Delegate blessed it. A large crowd attended. The Children of Mary Sodality and St. Patrick’s Branch of the Hibernian Society processed to the church. They started from “Wynberg”.
Holy Spirit Church was a remarkable addition to Brisbane’s ecclesiastical buildings. Mr. Jack Donoghue designed the architecture. Miss Daphne Mayo designed the Stations of the Cross. She also created the sculptural group in the tympanum. Mr. William Bustard created the mural painting. It shows 12 angels and 6 cherubs. Young children from the parish modeled for the cherubs. Messrs R.S. Exton and Co. made the stained glass windows. Mr. Williams of Ipswich made the marble altar. Mr. Martin and his artisans created the ceiling. Concrete Constructions used Benedict Stone in the facade.
The total cost of Holy Spirit Parish building was about 16,241 pounds. Offerings totaled 9,300 pounds. The collection that afternoon raised over 2,500 pounds. Archbishop Duhig congratulated Father O’Keeffe and the people on the balance sheet.
By September 1930, the spire was complete. It reached 127 feet. Since the opening, attendance had doubled. The church was full at both Masses. 250 people received Holy Communion.
Frank Scully, a parishioner, worked for Claude Neon. He installed a cross on the tower. It was illuminated. People admired the cross from around the city.
William Bussard created the fresco. It is behind the altar and above the choir loft. Daphne Mayo sculpted the tympanum and Stations of the Cross. The tympanum shows “The Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles”. It is cast in Benedict stone. It measures 9 feet high by 36 feet wide. Archbishop Duhig commissioned Mayo’s work.
The Archbishop has traditionally been Holy Spirit’s parish priest. An “Administrator” performs the day-to-day functions. Father Ignacio was installed on 29 August 2014 by Archbishop Mark Coleridge. Father Dee was the administrator with Archbishop Duhig. Funds were low. Father Dee encouraged the congregation to give generously. He even walked behind the collectors.
Father Kevin Aspinall built the Parish Hall in 1966. Father Rollo Enright refurbished the convent. Father John Nee worked on the presbytery and Parish Centre. Father Kerry Ryan had the Mercy Room built. Father Leo Coote carried on the work. Father Martin Ignacio Gutierrez Rodriguez restored the High Altar. Father Syrilus Madin renovated the Presbytery. Father Luis Antonio Diaz Lamus is our current parish priest.
Holy Spirit was an active parish from the start. Irish Concerts occurred each year. Youth played a large part. Nell Breen was the first singer. Ollie Sheehy was the organist. Mrs. Carrington kept the brass gleaming. Andy Lamb boiled water for tea for the parents of First Communicants. The Holy Name Society filled over half the church with men. The altar boys numbered about 30. Pentecost Sunday was a proud day. There was all-day exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. All the sodalities would march into the church.
Church of the Holy Spirit was the first church in the Southern Hemisphere with this name.