The original intention was to build a church on the Alison Road in Wyong close to the Old Court House. In the late 1800’s the church owned a piece of land in Margaret Street behind the present post office. It adjoined the then Presbyterian Church which was opposite where Hargraves Street meets Margaret Street.
In 1904 Albert Hamlyn Warner, a developer purchased a large parcel of Land in Byron Street and he generously donated the same to both the Catholic Church and the Anglican Church, therefore in 1907 the land in Margaret Street was sold for about 30 pounds to help pay for the building of St. Cecilia’s Church in Byron Street.
The foundation stone for this Historical Church was laid, in the absence of Cardinal Moran, by Monsignor Carroll on October 6, 1907. The building was completed and was opened for worship on 26th April 1908.
The church was named in memory of Cecilia Ann Woodbury who was a young woman and was highly respected in the town. She raised a considerable sum of money for the building of the church but died at the age of 33, on 27 April 1905.
The Foundation stone at the entrance to the church says it was laid by Cardinal Moran on 6 October 1907. It was laid on that date but not by Cardinal Moran. He was too ill to travel from Sydney to Wyong so the Foundation Stone was laid by his Vicar General, Monsignor Carroll. The Cardinal was present for the opening of the church the following year.
Albert Warner the man who donated the land for the Church was a man far ahead of his time in his wish to see churches come together. There has always been a fine spirit of Cooperation between the churches.
When Cardinal Moran opened St. Cecilia’s Church in 1908 he referred to this and noted “would that it were so in other parts of the world“. He was probably thinking of his own country of Ireland.
The original church was 40 ft long, 22ft wide, and accommodated 200 people. In addition there was a sacristy and a porch. Cost of the church was about 420 pounds sterling. Since the church was built there have been various additions.
In 1926 the church was extended at the front, while the back was extended nearly a quarter century later in 1950 or so. A pergola was built at the side in 1997 and the piety stall which was in front was shifted to the rear of the church.
The first marriage took place in this church in 1909. Wyong is the fifth oldest parish in the diocese. In 1914 the Northern Section of Gosford Parish was divided and Wyong Parish was created. The present boundaries are from Palmdale in the South and across to Tumbi Umbi and North to Wyongah and west to Yarramalong Valley.
Some Historical Notes on Wyong Parish
In 1852 Father William Odilo Woolfrey arrived in the MacDonald River area and was in charge of what is now the Central Coast. His older brother, Father Henry Norbert Woolfrey, arrived later the same year and was based at Kincumber. Both were Cistercian monks and their hope was to establish a monastery in the area. The Woolfrey brothers, as they were known, travelled on horseback throughout the region and visited the various settlements where they offered Mass and administered the Sacraments.
They acquired over 100 acres of land for future Church needs. One block was at Yarramalong, known as Priests Farm, with the intention of establishing an orphanage for boys. This did not eventuate. Father Norbert was a popular priest: he had a reputation as a healer and formed many friendships.
Father William Odilo died in 1856. Father Norbert stayed in the region until 1861 when he moved to Carcoar. In 1865 he was transferred to the new parish of Waverley, covering Watson’s Bay to Botany Bay. He died in 1872. The dream of building a Cistercian Monastery was not realised.
Woodbury's Inn
In 1866 Mathew James Woodbury built “Woodbury’s Inn” where the Old Maitland Road meets Yarramalong Road. It is said that the first Mass was offered on this site. Father Norbert had received all 14 members of the family into the Catholic Church when they lived at Mangrove Creek. Woodbury’s Inn was a Mass Center for about 30 years until Wyong township began to develop and the School of Arts became a location for a number of churches to have their services.
The Missing Chalice
Mrs. Woodbury presented Cardinal Moran with a Chalice on the occasion of the blessing and opening of St. Cecilia’s Church on 26 April 1908. The Chalice was then 221 years old and had been in use in the district for over 50 years. This Chalice, according to Stinson, is said to be engraved with the words “Butler caused me to be made”. Possibly it was brought to Australia by the Woolfrey brothers and was left in a Mass kit with the Woodbury family. Efforts to locate the Chalice have been unsuccessful.