Avondale set to have Masses again a year after fire

In a July 14 video update one year to the day after the fire, parish priest Fr Andrew Matthew said he hoped Masses could be celebrated in the renovated hall by the end of July.

“We are renovating the old hall so we can [have] Sunday Masses and everyone can come back together. And I think that is really important for the community,” Fr Matthew said.

He thanked the many people who had helped to this point, including Synergy Flooring, which helped with carpet tiles, and a Baptist church on the North Shore that contributed used pews.

“We have great people giving us great donations as well. A lot of the parishioners are helping us out in many ways, because it is really expensive to renovate a building of this size.”

Fr Matthew said there is still a lot of work needed on the old hall, including roofing, exterior painting, installation of an alarm system and a sound system, and cabinets to go in, but he hoped this could be done by the end of the month.

Auckland Diocese general manager James van Schie noted that Bishop Steve Lowe “has been talking . . . about reshaping of the diocese, and later on in the year, the process of reshaping and some of the dialogue around what will the western part of the diocese look like in the future will get underway. . . There will be more to hear in the coming months on that”.

Mr van Schie noted that Fr Matthew and priests in West Auckland have been discussing this.

Mr van Schie added that the insurance claims for the demolished St Mary’s Church have now all been settled. These include the material damage claim, the contents claim and business continuity insurance.

“All that is going to help the people here at Avondale in thinking about what the . . . long-term future looks like,” Mr van Schie said.

He thanked people throughout the diocese for their prayers and support for the people of Avondale.

Fr Matthew encouraged people to make donations to assist with finishing the hall renovation project.

Long-time parishioners Bill and Betty Walsh expressed gratitude to priests in other parishes who had welcomed Avondale Catholics, but said that they were looking forward to being able to attend Mass in their parish of 45 years again.

The hall building was moved onto the current parish site in 1923, having been opened as the parish church on another site in 1908. It was later moved to its current position so that a new brick church could be built where it once stood.

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