St. Bernard's Catholic Church
Hartley, NSW 2790
Church Information
| Church Name: | St. Bernard's Catholic Church |
| Church Previous Name: | - |
| Denomination: | Catholic Church in Australia |
| Street Address: | 45 Old Great Western Hwy, Hartley NSW 2790, Australia |
| Suburb: | Hartley |
| State: | NSW |
| Postcode: | 2790 |
| Foundation Stone Laid: | unknown |
| Foundation Stone Notes: | No Foundation Stone or Memorial Plaque details are known. Information/photographs are invited. An historic plaque records: "St Bernard's Roman Catholic Church - The Hartley district had an unusually strong Irish Catholic community. The Grants' of Moyne Farm and Lowther Park and 'the Finns', who dominated the main street of the village, were constant proponents of the Catholic Faith. The Grants led the popular subscription for a church in 1841 and, with matching government assistance; a site was secured and surveyed in 1842. The church was dedicated to St Bernard by the first Catholic Archbishop, Bishop Polding who made the long journey from Sydney for the ceremony. Under successive Bathurst based priests the church was completed in 1948... St Bernard's was initially an independent parish church until the priests moved to Lithgow in 1880. Hereafter the church operated as a chapel of ease. The Church is still consecrated, however regular services ceased in 1965." |
| Date Opened: | 00-00-1848 |
| Date Closed: | 00-00-1965 |
| Email: | admin@churchesaustralia.org |
Comments
St Bernard's Catholic Church, Hartley is associated with the Parish of Lithgow and the Diocese of Bathurst. The stonework was completed in 1846, but the windows and altar came later. Regular Mass is no longer celebrated in the church building, although it is still consecrated and in fine condition. The property is now heritage listed and maintained by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.
No other details are known. More historical information/photographs of the church/congregation are invited. Photographs uploaded 8/4/2018 & 28/4/2021 & 11/2/2022.
Note: Photograph attribution/source - https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/-/media/npws/images/parks/hartley-historic-site/st-bernards-church/st-bernards-church-03.jpg
