Coffs Harbour was discovered by Captain John Korff in 1850.  The first settlers in the district were cedar getters amongst whom obviously, would have been a percentage of Catholic people.

The Catholic community was served from around 1887 by Father Patrick Ahearn, Parish Priest of Bowraville/Bellingen Parish.  The first Church in this district was built at Karangi in 1902.

By the turn of the century Monsignor J.L. Ahern from South Grafton was visiting the district. In the years of 1903 to 1906 the Sacred Heart Fathers from Bellingen ministered to this area.  The year 1906 was a milestone - in that year the Coffs Harbour Parish was established as a separate entity.

In 1907 the new church was built in Coffs, only to be blown down some 6 months later.  It was replaced in 1908 by the timber St Augustine's Church which served the community until 1961 when the present St Augustine's was built.

1913 saw the arrival of the Good Samaritan Sisters to provide Catholic education, with the school originally operating in the church.  The Good Samaritans remained until around the early nineteen seventies when the Sisters of Mercy replaced them.

Sawtell was not the first parish to be carved off from Coffs.  In 1926 the Northern portions of the parish were formed as a separate parish known as Coramba/Karangi.  That particular parish was reintegrated with Coffs in 1935, by which time the district population was around 7500 souls, of which some 1000 were Catholics.

The boundaries of the Coffs Parish then remained unchanged until July 1st, 1983, on which date our parish of Sawtell was established.

Pastors of the Sawtell Parish

Father John Kelly was our founding Parish Priest.  He remained with us until his retirement in December 1993.  Father Michael Nilon came in early 1994, and remained until transferring to Tweed Heads in 1998.  He was succeeded by Father Michael Brady who also transfered to Tweed Heads in 2004.  Our current Pastor is Father John Casey.

Parish Properties

The Church
It was built as a church hall by 1951.  By late 1974 it was in a sad state of repair and during the next 12 months it was restored and extended by volunteer labour, and with the assistance of a Federal Government grant to allow its use also as a Youth Camp.

Mary Help of Christians Primary School
The first stage of the school opened in 1980 while we were still part of the Coffs Parish.  Sisiter Anne Hannigan, of the Mercy Order, was the founding Principal, with an original enrolment of 142 pupils. Read more here....

The Toormina Presbytery
This was originally the School Caretaker's residence - a small two bedroom dwelling.  Extensions by way of a room at the north end and a garage at the south were made to accomodate our founding pastor.  Father Kelly, at one stage, moved house to the cottage presently used as the Parish Office on the church site.  Another extension was added on the east side in 1989 to further improve the accommodation.

'Villa Maria' Units, Sawtell Road
Consists of 12 Units built before Sawtell Parish was established, and is the base from which Sawtell Catholic Care for the Aged was launched so successfully.