Parish History

The Parish of Palmyra is one of the oldest in the Fremantle region. It was established in humble beginnings - a small weatherboard hall in Tamar Street, where the first Mass was offered in April 1923. St Gerard's, as it was known then, stretched from Petra Street to Canning Bridge and from Point Walter to Spearwood. The first parish priest was Father Humphry Kearin who travelled from North Fremantle to say Mass.

During the early days, the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions travelled by tram from East Fremantle each day to teach in St Gerard's Hall, which had been established by the hard work of parishioners.

Fr Smith lead the parish from 1937 to 1946 when Fr Lynch succeeded him. In the early 1950s the name of the parish changed to Our Lady of Fatima.

During the first 60 years of the parish, several building projects saw the construction of four parish halls and three presbyteries to replace or update previous ones. With the growth in the needs of the parish over this time buildings were sometimes transformed - e.g. from presbytery to convent (1950) or parish hall to school hall (1980s). Our present Church was built in 1984 and the presbytery was constructed about the same time.

In the second half of the 20th century, the Parish was lead by Fr McGillicuddy (1955-1976), Fr Dowling (1976-1990), Fr Ryan (1990-1998) and Fr Foley (1998-2000).

A strong partnership with the school has continued past the final departure of the OLM sisters and the increasing autonomy of Catholic Education WA in the 1980s. In 2000 we welcomed Fr Francis Ughanze as our parish priest and in 2007 our current parish centre was opened.

Palmyra parish has an enviable enduring community spirit. Manifestations of this have evolved over time from processions to dances to supporting refugees to the wide range of activities today. We are now the living history of our parish. We hope we are remembered as people who loved and respected our God and each other.