New church planned

A new church is being planned for the Woy Woy Catholic Parish of St John the Baptist.

Three sites, two at Woy Woy and one at Umina, have been put forward as possible locations for the complex.

The sites are a bush block on Hillview St, Woy Woy, next to St John's school; the Woy Woy Presbytery site near Blackwall Rd; and the existing Umina church site at the corner of Morris and West Sts.

Each location has advantages and disadvantages, according to parish priest Fr Colin.

The proposal was in the pre-planning stage with traffic, financial, historical, environmental, social and liturgical issues all needing further examination and discussion once a site had been selected, he said.

At the moment, Father Colin of the Woy Woy Catholic Parish believes that the Woy Woy Presbytery site although the smallest, would be the best choice.

The existing church and TAFE building could remain and the church could possibly be restored to its original configuration by removing the annex.

Car parking for 40 cars could be provided on the site and there would be room for a new toilet block behind the church.

The prominent and historical location ensured excellent exposure to both community and visitors alike and it was already visited by various catholic and community groups.

There were good public transport links to the site and it was close to Woy Woy High School and Woy Woy Public School.

The main disadvantages were the small size of the area and the need to cross busy Blackwall Rd which ran through the middle of the site and separated the church from the carpark

The Umina church site was quieter and has a larger area but was less exposed and had problematic car access from Morris St into West St.

Although it had the highest attendance at Sunday masses and was closer to the demographic centre of the parish, the Umina church was not close to any school.

Other problems included the need for parish and community groups to move to a new location and limited off-site car parking.

The Hillview site was the biggest site but was also the least prominent and did not belong to the parish.

Work would be required to be upgrade the stormwater easement and public transport to the area was not as frequent as at the other proposed sites.

If the Hillview site was not chosen as the site for the new church, the Parish Pastoral Council suggested that a multi-purpose centre with hall and chapel would be needed with a flexible sacred space designed for children and suitable for masses.

Whichever site is chosen, one church will be closed.

Father Colin said the challenge would be to blend the best of both churches in a space that would serve the parish for many years to come.

Paula Perry, November 30