St Mary’s Parish in Guildford held a successful fundraiser on July 6, raising more than $10,000 to help pay off the parish’s debt incurred from the cost of restoration work to the church in 2012.
The parish hosted a lunch at Midland’s Italian Club, with a crowd of almost 200 people attending, including many from the Italian Association, Mamma Nostra.
It was the third such fundraiser the parish has held in the past two years, with each event raising a similar amount.
Parish priest Fr Blasco Fonseca told The Record the efforts so far to pay off the parish debt have been outstanding for such a small parish.
“We’ve done very well, the debt is down to $13,000, which is less than we had expected,” he said.
Fr Blasco, who is also the Vicar for migrant communities, said the fundraising events were also a good opportunity for the parish community to grow stronger.
“The purpose is not just the fundraising, but also getting people together,” he said.
“When I came to this parish people hardly ever got together for social events. Guildford is a small parish, so when people come together to support something… it’s a sign of a parish which is trying to stay alive.”
Social occasions also assist the many people who are new to the parish, as well as those who are new to Australia, to feel welcome, Fr Blasco added.
The church building is almost 80 years old, and in 2012 urgent repairs were carried out on the roof and walls, which had deteriorated over time.