In 1895 a block of land was donated by Mr John King Snr for the building of a Roman Catholic Church at The Rock.
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The block was located on Urana Street near the corner of Ford Street, The Rock.
The church that was built was of timber construction on footings and the first priest of the parish was not appointed until 1902.
On one occasion between 1914 and 1916, during one of the many wind storms that ravaged The Rock, the church moved 4 inches (or 100mm) off its footings.
The building was then stabilised until the new brick church was built.
In 1916, workers from the Roman Catholic Church cleared the timber off the ground where their new church was to be erected.
The “forest devils” (pictured) used on the Catholic portion made short work of the big trees. (A forest devil is a device to pull down a tree by mechanical advantage, sometimes with a winch, as a method of clearing trees from land.)
The residents of The Rock then started raising the money to pay for the new church. The first social in aid of the church was held on the night of the Prince of Wales’ birthday.
There were many socials, balls, euchre parties, dances, bazaars and sporting days organised to pay for the new church.
The first social was reported as starting at 8pm and finishing at 5am the next morning.
On Tuesday, April 8, 1930, it was decided to erect the new Catholic church, and tenders were called and tenders closed at 4pm on April 21.
The plans and specifications were prepared for the Rev. Father Hennessy by Harrison and Glaskin, of Albury.
The plans showed that the building was designed with a modern Gothic treatment and that it would be an attractive addition to the architectural features of The Rock.
The internal treatment is the most modern lines for church decorative features. There is a gallery for the choir, and the whole of the furnishings and fittings are in keeping with the general design.
The building will be of brick, with a red tiled roof. (The tiled roof was de-specified to a tin roof to save on costs.)
An immediate start was to be made. It was reported that the tender of Mr H G Webb, of The Rock, for the sum of £1720 had been accepted.
Mr. Webb had also built The Rock Presbyterian Church one year earlier.
The dedication stone was laid by the “Right Reverend Joseph Wilfred Dwyer DD Bishop of Wagga on 6th September, 1931.”
The red brick and iron fence was pegged out by the shire engineer and was completed in 1934.
