The foundation for the first St Augustine's church was laid in 1848. The church was designed by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin, widely regarded as England's most influential early-Victorian architect, designer and theorist.
	The sketch gives an artist's impression of the church back 150 years ago.
	The first mass was celebrated in the church on Palm Sunday 1851. The church could comfortably seat 60 worshippers. The sanctuary was at the east end. A handsome pointed arch and communion rail separated the 17 foot wide sanctuary, with its altar made from a solid block of sandstone, seven feet six inches long and, from the nave, 22 foot wide and 40 foot long.
	Externally the junction of the sanctuary and nave was marked by a square tower supporting an octagonal spire. Provided with a fireplace and chimney, the sacristy projected from the south side opposite the tower. Covered with Welsh slates, the steep roof was stopped at each end by tall gables surmounted by crosses.
	The beautiful timber roof beams.

At the base of six of the roof arch support there are six happy moulded faces.

Balmain, a senior parish of the archdiocese, was a flourishing suburb in the first years of the twentieth century. Fr Michael Rohan was appointed to the Balmain parish in 1902, and he found the existing parish buildings to be totally inadequate for a growing industrial population, and the decision was taken to build a large church. The architect chosen was Albert Edmund Bates. The foundation stone was laid on 7 October 1906. On 1 December 1907, the new church was dedicated by Cardinal Moran.

Built in the amazingly short time of 13 months, the hard well-burnt brick walling has stone tracery and cement rendered dressings. The nave of the church is 103 feet long by 41 feet wide, with sanctuary 41 feet by 20 feet, and sacristy 18 feet by 12 feet. Running the full width of the church, the gallery is 20 feet deep. Seating on the ground floor was estimated at between 800 and 900, and optimistically 200 in the gallery. The ceiling is pressed metal barrel vault, and architect paid considerable attention to ensure that the ceiling enhanced the acoustics. Sanctuary marble work was executed by GE Crane and Sons, the altars by A Hordern & Sons, and the brass work by Castle & Sons. Topped by an arcaded gallery supporting a bellcast pyramid roof, the 125 foot tower is a landmark for all Balmain and the harbour.

Other features of the church are the rose window above the altars (see below), the stained glass in the side windows (see Projects section of the website), the stations of the cross (see below), the altars(see below), the internal paintwork (see Projects section of the website), and the organ (see Organ section of the website).

	Church interior from the front.
	Church interior from the rear

The most striking visual image in St. Augustine’s is the beautiful stained glass rose or wheel window in the eastern wall. Depicted in its centre is the Risen Christ. In one hand He holds over his heart the Scriptures, open to the Greek letters Α (Alpha) and Ω (Omega), while the other hand blesses us. This image refers to Christ as “the alpha and the omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Rev. 1:8, 22:13; Col. 1:15-20). Beginning and end of what? Christ is the maker, sustainer, redeemer, and judge of the whole universe: He through whom all things were made (Jn 1:1-5) and He who will come in glory to judge the living and the dead at the end of time, as described in Revelation.

The church designers included other visual elements to remind us that Christ is the express image of the God of all Creation. The sun’s rays are shown emanating from behind Christ’s shoulders in the central glass image and from around the upper half of the window. Gold and silver stars are painted on the upper walls and whirling star patterns are pressed in the metal of the curved barrel vault ceiling, itself a symbol of the curvature of the sky. All this expresses Christ’s radiance penetrating all the universe and that all Creation is blessed.

Emanating from this central image of Christ are rich floral patterns in glass, the sandstone cross of the window frame itself, and the glass roundels depicting busts of the twelve Apostles with deep gold and blue backgrounds. The latter are shown holding objects which help us identify them. Beginning at the one o’clock position and proceeding clockwise they are (I think): St Paul (sword & scroll), St Jude (lance), St Philip (cross-staff), St James the Lesser (club), St James the Greater (pilgrim’s staff & scallop shell on cloak), St Andrew (X shaped cross), St John (book & cup with serpent), St Thomas (builder’s square), St Matthew (book & ears of wheat), St Simon the Zealot (saw), St Bartholomew-Nathaniel (flaying knives), St Peter (keys).  The objects relate either to a designation of the apostle made by Christ in the New Testament, or to events which legend says they performed later in life, or to their martyrdom. The objects emphasize the deeds of the first witnesses of the Risen Christ in spreading the news of Christ’s life, death and resurrection to the world.  Like the sun’s rays spreading light, warmth and generating life, the message of Christ spreads throughout the world, first through the apostles and now with us in Balmain. As John 12:44 says: “I have come as light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.”

As a whole this central window has a wonderful dynamic quality. The roundels of the apostles move around Christ, like the sun and moon discs across the sky; at the same time, a lush verdant growth spreads from centre to circumference. The same green spreads to the walls and the windows in the walls of the nave. Finally, the sense of a great flash of light is created by the large painted sun-rays. The church is wonderfully positioned atop the Balmain peninsula so that the actual rays of the sun - after crossing the immense expanse of space, sky and ocean, and then Sydney Harbour from the east - strike this main glass window bringing it to life. When all these elements are joined with the variegated light through the glass when morning breaks, the window is a profound illustration and reminder of the living, always moving and growing nature of Christ, His Body the Church, and of His works in the world.

After the rose window in the sanctuary, the most prominent images in St. Augustine’s are the 14 Stations of the Cross placed just above our heads on the two walls in the nave. (The Station images, like the rose window, were shipped from London.) These paintings depict the episodes of Christ’s arrest, trial, crucifixion and burial. The sequence begins at the sanctuary on the left with the episode of Christ before the High Priest. It continues along the north wall towards the entrance, where it crosses the nave to the other wall. From here the sequence moves to the sanctuary and the Our Lady altar where the final image, near the statue of St Francis and the Child, is the Burial of Christ in the tomb.

These images serve their most obvious function as visual aids at Easter, particularly Good Friday when the accounts of the historical events depicted here are read in detail. However, every Mass is also a memorial of the events depicted in the Stations of the Cross. During the Eucharist the priest says, “On the night he was betrayed, he took bread ... saying ... Take eat this is my Body which is given for you”, repeating what Christ said to his apostles at the Last Supper. That night, after the Last Supper, Christ was arrested and taken before the high priest, as depicted in the first Station image to the left of the altar. Every Eucharist incorporates the events represented in the Station images on the walls. It brings them into our midst in the here and now.

As the first of the Station images really follows from the Last Supper celebrated at the altar, so too does the final image of the Burial of Christ on the right continue with the central icon of the Resurrected Christ in the rose window. From the burial scene where His body is shown limp, lifeless, sick, scoured and without energy, Christ is shown alive and radiant as the sun in the east. The visual leap between these two final images also depicts the hope we have of passing from death to the resurrected life in Christ, when we ourselves are placed before the altar in death, perhaps in this very church.

	The main altar. The letters IHS can be seen intertwined in red. These are the first three letters, in Greek capitals, of the name Jesus.
	Sacred heart altar.
	Our lady altar.

Fr John Therry was born in Cork, Ireland in 1790 and was ordained in 1815.  He came to Australia as an officially appointed Chaplain along with Fr Phillip Conolly in May 1820.  Previously the colony had received 3 convict priests.  In 1800 Frs Harold, Dixon and O’Neill were transported to Sydney and soon started gathering Catholics together and celebrating Masses.  However, Catholics were viewed with suspicion and the Masses and gatherings were soon banned.

Fr Jeremiah O’Flynn arrived in 1817 with no official appointment to the colony.  Governor Macquarie would not accept him and he was deported in 1818.  

By the time Frs Therry & Conolly arrived, conditions for Catholics were dire.  Governor Macquarie, who was partial to the Protestant church made it difficult for the priests to do their job, issuing rules that prohibited the priests ministering to Catholics. 

Fr Conolly left for Van Diemen’s Land in 1821, Fr Therry was left to look after the mainland.  He covered a lot of land, often traveling through the night and in dangerous conditions.

In response to the Orphan Schools that were established by the Government, and where Catholic children were forced to receive Protestant instruction, Fr Therry opened two small Catholic schools in Parramatta and Sydney in 1822.  Unfortunately the schools were not successful due to a lack of funding and closed soon after.

Fr Therry constantly agitated and irritated the government of the day, for the rights of Catholics and the marginalised Aboriginal people.  From around 1825 Fr Therry was fired as Catholic Chaplain.  He was misquoted in The Gazette, and consequently was removed from his post.  However, he continued ministering in spite of this.

In 1826 Fr Power was appointed Catholic Chaplain in place of Fr Therry.  Fr Power was not a well man and he died in Sydney in 1830.  In 1831 Fr Dowling arrived in Sydney and took over as official chaplain to the colony.  Fr Therry was not reinstated as the official Catholic Chaplain until 1837 – all the while not receiving a wage, and living off the kindness of others and his own resourcefulness.

Fr Therry had a grand plan for a Catholic Church in the new colony from the time he first commenced his chaplaincy, and in 1821 Fr Therry and Governor Macquarie set aside their differences to lay the foundation stone of St Mary’s Cathedral, however it took anther ten years before the roof was laid. 

Fr Therry purchased land, was gifted land and was granted land to build the churches and schools that are now part of our rich Catholic history.  Fr Therry is noted as being the priest to build more churches within Australia than any other priest that has come after him.

Father John Joseph Therry was appointed Parish Priest of Balmain in 1856 and died in 1864.

Augustine was born in Algiers, North Africa in AD 354, to a catholic mother and a pagan father. He is the patron of brewers because of his early life of excessive drinking, and loose living. His complete turnaround and conversion has been an inspiration to many who struggle with a particular vice or habit they long to break. He converted to Christianity at age 31. He took the position of bishop of Hippo in 396, a position which he held until his death in 430. His sermons and writings gained fame, notably his Confessions and the treatise City of God. His notions of God's grace, free will and Original Sin had a great influence on Christian theology. In the light of later scholarship, Augustine can be seen to serve as a bridge between the ancient and medieval worlds.

The following links give various insights into the life and work of St Augustine of Hippo.

Catholic Encyclopedia: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02084a.htm

Catholic Online: http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=418

USA people search: http://www.usa-people-search.com/content-the-life-and-works-of-saint-augustine-of-hippo.aspx

Episcopal Church: http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/Augustine_Hippo.htm