Parishioners of Our Lady of Fatima at Kingsgrove received its parish priest as a 70th birthday gift this month.
Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney Bishop Terry Brady installed Father Casey (Hamilton) Ureta as parish priest during the anniversary Mass.
Fr Casey has already served the parish for six years as its administrator.
Parish secretary Imelda De La Cruz said that “prayers were answered” for good weather for the Country Fair after the Mass, at which funds were raised to provide relief for farmers affected by the ongoing drought throughout NSW.
The day included an old-fashioned candy stall, animal petting farm, and performances from local dance schools.
Fr Casey said the people of the parish are very generous with their time and resources and the whole day’s celebrations were a “beautiful experience”.
“It was a day to honour all the people in the parish, who worked really hard giving time, talents and resources in building the church and more importantly building the community the people of God,” he said.
“I believe the success of any Christian community or parish happens when there is mutual love, respect, support, and collaboration between the pastor and the people in a common mission of building the Church and the kingdom of God.”
The parish recently also raised $12,000 for the Coonabarabran community in NSW’s central west.
That donation was hand-delivered by Fr Casey and parishioners Paul Callaghan and Carmelo Furfaro to Coonabarabran’s St Vincent de Paul store to help struggling families with groceries, fuel costs, rates, and medical bills.