THE PARISH OF Linton

Our Parish

On Sunday, May 31, 2015 the Parish of Linton celebrated two very significant anniversaries.

The first was the Centenary of St Peter’s Catholic Church (1915 – 2015) and the second was the 140th year of the Linton/Smythesdale Parish (1875 – 2015).   It was with great joy that more than 150 past and present parishioners joined together in Mass led by Bishop Paul Bird and concelebrated by Frs John Keane, Bill Melican, James Kerr, Anthony Nagothu and George Areeckal.  Fittingly, St Peter’s was full to capacity with many standing in the aisles.

Following Mass Bishop Paul blessed and unveiled a plaque commemorating the occasion.  The forecast rain held out just in time for some official photos and then all moved on to the Linton Recreation Reserve for lunch and much reminiscing.  Photo boards around the room prompted many stories to be told, whilst parishioners old and new shared memorabilia and stories from the rich history. Both young and old enjoyed the celebrations.

John Kennedy, who was instrumental in the organisation of the celebration and a fourth generation parishioner, was MC for the occasion and offered a concise and informative history of the parish.  Former parishioners, Rod and Greg O’Bierne, spoke fondly of their family’s long association with the many priests who dedicated their lives to the parishioners of St Peter’s.  They recounted the Redemptorist missions and the Mercy nuns who nourished the spiritual lives of families for decades.  Fr Bill Melican entertained with a few memories of his time as a curate in the parish.  

After the many years of outstanding service of Fr John Keane, the parishioners express their gratitude to Frs Justin Driscoll, Anthony Nagothu and James Kerr for their on-going support of the Linton Parish.

In 2019, Fr Kevin Maloney, Vicar General was appointed to Linton as Parish Priest.