by Barry de Silva
At his inauguration Mass on Sunday 18 May 2025, Pope Leo XIV proclaimed that true unity “does not cancel out differences but values the personal history of each person and the social and religious culture of every people.”
St Augustine’s Parish in Coffs Harbour embodies this message, through its mix of cultures, thriving youth ministry and dedication to supporting those in its community.
A universal Church
Since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the parish has seen sizeable growth, so much so you’d struggle to find a free car parking space for weekday Mass.
Since arriving at the parish almost six years ago, parish administrator, Fr Joe DSouza has witnessed an evolution in its diversity, with more than 30 different cultures and nationalities represented.
“The vibrancy is only increasing, and it is evolving all the time,” Fr Joe said. “We have Australians, Burmese, Maltese, Filipinos, Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans, Bangladeshis, British, Canadians, Spanish, people from parts of Africa, so a whole range and it’s growing.”
Parish Youth Coordinator, Christa Morrow, shared a moving moment from the parish’s multicultural Mass. “Everyone was singing the Lord’s Prayer in their native language, and it was so emotional. I was standing next to a Scottish man, who was wearing his kilt, and we both had tears streaming down our faces because of how beautiful it was to hear all those languages spoken.”
Charity and faith
On Sunday 27 July, the parish came together to support seasonal workers in the city by offering in-kind food donations. The occasion coincided with Bishop Greg Homeming’s visit, following the confirmation ceremonies he presided over earlier that week.
“Every month we have a theme for the Jubilee, and July was charity, which is why we supported the seasonal workers in our community. It was a wonderful occasion, which we were fortunate to have Bishop Greg at,” Fr Joe said.
The eagerness to engage within the parish has meant that the morning tea after Sunday Mass now caters for more than 100 people, and often spills out into the car park, as parish business manager, Debbie Willoughby explained.
“The parish community is very active, every Sunday a different community takes charge of the morning tea, and the food disappears within minutes,” Debbie said. “Last Sunday it was the Myanmar community’s turn to cook their local cuisine. There are always so many people there – which is an amazing problem to have.”
Growing youth ministry
The parish’s youth ministry has grown significantly over the past year, with around 25 regularly attending Youth Group every Friday evening – most of them from Catholic families. These families may be part of the reason why the parish’s children’s liturgy is thriving with many young people attending.
“People are bringing their friends now, which is encouraging. They might come from a Catholic family, but their friends might not,” Christa said.
Much of this success is thanks to the group of young adults who lead the ministry. By embracing social media platforms and using QR codes in the parish bulletin, they have helped the group grow organically.
“Catholic social media is booming right now with positivity, and so many people are engaging in that way,” Christa said. “We’ve become a landing pad for people looking for that physical place to connect with their faith.”
Christa is also active in local schools: “We have an active children’s liturgy, and we’re getting the year 6 children to go through ministry skills and faith formation, so they’re still engaged when they go to high school.”
Looking to the future
With a new pastoral council in its infancy, the parish is exploring new ways to spread the Gospel and support those in need.
“Our pastoral council has great people with excellent experience,” Fr Joe said. “We have already started a project to help the Burmese community in our parish learn English. There are nine different languages spoken by that group within our parish alone, so we have to find solutions to cater for that.”
Fr Joe added that the parish is developing consistency in events and celebrations, to ensure sustained engagement from parishioners and the wider Coffs Harbour community.
“Developing cultures and traditions should become the fabric of the parish. Once that happens, it keeps the community together. With the morning tea, we started that once a month, and now it happens every week.”
The parish continues to embody Pope Leo XIV’s vision of unity in diversity. The heart of the Catholic faith is alive and beating in Coffs Harbour.
