On 18th February 1954, Archbishop Prendiville appointed the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), as chaplain to Santa Maria College, which was founded by the Sisters of Mercy and in the new parish of Attadale in the Attadale State School. When the congregation began to increase, tenders were called for the construction of a school -cum-church building, and work began in November 1954. At the beginning of 1955, the school opened in a temporary hut at Point Walter under the care of the Sisters of Mercy.
On the 27th of March 1955, the school building was opened and blessed by Archbishop Prendiville, under the title of St. Joseph Pignatelli, an 18th Century Jesuit priest who had been canonised the previous year. On the 18th of April, the fifty enrolled children moved into the new school building, among them many New Australians from Europe who were accommodated at Point Walter.
The Jesuit Fathers owned a large tract of land in Attadale, with the intention of building a boys’ college adjacent to the parish property. However, due to a decline in the number of Jesuit priests in Australia, this proposal was abandoned in 1961, and the land subsequently sold and sub-divided into building blocks. Campion Crescent and Loyola Way attest to the Jesuit presence in the area.
On 9th December 1962, the church on Davidson Street was blessed by Archbishop Prendiville. It was intended to be a temporary church until such time as a permanent building could be erected on a grander scale. It would then become a parish hall. However, as things subsequently turned out, the “temporary” church has become permanent, has been the subject of various additions and extensions over the years and was still in use for 56 years before the new church was built and opened in May 2018.
On the 24th of January 1965, four bitumen tennis courts were opened on Galloway Street and the St. Joseph Pignatelli Tennis Club was formed. Work began that year on the parish social centre next to the tennis courts, now called the Bourhill Parish Centre to commemorate Crawford Bourhill who did much of the construction work on the centre.
In 1974, the Archdiocese of Perth, and Father Dan Foley was appointed parish priest by Archbishop L.J. Goody.
In 1985, Father Tim Foster was appointed parish priest and he held the position for the next ten years. Three years later, Fr Tim oversaw the addition of our Lady’s Chapel and the bell tower to the Church. He was succeeded in April 1995 by Fr. Geoff Beyer. Over the next few years, substantial improvements took place with the addition of the foyer, atrium as well as extensions to the sacristy and the construction of the Parish Office.
In 2006, Fr Beyer retired from the parish and full-time ministry. Later in July, Archbishop Barry Hickey appointed Fr Sean Fernandez as parish priest. Fr Sean was formally installed by the auxiliary bishop, the Most Revd Don Sproxton.
The Bourhill Parish Hall was refurbished in 2008 and fitted with evaporative air-conditioning. It was reopened by Mrs Barbara Bourhill, the wife of the late Crawford Bourhill.
For some years, the Parish has considered the need to replace the “temporary Church”. Much work has been undertaken and in 2013, with God’s grace and parishioner’s financial support, herald in a bright future for our Parish. Our new church will be “Äd Maiorem Dei Gloriam” i.e. “For the greater glory of God” which is the motto of the Jesuits.
In August 2018, following the opening of the new church, Fr Donald Kettle commenced as Parish Priest of Attadale on 25 July and continues to serve the parish today. Over the past eight years, the parish has seen many positive developments, including improvements to its facilities, the growth of parish ministries, and a stronger, more vibrant faith community.