We Believe
We are a Christian community, and follow the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.
We believe the celebration of Eucharist (at Mass) is the source and summit of the Christian life.
We believe our faith is nourished by worshipping together, and is demonstrated by active engagement and outreach to the broader community.
Our context
The Parish of St Joseph’s, Toronto is located on the western shore of Lake Macquarie, New South Wales. We cover the area from Wangi in the south to Fennell Bay in the north, and west to the Watagan mountains.
We are part of the Macquarie Region of the Maitland Newcastle Diocese, and our neighbouring parishes are Morisset to the south and Booragul, Boolaroo and Warners Bay to the north.
A directory of our diocese, including information about our parish and it’s neighbours, can be found here.
Our vision
As a Catholic faith community, we at St Joseph’s are called to participate fully in the life and mission of the Church.
Nourished by the bread of life (the scriptures and the Eucharistic body of Christ), our parish, in striving to build God’s Kingdom, encourages all to share of their time and talents.
Our History
We acknowledge the Awabakal people as traditional owners of this land. As we journey in the footprints of those who walked the land before us, we are mindful of those in our community who carry the memories, culture and hopes of Indigenous Australia.
Toronto became the centre of a new parish in 1955, with Mass centres at Teralba, Toronto and Wangi. In 1984, the church and adjacent primary school were relocated from Toronto to a new site at Kilaben Bay, a few kilometres to the south.
Why are we “out of town“?
Our Parish buildings are located on 40 acres overlooking Lake Macquarie. Our church, parish residence, conference centre and primary school are located together in this quiet setting a few kilometres south of the town of Toronto.
Our current church building was constructed in 1984 after a decision was made to move from the previous location opposite Toronto private hospital due to space limitations.
The church was designed to reflect the Australian home – iron roof, verandah effect, light and airy, taking in lake and bush. A place of worship for Australian Catholics. A striking feature of our church building is the dominance of two large stained glass windows which portray Baptism and the Eucharist – sacraments central to our catholic way of life.