Parish History

The Sacred Heart Church was officially established in 1959, after separating from Queens Park.  Fr Ernest Rogers was appointed the first Parish Priest in March 1959, and for 11 years he dedicated his life to setting up the School and Parish.

Fr Lawrence Eivers was appointed the second Parish Priest of Sacred Heart in 1970.  Fr Eivers was a beloved Priest, however passed suddenly on 14th October 1979.

The Norbertine Fathers from Queens Park took over the duties at Sacred Heart Parish until Fr Charles O’Malley was appointed in March 1980.

Fr O’Malley was dedicated to our Parish and was a major influence in the building of our current Parish at Ovens Road, Thornlie.  The site at Ovens Road brought together in one place: our Church, Presbytery, Office, School – kindergarten and primary, Parish Hall, and sporting/parking facilities.

The new Church opened on 9th February 1992.

In 2000 Fr Charles O’Malley resigned after suffering a major stroke.

In May 2000 Fr Patrick Lim was appointed Parish Priest.  In 2004 Fr John Thornhill was invited to reside at the Presbytery with Fr Patrick Lim to work on eh Emmaus Series of Evangelisation.

In 2005, Fr Patrick Lim’s was appointed Parish Priest of Kalamunda and the Parish of Thornlie was blessed with the appointment of the Monsignor Timothy Corcoran as Parish Priest, who continued till his retirement on 24th January 2018.

Fr Minh-Thuy Nguyen was appointed Parish Priest 24th January 2018 and faithfully served Sacred Heart Parish until July 2024, when he was appointed Episcopal Vicar of the Clergy in WA.

We now are fortunate to have Fr George James as our Parish Priest, who joined us in July 2023.