St Patrick’s Parish started its life as Our Lady of the Rosary Parish in Donnison Street, Gosford in 1876, and comprised of a church, presbytery, convent and school which was opened by the Sisters of St Joseph in 1910.
As the population of Gosford and surrounding areas grew, Our Lady of the Rosary Church became an island bordered by busy roads and a railway line and was far too small.
Fr Patrick McManus took the decision to purchase land at East Gosford and erect St. Patrick’s Church for over 600 congregants which were opened on 28 February 1965.
The old church was sold and the funds put towards the building of a new church at Gosford North, known as Our Lady of the Rosary.
The Sisters of St Joseph opened St Patrick’s School at East Gosford much earlier, in September 1959, after outgrowing the school located beside the church in Gosford. Today the old school bell is the feature of a “Memorial Circle” located in the grounds at the front of St Patrick’s church. In addition to the bell, it also houses the original communion rail stones that were in our church pre-Vatican II, and the foundation stone of the Our Lady of the Rosary Church at Gosford.
The final resident of the Sisters of St Joseph at their convent in East Gosford, Sr Fabian Humphreys, left their premises in 2007 and so ended a Josephite presence in the parish since 1910. The convent was then converted into both premises for our priests, and office space which is currently leased as commercial offices.