In the fifties, the Catholics of Glen Eden used to attend the small church in Avondale (now used as a hall). The church was too small for the congregation, so Mrs Bailey went to the Bishop who arranged for a priest from Avondale to celebrate Mass in the picture theatre (which also served as a Town Hall and is now known as The Playhouse).

Early in 1959 Archbishop Liston announced that Glen Eden would become a separate parish. Fr Battersby was appointed as first parish priest. The present site came up for sale and Archbishop Liston bought it and presented it to the people of Glen Eden. A building fund was started and everyone was issued with a card on which the contributions used to be ticked off each week.

The first thing to arrive was the presbytery - a pre-fab building that was dumped in the wrong place one morning!

The early parishioners willingly shouldered a huge burden and this should be remembered.

Some people asked for a 'crying room'. Fr Battersby insisted that children should be made welcome in the House of God: if adults objected, then it was they who should go to the crying room!

Dave Moir made the altar, pulpit, communion rails and cross at no charge. Harold & Nora Righton donated the figure of Christ on the cross. The statues of the Sacred Heart and Our Lady were donated anonymously. The figures of Our Lady and St Bernadette were donated by Mr & Mrs Covic and Fr Maguire. The vesting bench was the work of Bob Mayne.

Glen Eden was one of the first (if not the first) parishes to have CCD. The CCD rooms were built in 1967.

Kiri Te Kanawa sang in our church hall, before anyone could have guessed how famous she was to become.

There was also the not-so-glorious time when the church was broken into and vandalised by a group of hippies!

- From 'Silver Jubilee Commemoration Booklet 1958-1983'