"Luck brushes some people unnoticed". Dozens of Governors and their ladies laid the foundation stones of scores of mediocre Australian churches, but it fell to the lot of the Countess of Belmore to lay the foundation stones of the two churches which can be considered the best buildings of Blacket's very best period. We saw that she laid the foundation stone of St Stephen Newtown in November 1871. This was only four months after she laid the stone of St Paul Burwood, …, for St Paul Burwood is the work of Blacket at his best period, …

"The church is small, not particularly ornate, but the disposition of the parts, the proportions and scale are nearly perfect. The details are of the finest craftsmanship … "(The Blackets: An Era of Australian Architecture, Morton Herman, 1963. p. 138)

St Paul's, in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Burwood, is a parish of the Diocese of Sydney within the Anglican Church of Australia. As a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion, we recognise the historical role of the Archbishop of Canterbury as its nominal head and the place of the Primate of Australia.

Worship at St Paul's follows the form and traditions of the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church within the Anglican Communion. It is a form of worship practised by Anglicans in most Australian and overseas dioceses, and one that has been passed from one generation to the next at St Paul's.

This form of worship, is based on traditions established during the 2000 year history of Christianity. It is centred on the sacraments, particularly the Holy Eucharist, while stressing the importance of Scripture, preaching the good news of the Gospels, prayer and personal devotion.

Our Lord Jesus himself gave us and commanded us to continue the Holy Eucharist which is celebrated every Sunday to provide us with spiritual nourishment and deepen our faith so we are able to serve God and commit our talents to furthering His Kingdom.


Therefore, we do everything to ensure the liturgy is conducted with dignity, reverence and love, and is relevant to the Sunday of the liturgical calendar.

At St Paul's our worship is supported by a fine choir, excellent organists, dedicated laypeople who participate as servers, Eucharistic assistants, readers and intercessors, and a team of experienced bellringers who call our parishioners to worship. Our Christian beliefs are also demonstrated each year through the cycle of the Church's seasons and festivals honouring Christ's life, death and resurrection, as well as commemoration of the Saints.

Our clergy take great care with the conduct of baptisms, marriages and funerals and are always available for spiritual counselling and advice, as well as the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

A wide variety of people have made St Paul's their spiritual home, where we come together to worship God, give thanks for our salvation in Christ and share in Christian fellowship. They include parishioners who live locally, as well as others who, attracted by the traditional liturgy, glorious church music and welcoming spirit, often travel long distances to worship here.

We hope that all who join us at St Paul's will find peace, beauty, spiritual comfort, wonder and inspiration. May each of us know the joy and blessing of worshipping and serving the risen Christ.