Monsignor John Boyle, a parish priest in Sydney, experienced a devastating moment when St Patrick's Cathedral in Parramatta was set ablaze thirty years ago. He vividly recalls the urgency of leaving for the bank, only to discover that the cathedral was engulfed in flames shortly after. Despite the heroics of forty firefighters who battled the fire, the church, which had stood since 1936, was completely destroyed in a matter of minutes. Boyle watched in despair as the fire consumed the historic structure, a loss felt deeply within the parish community.