Pekina is where Francis (Frank) was born.
Pekina was settled in 1873 by mainly Irish Catholic farming families. The Pekina Catholic Parish was the northern headquarters of the Catholic Dioceses until 1888, when Port Pirie was established as a Diocese. Father James Maher was the priest from 1896 until 1905, with the Sisters of St Joseph being represented in 1878 when a convent was built. In 1926 a new church was built on the same site as the original church. At one stage there were 3 priests and a housekeeper in the Presbytery. The old church building doubled as a school room until the new church was built, when the old church operated then as a school. This lasted until the mid 1940s. Pekina had a resident priest until 1970 and is still an active parish, with the priest coming from Booleroo Centre.
The Pekina Presbytery
The Original Catholic Church, St Catherine’s, built 1876
The New St Catherine’s, built 1926
The grave of the REverend James Maher, the Bishop of Pt Augusta
