By mudir 
Centenary of the parish church of Helwan (1887-1987)
Mars 1887
His Lordship Sogaro, bishop of Central Africa Mission went to Helwan for treatment. His was accompanied by a young priest, Father Casimiro Giacomelli. The town of Ain Helwan that was officially inaugurated in 1874 with the arrival of the railway was still in construction. The bishop recovered very quickly.
Monseigneur SOGARO, Founder of Helwan Christian Community
21st Mars 1887
The Helwan family’s representatives had a meeting and proposed to the bishop to open a chapel and a school for them. The proposal was accepted and every Sunday a priest was coming from Cairo to celebrate Mass.
29th July
The Comboni Missionaries arrived in Helwan.
1st September 1887
Opening of the parish’s school. It was opened to everybody without putting a distinction among religion, race, language and nationality. The first three students were one Italian (Catholic), one Grec (orthodox) and one Egyptian (Musil). The school will be called Le collège de la Sainte Famille. Later there will be students from 17 nationalities. Waiting for the building of the church, one room of the fathers’ house will be used for that issue, but the parish was already born. Father Casimiro Giacomelli was the first parish priest and Father Carlo Titz, the parish priest assistant. During the summer of 1888, Father Giacomelli will be called to found the mission of Gezira(Zamalek). Later on, he will establish the mission of Suakis in Sudan.
10th September 1888
Four houses, Villas were bought with an annex plot. Two of these two these houses that is the current house of the fathers will be the house of the priest and the school. The others two will become the sisters’ house and their school.
13th September 1888
On the first vespers of the feast the Holy Cross was settled the first stone of the church. Le project was done by the architect-priest Angelo Gottardi from Verona. In what the execution of the building of the church is concern, it was confined to the Italian contractor Giovanni Bonavia, from whom the plots and the houses were bought for the church in order to establish the parish.
Christmas 1888
During the celebration of this feast, twenty people received their feast holy communion.
8 June 1889
The construction of the church is finish and was delivered. The dimensions are: length 24m, large 14 m, height 17 m. The height bell’s tower is 38m. the bells were blessed in 1891. This church was the highest building in Helwan.
The amount of the construction was 5.499,220 Egp. Part of this money was a collect made in Europe by Father Geyer who will become Bishop of Khartoum and Father Daniel Sourour, first African priest ordained by His Lordship Daniel Comboni. Father Daniel Sourour will stay in Helwan for many years.
December 1899
Inauguration of the “orgue” which will be place, first of all, at the left side of the main alter. In 1926, the current tribune will be built and the orgue will be transferred.
1892
For the second time in Helwan the procession of the feast of Body and Blood of Christ was made. From then on, they will continue celebrating solemnity with the participation of civil and religious authorities, and the English military orchetre and fourty two musicians.
1892-1893
Decoration of the church
11/2/1894
Father Giacomelli went back definitely to Helwan and will remain until his depth, on the 18th November 1924, except from a time in Spain because of the world war. This some year was founded the association of the “Daughters of Mary”, the “Sons of Mary” were existing already.
1903-1904
Arrival of the Brothers. The school of the house of the fathers was transferred to the building that growing up at the current place of the school of “College de la Sainte Famille”. The brothers will leave Helwan in june1938, but their name are still present in the heart of the people. They can remember in a particular way Brothers Ignace, Louis, Protegène, Floribert.
June 1909
It is the beginning of the Saint Vincent de Paul’s Conference.
1914
The electricity entered in the church of Helwan. At the feast of the Holy Family, The master alter, built from a soil brought from France, was inaugurated.
1923
The Church sent an amount of 250 Egp for the Mission
1927-1928
Two other alters were built in the Church, one for the Virgen Mary and the other one for the Sacred Heart. It was a work of a sculptor called DI MININ. The alter of Saint Antony was built in 1936, while the cross was in the Church from the beginning.
1931-1932
Professor Generoso Caterini peinted the image of the Holy Family and made some decorations in the vault.
28 Mars 1937
Celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Church. For this occasion, the front wall was renewed. The was the work of Brothers Lanfranco and Bonomi.
1949
That year, the image of the Virgen Mary peinted by Professor Carterini was carried from house to house. It was the image of the Blessed Virgen Mary “Mother of the good council”. That same year, Brother Cremona Lino did the statue of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and was placed in the Chapel witch was the one of the baptistery.
1961
A grotto will be built in another place in 1976. During the month of May, the prayer in done outside with a participation of 150 to 200 persons. At the closing of the month, there is about 700 to 800 people.
1971
That year was inaugurated a new way of the cross made by Brother Varoto. It was modern and made by mosaics. The same Brother modified the alter in order to have it according to the Council.
1979
Inauguration of the medical dispensary by the Cardinal Silvio Oddi. But before of that, there was a small dispensary in the sister’s house. Association: Legion of Mary in French has existed in the parish, but the one in Arabic was celebrating that year their 10th anniversary.
During these 100 years, so many Priests and Brothers passed by Helwan and we can name some: fathers Giacomelli, Shmith, Tits, Sourour, Fabbro, Cavedon, Binda, Franceschin, Minoti, Villani, Rodorigo. Calvia, Micheletto, Pschorn, Rossi, Maggia, Aletto, Landonio Pierino, Stonfer current Parish priest. Names of some Brothers: Milan, Bonomi, Cremona Lino, Varetto, Signoretti,Calligaro, Fiori, Aldo Beneti.
Father Vignato (1937) and Father Calvia (1979) will become General Superior of the congregation of comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus.
1987
27 December:
Feast of the Holy family. At that occasion was celebrated the centenary of the parish. One Mass was celebrated in French at 7.00 am and another one at 5.00 pm in Arabic. The solemn Mass was presided by His Lordship Egidio Sampieri, Latin Apostolic Vicar of Alexandria-Egypt, with the participation of the comboni priest and brothers, Comboni Sister and a lot of people.
Source: traslation of Le Messager 3 of Sunday 20 December 1987-