South Australia’s capital, Adelaide, is a beautiful and multicultural city. People from all over the world move to Adelaide to study and work, bringing their diverse cultures with them, including their faiths and beliefs.
If you’ve moved to Adelaide from overseas and want to connect with people who share your own faith, your local communities are a great place to start. Connecting with a faith community has many benefits, including a sense of belonging, social contact and emotional support.
Let’s have a look at Adelaide’s diverse faith communities and discover how you can engage with them.
Christianity in Adelaide
The Christian community in Adelaide encompasses many different denominations, such as Catholic, Baptist, Anglican, Uniting Church and Lutheran. Community members often attend services on Sundays, as well as special events over important periods like Easter and Christmas.
Adelaide is known as ‘The City of Churches’ because there are so many different churches belonging to each of the main denominations. Some of these are:
- St Peter’s Anglican Cathedral
- Scot’s Church
- Holy Trinity
- Greek Orthodox Cathedral
- Bethlehem Lutheran Church
- Flinders Street Baptist Church
There are also a number of Christian community centres that put on social events and offer support:
There’s also a Meetup group especially for Adelaide Christians of all denominations. The group runs many events and activities throughout the year.
Islam in Adelaide
There’s a rich Islamic community in Adelaide, with several Islamic societies and groups, a wide array of events and multiple mosques.
The most central mosque is Adelaide City Mosque. It’s also the oldest mosque in Australia, dating back to the late 1880s! The Adelaide Mosque Islamic Society of South Australia holds services here and offers a range of religious and community programs and events.
Other mosques around Adelaide include:
- Marion Mosque
- Wandana Mosque
- Torrensville Adelaide Muslim Community
- Islamic Arabic Centre & Masjid Al Khalil
The Islamic Society of South Australia and the Islamic Information Centre of South Australia also offer services including education, humanitarian endeavours, funeral and marriage services, recreational events and support services..
The holiest event in the Islam calendar is Ramadan, which comprises a month of fasting from mid-March to mid-April each year and ends with the festive holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
Each year, Adelaide also hosts the Halal Food Festival and the Adelaide Multicultural Eid Festival.
If you’re a practising Muslim, check out our Halal Guide to Adelaide to find out about Adelaide’s best halal eateries.
Hinduism in Adelaide
The Hindu community in Adelaide is serviced by various temples and centres as well as a range of public events throughout the year.
The Hindu Society of South Australia manages the Shri Ganesha Temple complex in Adelaide, in addition to performing charity work and offering education and community events.
The Vedanta Centre is another Hindu centre in Adelaide, dedicated to the Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy. The centre hosts visiting monks and runs religious services as well as offering spiritual education.
Other Hindu temples in Adelaide include:
- BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir
- Vedic Hindu Foundation Temple
- ISKCON Adelaide
- Shree Swaminarayan Mandir Bhuj
One of the biggest events in the Hindu calendar is Diwali, the Festival of Lights. The five-day celebration welcomes new beginnings and usually happens around the start of November. This year, Adelaide is hosting a bunch of exciting Diwali events.
Buddhism in Adelaide
The Adelaide Buddhist community typically gathers to practise meditation and to share and learn about Buddhist teachings and philosophy.
There are a number of Buddhist centres, monasteries and meditation centres throughout Adelaide that cater for students of all levels:
- Buddha House
- Adelaide Buddhist Centre
- Buddhist Society of South Australia
- Rigpa Adelaide
- Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery
Judaism in Adelaide
The Jewish community in Adelaide has a long history, dating back as far as 1848. The Adelaide Hebrew Congregation opened the first synagogue in Adelaide in 1850 and has recently relocated to Glenside. The synagogue offers a place to worship, library, kosher kitchen, mikvah, a function hall, shop and funeral services.
The other major synagogue is Beit Shalom Synagogue, which offers weekly religious services and a Hebrew school, as well as hosting services for all major Jewish holidays and an array of activities and events.
Other faiths in Adelaide
Adelaide is also host to smaller faith communities such as Sikh and Baha’i. Check out the following organisations for more information:
