What’s On

On the weekend of 13 and 14 August St Mary’s parishioners will celebrate a milestone in Hamilton’s Church history. In 1866 construction of the first section of the current Gothic Style Church building took place, making way for a special Anniversary on the same weekend 150 years on.

The itinerary includes a Parish dinner, Commemorative mass and luncheon, History tour & displays. The weekend has attracted great interest, including from past residents as far a field as Western Australia, who look forward to rekindling old friendships and sharing significant memories of their faith life when growing up amongst Hamilton’s Catholic community.

Dinner bookings are being taken up to 15 July with other details of the Anniversary weekend found on their website westernborder.church or by phoning the Parish Office 5571 1161 Tuesday to Friday.

Parish history records reveal great spiritual strength and determination of clergy and pioneers during the struggles of early settlement. Just like their immeasurable work, an ongoing commitment continues to embrace the St Mary’s faithful today. The parish is greatly enriched by the gift of its members, bringing their time and talents to some of the different activities and groups which make up the vibrant community.

The 150th Anniversary culminates at a time when St Mary’s Parish have entered into a renewal program focusing on rebuilding and strengthening their community. Interested people are invited to participate in the vitality of today’s Church with details of the groups found on the parish website and through the parish office. One notable clergyman over the history of the Church was Fr Michael Shanahan who earned great respect from all in the community and was dubbed the “Grand Old Man of Hamilton.” His 45 years at St Mary’s from 1886 was not spent idle, taking charge of the erection of many country churches, schools and two convents during his term.

One of Fr Shanahan’s greatest achievement was the completion of St Mary’s Church, which stands as a monument to his buildings in the Western District. With the only mode of transport on offer being his trusty white horse, many hours of each ministry day were spent travelling on horseback between communities. Current Priest in residence Fr Patrick Mugavin, is the 14th Parish Priest to administer at St Mary’s. Today St Mary’s Parish incorporates the country churches of Dunkeld, Hamilton, Glenthompson, Macarthur and Penshurst.

At its July meeting, the Parish Pastoral Council discussed the following items.

“Evangelising the digital continent”

Our parish website is making great progress, and is well-equipped to enable the parish to “evangelise the digital continent” as Pope Benedict puts it. Our challenge is to develop a sticky website — a dynamic website which users visit on a regular basis.

The Parish Council recommends the formation of a parish iTeam, which will assemble a group of enthusiastic consumers of new media — Facebook, Twitter, the blogosphere — to explore how St Mary’s Parish can best engage with a digital audience.

Parish hospitality

Every parish has a two-fold purpose. Firstly, the parish gives praise and worship to God and enables people to encounter Jesus through prayer and the sacraments. Secondly, the parish extends hospitality and care to God’s people, and enables them to encounter Jesus through friendship and community.

The Council is conscious that we can always improve on our efforts towards hospitality. The Parish Dinner and the Multicultural Mass which especially celebrated our parishioners from Kerela were all well-received.

The hot soup initiative to celebrate Grandparents Day was recognized and encouraged. An annual Parish Dinner is recommended.

Perhaps nametags can be introduced to Sunday Masses, so that parishioners are easily identified and visitors can more easily engage in conversation.

Church life in our rural centres

Local celebrations might be a way to revitalize our country centres. We could schedule, for example, a day of festivities at Macarthur, to which all parishioners in Hamilton, Dunkeld, Glenthompson and Penshurst would be in invited.

The Council has committed itself to meeting at rural centres several times each year.

Youth ministry

Twenty-five people attended the recent youth group disco, which also received great parental support. The next item on the calendar is to assist with the soup and rolls for Grandparents’ Day.

Fr John Corrigan has started a new programme of training of altar servers. A new roster will be drawn up shortly. There has been a great response especially from our sacramental year group.

Stef Lloyd is preparing a diocesan retreat for upper primary school students. This will be held at the Maryknoll Centre. Later in the year, a retreat for secondary school students will be held at Halls Gap.

Encouraging new Catholics

Fr Paddy is preparing a letter which will be sent to all parishioners and members of our school community. The letter will emphasise the importance of receiving new Catholics.

A NEW RESOURCE – (Taken from Ballarat E- News June 2012)

Fr John McKinnon, well known to many around the Diocese, has established a website. Although still under development, Fr John’s aim is for it to be a resource to help all who love and reflect on the Word of God.

Already on the site are the Commentaries on the Gospels of John, Mark & Luke, written over the past years. The Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew is a work in progress – up to Chapter 8 now.

Sunday Homilies for the current Liturgical Year can also be found on the website.

Fr McKinnon hopes to also produce ten minute audio/video presentations on the up-coming Sunday Gospels which will then be available on the website. Finally other publications and articles he has written over the years will also be available. Such a resource will be invaluable for all who prepare, reflect and share the Sunday scriptures.

The address of the website is: www.johnmckinnon.org

A Multicultural Mass recently welcomed members of the local Indian community to St Mary’s Parish, who have settled well in Hamilton and into their respective professions and lifestyles.  Fr Peter Jose  travelled from Melbourne to join with Fr Patrick Mugavin in concelebrating the special service.

Parishioners experienced Mass by way of the Indian culture as they ministered through music, prayer and stories.   They willingly participated in the Sunday service readings and parishioners were treated to a number of hymns regularly played at an Indian Mass.

Following the service a large St Mary’s community extended a further welcome with a shared morning tea where many were keen to try and enjoyed the variety of Indian food that had been prepared.

It is planned to offer further Multicultural Masses in the future, focussing on inclusiveness for all parishioners from diverse cultural backgrounds.  It is a wonderful opportunity for them to share with us their music, lifestyle and traditions.

A recent dinner at St Mary’s Hamilton provided the ideal occasion for 100 parish members to welcome in the new and farewell the not so old.

Fr John Corrigan was introduced to the St Mary’s parish earlier this year and is a young newly ordained priest, eager to commence his life of ministry at Hamilton, where he has acknowledged being overwhelmed by the warmth of his first church community.

The  newly designed St Mary’s website was launched at the dinner by Bishop Peter Connors of the Ballarat Diocese, with the young Fr John’s technical knowledge and ability to build on the site being another welcomed feature of his introductory placement.

With the recent suppression of the Parish of Penshurst, MC John Hockey ensured the dinner was an ideal social opportunity to welcome the St Joseph’s community back to St Mary’s Parish.  In 1907 the Bishop of the time transferred the community of St. Joseph’s out of Hamilton parish as it was then situated, along with two other neighbouring churches from their respective parishes, to create the new Parish of Penshurst.  All three have now been transferred back to their original communities, where it is thought they have the closest geographic and social relationship.  Sunday Masses will continue on alternate Sundays at Penshurst and a team of dedicated members otherwise ensuring a continuance of faith, expressed through Lay led Assemblies.

Other occasions highlighted at the parish dinner were the imminent retirements of Bishop Peter Connors and Mrs Marie Cook the St Mary’s Parish Secretary spanning over 20 years.  Bishop Peter’s response included a humorous reflection of the 15 years spent throughout the Ballarat Diocese and the privilege of sharing countless memorable events with parish communities during his 50 years since realising his dream for the priesthood.  A retirement date and replacement Bishop is yet to be announced.

Parishioner Ted Oliver spoke of Marie Cook’s outstanding qualities and her ability to devote time and welcome all who attended the Parish Office, regardless of need.  Her spiritual strength and personal commitment devoted as Parish Secretary was recognized and Marie will fondly be remembered with gratitude by many parishioners.  During presentations Parish Priest Fr Pat Mugavin added that Marie selflessly undertook countless tasks over the years that were not within her assigned role.

Fr Andrew Hayes of Casterton once again shared his love of music and wit and captivated the audience with a flawless rendition of Australian poetry.  Fr Andrew’s many talents are well known throughout his own demanding ministry of service to nine churches in four parish communities across Western Victoria.

In 2009 Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed 2009 – 2010 the Year of the Priest and called on the Church to support their Diocesan clergy.

To celebrate locally, the parish community of St Mary’s recently welcomed the return of past serving clergy to Hamilton, including Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC) priests who established Monivae College.

A parish dinner held at the Hamilton Golf Club included a night of entertainment and nostalgic memories of parish life.

Lifetime resident and parishioner Mr Jim Eveston in his address to the guests, reflected on the lives of many past clergy and the influence their guidance and support had on the faith formation of the parish community.   The spiritual strength and personal commitment that past priests had devoted to the Hamilton Parish continues to be fondly remembered with gratitude by St Mary’s parishioners today.

Fathers Eugene McKinnon (Terang), Peter Hudson (Swan Hill) and John Monaghan (Quambatook) were among ten Priests in attendance who recalled memorable and humorous events that had occurred during their service throughout the parish.

Fr Andrew Hayes of Casterton, whose ministerial role includes nine churches in the widespread parishes of Coleraine, Casterton, Edenhope and Harrow shared his much loved musical talent to the delight of the audience on the night.

The present St Mary’s site was first acquired in 1853 by Bishop Goold.  As revealed in the Bishop’s historical diary notes, he travelled the Western District on horseback – “to select a site in a township most picturesquely situated in the heart of a magnificent country”.  The first Church/School building was a wooden structure built in 1856 at a cost of ₤488 (Pounds).  For the next five years the Catholics of Hamilton were reliant on visiting clergyman until the appointment of their first Pastor (Parish Priest) Fr J O’Connell.

In the immediate years to follow, the dedication of the clergy knew no bounds in overseeing the building of Churches and Schools in many parts of the Western District.

One such Priest Fr Michael Shanahan devoted forty-five years of service to St Mary’s Parish from 1886.   Dubbed “The Grand Old Man of Hamilton”   Dean Shanahan was responsible for the establishment of places of worship and education in as many as nine towns in the south west.

The immeasurable work of the past continues in today’s Church through the ongoing commitment of dedicated clergy & staff, along with the many volunteers who willingly fill the void of available Priests, assisting in a number of ministerial roles.

Photo above:  Back Row L to R:     Fr Peter Hudson – Fr Andrew Hayes – Fr Eugene McKinnon  –  Fr John Monaghan – Fr Paul Castley MSC

Front Row L to R:      Fr Patrick Mugavin – Fr John McKinnon – Fr Noel Mansfield MSC – Fr Pat Austin MSC

–  Anne Slattery

Newspaper Article – Hamilton Spectator Thursday 22 February 2007

CONDAH’ St Patrick’s Catholic Church closed its doors on Sunday 18th February after 127 years service to the community.

The weatherboard red tin-roofed building was bursting at the seams, as families who once attended every Sunday returned to say goodbye.

Bishop Peter Connors, Fr Pat Mugavin and Fr Paul Gurry officiated a final 10.30am mass.   The service ended with a short ceremony outside.  The congregation formed a guard of honour, while the clergy led by Bishop Connors officially closed the church.

Lunch was then served under a marquee where families and friends reminisced about the days gone by.  The original Condah church was built in 1879 for ₤200.

In 1901 it burnt down during the Black Friday fires and was rebuilt the following year for ₤400.

In recent times the congregation has numbered just five people, thus the decision to close the church had been made.  It is yet to be decided what will happen to the money from the sale of the land, building and its contents.  Fr Gurry said some suggestions had been offered including the building of a church in East Timor but that the final decision was to be made by the finance committee whose president is Fr Gurry’s brother.

Furniture and other items that had been donated to the church by local families over the years were to be moved to St Mary’s in Hamilton as a remembrance of the Condah church community.

A community that was “par excellence” according to Fr Gurry and, he said, whose members cared for one another, shared joys and sorrows and kept up relationships.  The church committee organised the event and the publication of booklets compiling people’s memories of St Patrick’s Church, Condah.

Our Diocesan Community Magazine – March 2007

That Little Wooden Church………

Extreme weather conditions did not deter the one hundred and twenty plus crowd attending the recent closure of Condah’s St Patrick’s Church.

Located just off the Hamilton–Portland Road, the aged church building spilled over with visitors, welcomed back by the local community to celebrate the life of the church.  Descendants of Condah’s pioneering families travelled great distances to share wonderful memories of a once thriving congregation, with some members participating in the closing service.

The past few years saw Sunday masses reduced to a handful of devoted worshippers, including the Canavan and Godfrey-Smith families, along with the occasional visitor.  Condah’s first church opened in 1879 but fell victim to the devastating Black Friday fires in 1901.  The community rallied to rebuild the current church in 1902 at a cost of ₤400 (pounds).

Bishop Peter Connors officiated the closing Mass onSunday 18 February 2007, along with Fathers Pat Mugavin and Paul Gurry.  The occasion had special significance for Fr Gurry whose family were past residents in the district.  A book prepared for the day included memoirs from past parishioners.  Fr Gurry wrote of  happy memories of a country church, including “enunciating Latin with great enthusiasm” during his role as Altar Boy.  Others spoke of the warmth and love amongst a community who gathered regularly, united in faith and friendship.

Stories such as …..

The relief of a young parishioner, appreciating the privacy of an enclosed confessional at St Patrick’s compared to kneeling at altar rails in full voice and view of the congregation, as was the case in neighbouring churches.   The newly appointed School Teacher generously offered the lend of a cream coloured pony by a local bachelor, enabling travel to weekly mass some four miles from home.  She was to marry the owner of that horse in 1949, eventually arriving more sedately some time later on four wheels.

The commitment of the faithful is none more evident than in a farming family who’s Sundays started at 3am to enable timely arrival for 8.45am mass.  A four-mile bike ride to church followed five hours of milking cows in the dark and feeding animals.  With a member of that same family devoting 17 years to service as an Altar Boy.

So St Patrick’s doors have closed one final time, no longer to be filled with the great characters whose dedication to the life of the church now becomes history.

Anne Slattery

Personal Memoirs were shared on the day, of Earlier Times ………….

“Church was an important part of  life when staying at Condah, and my memories are of the small church, “our seat” (the Gurry’s) up the front on the left side and especially the care my grandmother took to always prepare the thermos and sandwiches for the priest afterMass.“

“Parishioners names in the 1920’s and 30’s – Black, Bellamy, Clarke, Dwyer, Gray, Gurry, Malseed, Murphy, McKenzie, McDonald, O’Shea, Polack, McCarthy.”

“I can hear Grandma calling from the grave – You should have gone to Mass more often!”

“The best thing about the Condah Church was that it had its very own confessional box down the back and I didn’t have to kneel at the Altar rails.”

“I can still see Flags Flanagan with his feet at quarter to three, telling us we must take communion in both forms.”

“The Mission Priests were frightening to a young boy – long robes, sandaled feet and booming voices.”

“For our father to travel to Condah by car to see his mother was not possible, as our wartime ration of petrol was four gallons a month.

“My most ardent prayers were said after Mass, silently asking that Lucy (the horse) would stand until I was safely in the saddle.  Riding home was never dull.”

“We believed the priest was God – all dressed up in his heavenly robes.  So we behaved accordingly.  We were the best behaved children in the Church!”

“Peter – the Lebanese Hawker often stayed at “Raheen” and would say the rosary with us answering in Arabic.”  Peter travelled the Western District on horseback for 35 years selling household linen and clothing.

“An Annual event, the Catholic Ball…..for days before, the women baked for the supper.  On the night a copper full of boiling milk coffee would top it off.  Trays of sausage rolls and cream puffs from the wood-fired oven at home.”

Photos Below:  Rev Bishop Connors officiated at Condah’s Closing Mass – February 2007

Symbols representing the life of Condah parishioners were presented at the Altar during the Offertory procession.

Bishop Connors blessing the Condah Congregation at the Closing Ceremony February 2007

Rev Fr Paul Gurry concelebrating Mass and greeting returned parishioners

Cutting of the Celebratory Cake at Condah’s Church closure.

Parishioners gathered during lunch and reminisced about their spiritual life in Condah.