Melbourne News

New altar to celebrate Jubilee year

Friday 27 July 2012

Fr Raju Jacob M.S.T. (P.P.) reflects on the continuing Golden Jubilee year celebrations at  St Scholastica’s Parish, Bennetswood, and the recent installation and consecration of the new altar.

ON 10 February 2012 Bishop Les Tomlinson celebrated our Golden Jubilee Year opening Mass.

Following this grand and inspiring occasion, ongoing spiritual renewal programmes and parish social activities have continued to provide a constant reminder of this historic occasion for our parish and have also fostered a community spirit.

The start of our Golden Jubilee Year saw us ponder, gather, recall stories and remember our parish's first priest Fr George Maltby, and his successors Fr Rom Murphy and Fr Brian Bainbridge.

We remember the many who contributed so generously towards the establishment and ongoing development of our Parish. We acknowledge their tenacity in the face of challenge and struggle. We also marvel at their vision that culminated in the realization of our wonderful parish as it is today. We acknowledge and give thanks to the Spirit of Wisdom for His guidance throughout our history.

To honour memories, to offer thanks for our inheritance and as an expression of our own deep appreciation and reverence for God’s relationship with us through Jesus, Bishop Vincent Long OFMConv, in this ‘Year of Grace’, recently consecrated our magnificent new altar together with the lectern and other liturgical furniture. The new additions to the church were designed by Richard Falkinger and sculptured by Vince Mann.

The “wings” in red wood, in the front panel of the altar, look like “open hands” and represent the chalice. The half circle, floating above it, represents the bread of the Eucharist. Together the symbols depict the Body and Blood of Jesus as a gift of life to the community.

The side of the altar shows a central cross, with the grain of the 4 timber panels directed towards the central point, so as to show the cross pointing to God as the centre of the universe.

The same theme is carried through on top of the altar and features on the lectern, as well as the priest’s chair.

The 10,000 year old black river gum timber used at the top of the altar serves as a reminder of the long history of  the people who have lived here for more than 50,000 years.

Fr Raju Jacob M.S.T is the parish priest at St Scholastica’s Parish, Bennetswood.