Parish and School News

Mansfield Parish celebrates 150 years

Thursday 11 October 2012
 
By Fiona Basile
Kairos Catholic Journal
 
THIS year marks the 150^th anniversary of the Mansfield parish including the Mass centres of Bonnie Doon, Tolmie, Jamieson and Woods Point in Victoria’s high country. Throughout the year, celebrations have been taking place in these and other locations to commemorate the sesquicentennial.
 
View gallery
 
The official anniversary celebrations commenced on 19 February at St Francis Xavier Church in Mansfield with an Opening Mass celebrated by Bishop Leslie Tomlinson with parish priest of three years Fr Joseph O’Shea. During the entrance procession, 10 large paintings with each of the 10 churches that have been part of the parish’s history were brought forward to the altar—local parishioner Val Kirley was the artist.
 
The paintings included St Francis Xavier Church, Mansfield; St Patrick’s, Bonnie Doon: St John the Apostle, Jamieson; St Joseph’s, Tolmie; St John’s, Woods Point; St Mary’s, Gaffney Creek; St Columbanus’, Tenmile; St Patrick’s, Booroolite; St Michael’s, Merton and Our Lady of the Snow, Mt Buller.
 
Numerous banners representing the parish sodalities, societies, and clubs were also processed in and placed at the back of the sanctuary with some remaining in the church for ongoing anniversary celebrations.
 
Fr O’Shea said, “Our opening celebration was one to remember—a fitting celebration in thanks for 150 years. We had Bishop Leslie Tomlinson presiding over the Mass, just before he moved to the Sandhurst diocese.”
 
Since February there has been a display of historical photos set out on boards at the back of St Francis Xavier Church in Mansfield showing the Catholic heritage from the time of the high country’s gold rush period of the 1860s. There is also a display of historical items in the front parlour of the presbytery with artefacts that have been used by the priests or in the churches over the 150 years.
 
“When getting things ready for the centenary celebrations we actually had a hard time finding evidence of when the parish began,” said Fr O’Shea.
 
“Gold was discovered in 1861 down in Woods Point and that’s where the parish started; that is 1½ hours from Mansfield—a day's ride on horseback. According to scant records, the parish was established in 1862 with the first parish priest arriving in 1863.
 
“It was in the midst of the gold rush and it was even before the Melbourne archdiocese was an archdiocese—we were still under Sydney—so you can see why things might not have been written down or done exactly by the book in those days.”
 
Throughout the year there have been special Anniversary Masses held in the various parish churches and locations—including outdoor services and Benediction—followed by picnics and entertainment. The catholic school communities of Mansfield, Yea and Alexandra have also joined in the celebrations with special shared activities held throughout the year—Mansfield Parish included Yea and Alexandra until 1889, for 27 years.
 
“The anniversary celebrations have provided an opportunity for all the parishioners from the different areas to come together and to celebrate,” said Fr O’Shea.
 
The more recent anniversary events have been Mass at St John the Apostle Church in Jamieson followed by lunch in the Court House Hotel on Sunday 9 September and a picnic in the park followed by a walk to a former church in Merton on Sunday 23 September.
 
Rosemary and Chris Badrock have been parishioners at St John the Apostle Church in Jamieson for the past 13 years, though they’ve been coming to the area for over 20 years. Rosemary said, “It has been a good opportunity to learn about the past.”
 
 “We’ve been finding out a lot about what’s gone on in the churches in the different places and we’ve discovered a lot of places where there used to be a church, and no longer is—it’s been really interesting,” she said.
 
Principal of the Primary School in Jamieson, Genevieve Bolwell also said it’s been a really good time to look back.
 
Fr O’Shea paid tribute to all parishioners of “the high country”, both past and present, and paid particular thanks to all members of the Anniversary Planning Group for “their work in planning and implementing this year-long celebration”. “May we all remember this celebration and continue to thank God for all his blessings into the future,” he said.
 
Mansfield Parish Anniversary Commemorative Booklets are available for sale, $5 each. Phone Mansfield presbytery on 5775 2005.
 
UPCOMING ANNIVERSARY EVENTS
 
Mass at the graves of deceased Sisters of Mercy nuns and Fr M^CNamara
Friday 2 November 2012
Mansfield Cemetery, 6pm.
Fr Timothy M^cNamara died suddenly after Mass in Mansfield in 1872 and is the only Catholic priest to be buried in Mansfield. Sisters of Mercy came to Mansfield at the instigation of Archbishop Carr in 1892 to begin St Mary's school. Some of the nuns are buried in Mansfield Cemetery. It is fitting to remember all who died from Mansfield Parish with a Mass on All Souls Day as part of the annviersary celebrations.
 
Mass followed by picnic at Gaffney's Creek
Sunday 27 January 2013
St John's Church, Woods Point, 12.15pm
Gold was found in 1861 in Woods Point and that’s when the Mansfield Parish began there. The first St John's church was built in 1862 and operated as a church and a school. In 1865 it was burnt in fires then rebuilt. In the horrific fires of 1939 it was burnt down again and the present church was soon re-built. Several other churches were built on the Goulburn River between Jamieson and Woods Point and at Matlock but are no longer standing due to the fires in 1939.
 
Mass followed by Final Celebration
Saturday 9 February 2013
Mercy Centre Hall, St Mary's School, Mansfield, 6pm.
This celebration looks to the future and is to be celebrated in the new Mercy Centre hall at St Mary's School, dedicated to the Mercy Sisters who worked in the Parish 1892-2000.
 
Photos 1-15 by Pam Zierk-Mahoney, Mansfield Courier
Photos 16-20 by Chris Badrock, parishioner
Photos 21-25 by Fiona Basile, Kairos Catholic Journal