BRISBANE’S Marissa Dowling and Patrick Land from New Zealand’s north island found a common link in their parents’ devotion to the Catholic Worker Movement.
The link became increasingly strong over some five years, recently turning into a wedding ring as the couple became husband and wife in a ceremony at Highgate Hill’s St Francis of Assisi Church.
There was a further link in that Marissa’s parents, Jim and Anne, had also been married by Fr Wally Dethlefs in the same church, afterwards enjoying a picnic in nearby Orleigh Park and dancing in the same church hall.
In keeping with the simple lifestyle advocated by the Catholic Worker Movement, there was a communal spirit to Marissa and Patrick’s wedding celebrations held on Saturday, March 1.
The bride’s dress had been crocheted by her sister and 14 other friends in Australia and New Zealand.
Other friends made the bouquets as well as providing the wedding music, making the wedding cake, making decorations for the church, park, and hall where bush dancing was provided also by friends.
Also contributed by the families’ friends were crocheted foot thongs for the barefoot bridal party members as well as rafia daisies.
The wedding booklet was handwritten by Jessica, one of the bridesmaids.
Altar boys were Marissa’s brothers Franz and Benedict Dowling.
Jim Dowling, father of the bride, said many had commented on the “do-it-yourself” nature of the wedding, the community spirit and enthusiasm behind the event.
Following the Nuptial Mass, a celebration was held in nearby Orleigh Park with a sumptuous communal feast, to which guests contributed.
All the drinks were homemade at the Catholic Worker farm, and plentiful. They included elderflower softdrink, beetroot and mulberry wines, and also homebrew beer by friend, Richard.
The local Uniting Church lent their kitchen facilities for cooking and the Waiters Union network provided accommodation for some of the visitors from “across the ditch”.
A rustic honeymoon cottage, complete with a woodstove, was made ready for newlywed couple by friends in Dayboro.
In the wedding speeches, Melissa and Patrick told of their meeting in 2009 after the families had struck up a friendship through a shared interest in the Catholic Worker Movement.
Both families live simple lifestyles on farms, in keeping with the vision of Peter Maurin one of the movement’s founders – the Dowlings at Dayboro near Brisbane and the Lands at Whirinaki in the far north of NZ’s north island.
Marissa spoke of falling in love with Whirinaki’s people, lifestyle, environment and, as time passed, with Patrick.
Jim and wife Anne Rampa and Joseph and Catherine Land, both having seven children each, spoke with pride of their children as they embarked on this new stage of life.
Anecdotes about watching Marissa and Patrick growing up were shared with the large gathering.
For Jim and Anne the occasion was both sweet and sad.
As Anne said in her speech and Jim said later, they will miss their eldest daughter terribly.
But as Jim also said: “New Zealand is not so far away; it could be worse.”
In terms of what he and Anne wished for the newly married couple, he said: “May they always take the Sermon on the Mount very seriously and themselves not so seriously.”
