CELEBRATING the 150th anniversary of the first Mass in Maryborough’s heritage-listed St Mary’s Church has proven a moment of solidarity, faith and joy for a community that has faced the challenges of recent flooding and COVID-19.
Brisbane’s Auxiliary Bishop Ken Howell was principal celebrant for the Mass on February 4, assisted by Dr Adrian Farrelly, episcopal vicar for the North Country Deanery and Fr Lucius Edomobi, St Mary’s parish priest.
Other clergy participating included former priests who spent time in the parish in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Fr Leo Burke and Fr Denis Martin.
Retired Bishop Brian Finnigan made the trip from Brisbane to share the occasion along Nigerian priests serving in the Brisbane archdiocese alongside Fr Edomobi.
Bishop Howell delivered a lively homily that included the history of the parish from the 1850’s through to the present.
After three years of building, St Mary’s was officially opened on February 4, 1872.
Missionary priest Fr Paul Tissot, from a small French Order of the Augustinians of the Assumption, celebrated the first Mass for 500 parishioners, and the church has stood as a beacon of faith ever since.
In January, St Mary’s remained high and dry even as muddy floodwaters engulfed Maryborough’s central business district.
Bishop Howell spoke of the surety that all the priests who have served in the St Mary’s parish and the people who had passed in the parish over many decades remain part of St Mary’s rich history, just as current parishioners will be in the years to come.
Apologies were received from former parish priests Fr George Joseph, Fr Paul Kelly and Fr Anthony Mellor as well as Fr Mark Percival who was ordained in St Mary’s.
Church organist for the last 55 years, Rita Lynch led a 16 member choir and nine altar servers – both boys and girls – participated with poise and reverence, adding to the prayerful and gracious atmosphere in the church which is the size of a cathedral.
A slideshow presented before and after the Mass highlighted significant changes to the appearance of the Church over the 150 years together with photos of past parishioners, and significant events including family baptisms and weddings.
The presentation was assembled by parishioner and history buff Stephen McGinley who became thoroughly immersed in the project and will continue adding photos as parishioners send them in for display on the parish website.
The celebration ended with a solemn procession towards the front bay of the Church.
Bishop Howell blessed a 150th anniversary memorial plaque that can be found close to the entrance door looking up the freshly re-painted Marian statue and statue of a rooster.
The rooster is a tribute to Maryborough’s first priest, Fr Paul Tissot and his French heritage. It was added as a church feature in 1936 and is now the emblem of the parish.
