 |
Geelong Deanery |
|
|
|
Meredith's 125th Anniversary Celebration
The parish of Meredith celebrated 125 years of parish faith and community with a fantastically successful weekend of varied activities from 17 to 19 March. The first Mass was celebrated in the area in 1838 and the churches were run as missions of St Mary’s, Geelong, until March 1875, when the parish was established with Fr James Hegarty as the first of 22 parish priests. The anniversary celebrations began on St Patrick’s Day, when an overflowing congregation celebrated Mass at St Patrick’s, Elaine – the site of the first parish baptism, exactly 125 years before. The celebrations continued as the congregation adjourned to the Railway Hotel next door, for typical St Pat’s Day activities, including Irish Dancing and singing. A Mass for deceased parishioners was celebrated on the Saturday, followed by lunch and displays of memorabilia, including mass vestments and sacred vessels dating back to the 1860s. The beautifully decorated Meredith Memorial Hall was packed for a Gala Parish Smorgasbord Dinner on the Saturday evening. The guest speaker was former parishioner and retired State politician Mr Bill Stephen AM, who kept everyone enthralled with his views on changes to rural and parish life. This was a great community event, with representatives from all corners of the parish and many former parishioners travelling long distances to be present. Sunday was the culmination of a memorable weekend. Hundreds of visitors enjoyed a barbecue lunch followed by Mass at 3 pm with Archbishop George Pell as principal celebrant and many priests concelebrating. The Mass was a fitting tribute to all former parishioners, our present congregation and those who will be our future. The overflowing congregation sat under pavilions erected near the front door. ‘High afternoon tea’ followed, where many happy memories were shared and many hopes for the future expressed. The weekend was certainly a wonderful and memorable celebration. Many memories have been captured in a history book titled We Remember, We Celebrated, We Believe. This excellent, 84-page production is available for $15 from St Joseph’s, Meredith, phone 5286 1230. Diane Ritchie |
|
To read PDF files download the Reader from the Adobe web site. |
