The Catholic Leader Flipbook - Issue 5577 - November 10

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The Catholic Leader, November 10, 2019 The Catholic Leader, November 10, 2019
In Depth In Depth
St Patrick’s centenary sends ‘Christian joy’ to the country
‘It’s just been one of those times and I think because it’s been such a hard time for
everybody, it’s what everybody was needing because they all got a boost’
By Joe Higgins
THE Holy Spirit was with us,
Our Lady of the Valley Gatton
Laidley parishioner Jan Maltry
said reflecting on the centenary
of St Patrick’s Church, Laidley,
on October 26.
Mrs Maltry sponsored her granddaughter
Hannah, who was confirmed by Brisbane
Archbishop Mark Coleridge at St Mary’s
Church, Gatton, on the Friday before the
centenary.
She watched on proudly as Hannah
received First Holy Communion at the
centenary on the Sunday.
It was a wildly exciting weekend, Mrs
Maltry said with a laugh.
For a community wracked by drought,
with pressure to sell off animals and close
down family farms, it was also a chance to
just enjoy a break.
“We are always praying for rain up here,”
Mrs Maltry said.
“It’s just been one of those times and I
think because it’s been such a hard time for
everybody, it’s what everybody was needing
because they all got a boost.
“They knew when they got home there
still wasn’t going to have been any rain
on the farms to fill the dam, but they had a
chance to get away from it for a little while
and just think of something else, which is
important in life.”
Mrs Maltry said almost everybody was on
a farm of one description or another.
“It’s good when you’ve got something (to
celebrate) and we’ve had a marvellous year
of celebrating with all of the St Patrick’s
hundred years,” she said.
“And having a little bit of that Christian
joy coming around – because we keep trying
to think about being joyful – well, some-
times it’s a bit hard to see.
“We don’t seem to have a lot of joy on
our faces at times and I think it’s lovely to
see smiles and happiness, and this is what it
should be like all the time.”
Parishioner Stephanie Matthews co-
ordinated the publication of the centenary
recipe book, which was a collection of
family recipes “straight out of people’s
homes”.
She said it was a collection of well over
200 recipes.
“It’s all family recipes, every recipe in the
book has come from families and (they are
all) family favourites,” she said.
“(The recipe book) has got a lot of very
old recipes, it’s who we were then, and it’s
who we are now.
“These are the recipes people make every
day.
“People in this community are farmers,
are workers, (and) when they cook every
day it’s good wholesome meals using what
they’ve grown themselves.
“But also when they celebrate, they are
the most amazing cooks.”
Mrs Maltry said the centenary showed
the common Gatton Laidley parish spirit,
which was still under construction with the
Our Lady of the Valley parish amalgamation
announced in 2016.
“This was really probably the first big
celebration – the centenary – everybody was
in there and helping,” she said.
“Just being part of it, that’s a big thing
when you’ve got a group of parishes coming
together to get them to settle in with each
other.
“It’s always nice when you can see it’s
working and it’s all come together.”
Mrs Maltry said parish priest Mission-
ary Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament
Father Noyichan Mamoottil was fantastic.
“He’s pretty popular,” she said.
Fr Mamoottil said the centenary was
incredible.
He said there was a “big turn-up” with
about 400 people flocking to the church.
“It was a very joyful event,” he said.
St Patrick’s
big day:
Our Lady of
the Valley
parishioners
with Arch-
bishop Mark
Coleridge
and parish
priest Fr
Noyichan
Mamoot-
til out the
front of St
Patrick’s
Church after
the church’s
centenary
Mass.
Photos: Alan
Edgecomb
Mass: Archbishop Coleridge and Fr Mamoottil celebrating the Mass in St Patrick’s
Candle-light-
ing: Sisters
of Mercy
Sr Bridget
Frawley
lights the
candle with
Sr Joan
Morrissey
and Sr Irene
Callaghan.
Blessings:
Arch-
bishop
Coleridge
(at left)
blesses
the cen-
tenary
plaque
and sign
at St Pat-
rick’s; and
(right) the
Archbish-
op with Fr
Mamoot-
til, Derek
Pingel and
altar serv-
ers. Hard workers: Archbishop Coleridge and Fr Mamoottil with the parish management team.
Centenary smiles: Joy Orrin (holding the St Patrick’s centenary cookbook), Tony FitzGerald,
Bernadette FitzGerald, Fr Mamoottil, Mary Heenan and Mike Nowlan.