ALMOST 120 years ago, Parish Priest Andrew Horan, deliberated over the inclusion of the two cathedral-like towers in the building of the new St Mary’s Catholic Church in Ipswich.
Father Horan was not apprehensive about the architectural style of the towers, but of the added cost to the construction of the church, which was to be built to seat 3,000.
But his parishioners urged him to go forward with the gothic design “without fear of failure” on the certainty that the necessary money would be raised.
In 2022, this certainty is reflected in the confidence expressed by Ipswich and Rosewood Parish Priest Stephen Bliss as he talks of the fundraising which is underway to meet the cost of repairs to St Mary’s and to the other heritage-listed church in the Ipswich Diocese, St Brigid’s at Rosewood.
Both are magnificent buildings, one of stone and one of timber; both are more than a century old; both are landmark buildings; and both are in need of urgent repair.
In total, $11.5 million worth of repairs.
And Father Bliss is in no doubt that the multi-million-dollar fundraising target will be reached.
“We are a close-knit community, all of the churches within the Ipswich area hold significant meaning to our families,” he said.
“The restoration of both of these churches is very important to me as they provide a hub to the community to share faith, worship and support to our families.”
Father Bliss was reluctant to reveal how much money had been raised to date as that announcement would be made at a special occasion.
However, he was unequivocal in his confidence that the money would be raised.
ST BRIGID’S Catholic Church in Rosewood became the top priority in February 2020, when the parish was forced to close the doors for safety reasons.
The church is the largest wooden structure in the Southern Hemisphere. It was built in 1909 – 1910 on the heavy black Rosewood soil, over a mine. Some years ago, movement in the foundations was first noticed, cracks began to appear in the structure and the building began to lean.
That lean had progressed to 20cm, when the building was declared unsafe and parish meetings and Mass gatherings were moved to the Parish Hall. It is a fitting venue as it was once the Parish church and the original St Brigid’s school building.
“The restoration of St Brigid’s has been on the forefront of my priorities and the Catholic community has worked hard together with the Ipswich City Council, the Archdiocese and various levels of government to make sure this is successful,” Father Bliss said.
“The estimated cost for the works at St Brigid’s totals $3 million and at this stage the funding will happen.”
Damage caused by the two hail storms which ripped through Rosewood on All Hallow’s Eve 2020, added to the repair bill.
“This was another setback for our church community as the stained glass windows were smashed and the roof was dented,” Father Bliss said.
“For this event though we were able to claim monies through the Catholic Church insurance and these repairs will take place once the foundations are safe to do so.”
Work on those foundations will go forward in the near future.
“The aim is to have the church restored to its former glory, and I am committed to this,” he said.
“We are now just awaiting on approvals from the council, which, at this stage, we see no problem with receiving.”
Work has already begun on restoring the stained glass windows at St Mary’s.
“The restoration of the windows is a four to six month job alone,” Father Bliss said.
This and other major restoration projects, which are expected to take place at St Mary’s over the next few years, have been estimated to cost $8.5 million.
“The church roof needs to be replaced as it is now leaking in approximately 15 spots, the interior needs to be painted, new electricals need to be installed, the sandstone needs to be cleaned and treated and the pews need to be repaired.”
The foundation stone for St Mary’s was laid in October 1900 and soon after, work began on quarrying the stone at Goodna for the base. The sandstone for the church itself was quarried at Helidon.
The church was officially opened by Cardinal Moran of Sydney on October 2, 1904.
At the time St Mary’s was described as a cathedral in its appointments and proportions.
