Sacred Heart Catholic Church celebration
Contributed by Marie Cassidy-Walker
The Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Maleny was packed to overflowing on Sunday, February 4, as parishioners, past and present, friends, members of other denominations and dignitaries gathered to celebrate the church’s centenary.
Mass was celebrated by Most Rev Mark Coleridge, Archbishop of the Brisbane Archdiocese, Parish Priest, Rev Joshua Whitehead of Our Lady of the Rosary Parish, Caloundra (which includes Maleny) and former Parish Priest Kevin Smith, now Parish Priest at St Peter and Paul, Bulimba.
Attendees were reminded of the origins of the Church on the Hill and some of the previous challenges faced by pioneering Catholics before the church was built in 1924.
A plaque commemorating the centenary was unveiled, dedicated, and blessed by Archbishop Coleridge. The choir sang beautifully throughout the service, and attendees enjoyed a glorious rendition of Ave Maria (Bach-Gounod) sung by Margaret Taylor, an accomplished operatic singer long associated with Maleny and the Sacred Heart community.
A morning tea, prepared by the Maleny Country Women’s Association, was enjoyed in the Pat Daley function room.
All food and refreshments were sponsored by Holy Cross Funerals. Then followed a presentation ‘History of the Sacred Heart Community in Maleny’ with slides and narration. The centenary history book ‘The Heart on the Hill’ written by author and historian Elizabeth Caffery assisted by the Centenary History Committee, was launched by Jack Wilcox AM. After lunch, catered for by the Maleny Rotary Club, this splendid day of celebration concluded with the placement of a time capsule to be opened in the year 2049, and the formal cutting of the beautifully decorated Centenary Cake.