Church’s candle

By Kath Gannaway
A TEMPORARY church opened in Marysville in July will serve as a place of worship for the district’s Catholic and other congregations.
The rejuvenated school portable will also be available for counselling services and community gatherings.
Marysville’s two churches, Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church and the Anglican church were destroyed on 7 February.
The new church was blessed by Bishop Les Thomlinson on 18 July.
Lilydale-based parish priest Father Julian Langridge said parishioners from Lilydale and Healesville joined local community members on the day.
Father Vincent from Alexandra Catholic Church and Reverend Andrew Schreuder from Marysville Anglican Church were among the guests.
The blessing of the altar and lighting of a symbolic candle were poignant markers of the day.
The altar was donated by Marysville CFA captain Glen Fisk, in memory of his wife and youngest son who died in the fires.
The candle was made and donated by a Catholic nun, Sr Dianna from Yarra Glen.
“The candle expresses what is happening in Marysville. The cross symbolises the pain and suffering, the green leaves express the new life and finally “Marysville lives on” is a very true and dynamic statement of the people’s determination,” Fr Langridge said.
He said the celebration was a turning point for some members of the community, including two people who were able to return to the town for the first time to attend the ceremony.
“Prayer is a great means of finding hope and healing in such horrific events,” Fr Langridge said. The original Our Lady of the Snows church, built in 1940 on land donated by the Keppel family, was blessed by Archbishop Mannix and was so-named because when the architect first visited the property it was covered with snow.
The question of a permanent Catholic church, or perhaps an ecumenical centre, was something Fr Langridge said was a discussion for the future. “I would like to have the people involved in that discussion,” he said.