Proclaiming Jesus as Lord
Centenary of St Helens and St Stanislaus Church, St Helens
Today as we celebrate the centenary of St Helens and St Stanislaus Church here in St Helens, we have a chance to recall with gratitude those people and priests who have served the life and mission of the Church here in the northern part of the East Coast.
At 8am on Sunday, 5 March, 1922, one hundred years ago, Archbishop Barry celebrated Mass at the opening of this church. The Parish Priest was Fr (later Dean) Upton. Made of brick and tile, the church replaced the little wooden church built by the remarkable French priest, Fr Martial-Mary, who arrived in the district in 1878. He came as resident priest for the East Coast, and established himself here in St Helen’s or, as it was known then, Georges Bay.
Prior to this it was the priests from Campbell Town who served the far-flung communities of the Fingal Valley and scattered settlements along the coast. The first Tasmanian born priest, Fr John Fitzgerald, was appointed to Campbell Town by Bishop Willson in 1855. The whole East Coast was his pastoral responsibility. Subsequent priests at Campbell Town travelled down the Fingal Valley and onto the coast to serve the spiritual needs of the Catholic population.
Fr Martial-Mary was a remarkable man. He met Bishop Willson in Rome and they conversed in Latin, a common language to them both. Fr Martial-Mary volunteered to serve in Tasmania. Bishop Willson accepted him and appointed him to this isolated area to tend to the spiritual needs of Catholics.
When Fr Martial-Mary arrived there was a four walled rudimentary church on this site in Cecilia street, with a rough bush hut next to it serving as the presbytery. Thus, the parish here at St Helen’s began. At the time the township was growing because it was the outlet for the tin being mined in the district.
With the help of his parishioners, especially the Haley family, Fr Martial-Mary, who initially could not speak a word of English, built a modest wooden church which he named in honour of St Helen and St Stanislaus. In 1881 he was able to build a rather elegant presbytery which still exists behind the Christian Fellowship building across the road.
The legendary Fr Martial-Mary left this district in 1902, after 24 years of priestly service, returning to France where he died in 1923.
By the end of the Second World War, the town of St Helens had shrunk to a mere village. The resident priest had moved to Derby and St Helens became a part of St Marys parish. The priest for the area now resided at St Marys. It remained so until this this year when a new presbytery was built on this church land and the parish priest resided once more in the town of St Helens. Things have a way of going in full circle.
In the years when the parish was serviced by the priest living at St Marys, there were many communities that came under his responsibility. For example, Fr Joe McMahon, Parish Priest from 1957 to 1960, would say Masses at St Marys, St Helens, Fingal, Mangana, Mathinna, Avoca, Rossarden and, very occasionally, at Swansea.
In 1982 there was a great celebration for the Diamond Jubilee of this church with Fr Joe Medwin as Parish Priest and the church bell, long missing, was replaced and tolled to announce the celebration of Mass. St Helens was beginning to grow once again with an influx of retirees and the area became a popular place with tourists and holiday makers at Christmas and Easter. It has continued to grow becoming a thriving community at this time.
In Fr Conolly’s time as Parish Priest there were major structural changes to the church building. The sanctuary was reversed so that a supper room extension could be added, with a new entrance to the church. This not only provided a community gathering facility but also provided space to accommodate a larger congregation in holiday times.
Today we celebrate one hundred years since the opening of this church. Yet the Catholic story of the region goes back further. Catholics of this northern part of the beautiful East Coast of Tasmania have gathered with their priests, sometimes in the most humble of circumstances, to take part in the celebration of Holy Mass. The Mass is at the heart of the living of our faith.
Today we remember the long succession of priests who have served this part of the East Coast from Fr Martial-Mary through to Fr Bill Egan who lies buried beside this church. We think also of all those Catholics who generously assisted the priests, especially in the building of this church. Today we benefit greatly from their faith and dedication to the cause of the faith.
St Paul in the second reading today reminds us that our faith is very near to us, he says, “it is on your lips and in your heart”. At every Mass we profess our faith with our lips and heart. Then he adds, “if your lips confess that Jesus is Lord and if you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved”.
We come to Mass because in our hearts we believe that Jesus is the risen Lord. We believe that his death and resurrection has saved us and given us the promise of eternal life. In the Mass we proclaim with our lips that Jesus is the Lord. He is our hope and our salvation.
Since the first Mass was celebrated here in St Helens in 1878 Catholics have declared their faith in Jesus Christ. Today, as we commemorate 100 years of the worship of God in this church, let us resolve to live our Catholic faith with fresh vigour and determination. May the faith live long and vibrant in St Helens.
Archbishop Julian Porteous
Friday, 4 March 2022.