Glenorchy parishioners mark Jubilee Year of Hope with pilgrimage to Ross

By Josh Low

A host of Glenorchy parishioners recently answered Pope Francis’s call to pilgrimage during this Jubilee Year of Hope.

On Saturday 15 March pilgrims made their way from Glenorchy by bus to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church in the Northern Midlands village of Ross – one of the four Tasmanian churches designated as places of pilgrimage.

Accompanied by Glenorchy Parish Priest Fr Guy Riolo SDB, the group learned about the history of the town and church, which was followed by a liturgy in the church and some quiet time for prayer and reflection.

Glenorchy parishioner Anne Loring provided her account of the day,  

“En route (to Ross) we put on our Pilgrim Pendulums – the Jubilee Year Mascot Luce, designed by the Vatican for the Jubilee. 

“Our journey was well planned, and we recited the five Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary together as we headed north, and after a comfort stop at Kempton we continued on, singing many of the hymns we knew from our now mostly disused hymnal Praise to God.”

Arriving in Ross, Anne explained the significance of the church and surrounding buildings.

“[The church] stands proudly as one of the famous “Four Corners of Ross”.

“These buildings were said to represent temptation – the Man-O-Ross Hotel; recreation – the Town Hall where dances were held; damnation – the former goal, and salvation – Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church,” she explained.

“Inside the church we admired the beauty of its design features, especially the 11 stained glass windows and panels. 

“We heard some of the history of Ross and early settler Catholic life there, including the ingenious conversion of an existing storeroom to a beautiful church by the eminent Launceston architect Alexander North.”

This was followed by a reflection and pilgrimage prayers led by parishioner Mary-Anne Johnson, who invited pilgrims to study the Luce mascots and the symbolism used in them.

“We prayed a Building Hope prayer, listened to a reading of Romans 5:1-2.5, recited a Litany of Hope, chanted a Taize prayer, and prayed together the Jubilee prayer,” Anne said.

“We had some quiet time for reflection – which was peaceful and meditative and shared our thoughts and feelings about the experience [and] finished with a blessing from Fr Guy, and then we set off to have lunch and explore the village.

“We met back at the bus without losing any travellers, left on time to be back for Fr Guy to prepare for the evening Mass – and sang our way back to Glenorchy!”

Parishioners across Tasmania are invited as parish communities to make a visit to one of the four churches designated by the Archdiocese as places of pilgrimage, which counts towards participation in the Jubilee Holy Year announced by Pope Francis and is described as a source of personal sanctification.