Mass at St Alipius Diggings Church at Sovereign Hill

Enthusiastic singing voices could be heard across the goldfields at Sovereign Hill on Monday 29 April, 2013. Students, teachers, Principals, and CEO staff gathered as a faith community in St Alipius Diggings Catholic Church, to celebrate the conclusion of Ballarat Catholic Education Week 2013.

St Alipius Diggings  Catholic Church allowed the small faith community to celebrate mass in the traditional style of the 1850s. Fr McInerney and 2 students from St Alipius primary school raised the flag with an ecclesiastical cross to inform the Catholic community that mass would begin in half an hour. Fr McInerney also showed, members of the congregation the custom of the celebrant facing away from the community throughout the Mass and members receiving communion over a rail at the front of the altar. Many of the younger participants were not aware of this practice of times gone by and were most pleased to be able to be a part of reliving history.

Sovereign Hill welcomed the enthusiastic congregation, which included representatives from; Loreto College, St Patrick College, Emmaus Catholic Primary School, St Alipius Primary School, St Francis Xavier Primary school and St Columba’s Primary School, Liam Davison (Director of Religious Education), Sue Crowe and Adam Cameron provided the music and encouraged the singing and Jo-anne Van der Voort (Religious Education Officer) assisted with the preparation of the Mass.

The congregation was reminded that the diggers who flocked to the Ballarat Goldfields came here with hopes and dreams of a better life. Throughout the hard times their faith and their Church community continued to support and encourage them in good time and bad. Similar to faith communities today supporting the hopes and aspirations of its members.
http://www.ballarat.catholic.org.au/_uploads/enews/2013_E-news/May/may13sovereign_hill.pdf