
St Brigid’s Catholic Church in Gisborne is turning 150 this month, with the parish preparing to mark the milestone with an upcoming Sunday mass.
The St Brigid’s Parish Gisborne working party has spent 10 months working to recognise the event, with the church’s 150th anniversary falling on January 30.
Parish and working party member Trish Armstrong said that part of the recognition included the unveiling of 220 named pavers at the front of the church this month, engraved with the names of past and current parishioners and members of the St Brigid’s Catholic Primary School and Holy Cross Catholic Primary School communities.
“The pavers … [are] such a wealth of story, both past and present,” Ms Armstrong said.
“It’s been a privilege to be part of the working committee … it’s really offered opportunities for us to get together as a group of people … it’s been lovely,” she said.
“The people who share their stories … it doesn’t just make it one event … it connects them. We’ve got pavers, we’ve got storyboards … we’ve got a special mass celebration.”
As part of the church’s anniversary, a historic gate from the former St Colmcille’s Church at Bullengarook will be installed at the site.
Ms Armstrong said that there have been many additions and alterations made to the church in its 150-year history and that it has been maintained as a “significant place.”
“It’s one of the important landmarks of our town,” she said.
A Sunday mass with memorabilia displays and refreshments will be hosted from 11am–4pm at St Brigid’s Catholic Church, 66 Aitken St, Gisborne on February 9.
All are invited to attend and the event will also be livestreamed.
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Oscar Parry