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2007
3 February 2007
1904
20 October 1904
Wollar Roman Catholic Church.
Subscriptions at Laying of Foundation Stone.
Subscriptions as under, received at the recent laying of the foundation stone, are acknowledged by the committee of the Wollar Roman Catholic Church: -
£5 ... The Rev. Father Long, V.G., Rev. Father O'Donnell, and Rev. Father McGee.
£3 3s ... James Carroll.
£3 ... Roger Gleeson, William Egan.
£1 1s ... H. Hardwick, Jas. Loneragan, Patrick O'Brien, A. F. Cameron, Jas. Brennan, T. H. Marks and Co., George Rope.
£1 ... Mrs. Jas. Carroll, Thomas P. Carroll, James Hogan, J. Nutt, Mrs. Jas Mara, Mrs. John Barton, John Quinlan, George Robinson, James Constable, James Power, Albert King, W. McDermott, James J. Carroll, Bennett.
10s 6d ... Mrs. Grady, John Hyland, Mrs. W. Egan, John Riley.
10s ... Mrs. Flanagan, James C. Lennox, Mrs. King, Mrs. P. Mara, Mr. J. Carroll, James Egan, James Mara, Mrs. J. Quinlan, John Meaney, James Meaney, Mrs. Holden, John Lane, Mrs. Kane, Miss O'Toole, Mrs. W. Marskell, John Mara, H. Gleeson, Dan Gleeson, Mrs. Devitt, P. Sheehan, Dan Donovan, James Robinson, James Halpin, Richard Kirkland, T. Riley, Peter Mara, James Hough, Mrs. E. Hyland, Thomas Lane, J. D. Single, George Campbell.
7s ... James Hogan, sen.
6s ... Mrs. Fitzpatrick, J. Babbage.
5s ... George Robinson, Allan Single, Dave Marskell, T. Stevens, George Harvey, Mrs. Smith, Miss M. Egan, John Egan, Mrs. J. C. Lennox, Mrs. J. Robinson, J. Gleeson, Mrs. Myers, W. Kelman. Miss Holden, Miss Kane, Miss Egan, Mrs. John Hyland, Mrs. Hogan, Miss B. Kane, Miss Gaffney, Archie King, William Loy, Mrs. Hyland, Anthony Dwyer, M. McDermott, Miss Flanagan, George Mason, Mrs. Riley, W. McDermott, Stewart Martin, Richard Clarke, Mrs. Halpin, William Riley, Maurice Connelly, Patrick Halpin, T. Fitzpatrick, William Connelly, Miss Carroll, E. Willis.
4s ... George Smith, Miss Meaney, Mrs. Kennedy, Miss Halpin.
3s 6d ... Miss Mara.
3s ... Miss W. Mara, James O'Brien.
2s 6d ... Jas. Martin, Hugh Martin, Gus. Sheehan, Patrick Connelly, E. Baker, Miss Kathleen Egan, Mrs. J. Lane, W. Welsh, Miss Kennedy, John Power, Miss K. O'Brien, James Power, Miss Mary Curran, Mrs. Jas. Brennan, Mrs. George Barton, John Hair, Miss Quinlan, Mrs. McDermott, Miss Wall, William Kirkland, A. Barton, Richard Cooper.
Amounts of 2s totaled £2 15s 6d. The grand total was £81 6s 6d1
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1905
30 March 1905
Church of St. Laurence, Wollar. Opening Service.
There was a large gathering at Wollar on Sunday to witness the opening of the new Roman Catholic Church by the Rt. Rev. Monsignor O'Donovan. The building which was designed Mr. Harold Hardwick, A.I.A., of Mudgee, is exceedingly handsome, is constructed of freestone in broken rubble. Mr. John Nutt, of Merriwa, was the contractor, and work reflects the greatest credit him. Mr. Hardwick is also to be warmly congratulated on the excellence of his design and his attention to details. The cost of the work including furnishing is about £700.
The ceremony of blessing the church was performed by the Right Rev. Monsignor O'Donovan, prior to 11 o'clock mass, which was celebrated by Father O'Donnell, the parish priest.
Prior to the sermon being preached the Rev. Father O'Donovan said that he was asked to apologize for the absence of the Bishop who was unable to be present. They had, however, present the next dignitary in the diocese in the person of the Right Rev. Monsignor O'Donovan, who had been in their midst for 40 years, and who has done good work, and who was held in the highest esteem by the people, Bishop and priests throughout the diocese of Bathurst. He then sincerely thank the Monsignor for coming at great inconvenience to bless the church and to preach the opening sermon.
The Rt. Rev. Monsignor O'Donovan preached a sermon of great fervor. He pointed out that the ceremony which they had just witnessed had its origin in apostolic ages. History enabled them to see that at a very early period of the Christian era it was the custom of the Bishops to assemble from all quarters to be present at the ceremony of blessing churches, and the enlightened son of St. Contious went so far as to invite the Bishops of the East to the dedication of the church of Tyre and the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. The selection of St. Laurence O'Toole as the patron saint of the Wollar church recalled ancient memories which claimed more than a passing reference did time permit, The eminent prelate was of Royal Blood. At the age of about 25 he was chosen Abbott of Glenalough, and subsequently Archbishop of Dublin, where his memory is kept keen by the annual celebration of festivals in his honor. Glenalough rapidly rose to be a great city and Bishopric, and became the luminary of the Western world, where wandering barbarians flocked to derive the benefits of knowledge. Ecclestical history informed them that Archbishop O'Toole was one of the Irish bishops who attended the general council of Lateran. Notwithstanding that he had the management of a vast and important diocese, which he managed with great virtue and prudence, still found time to take part in the most critical business of his native land. Much, indeed, did it bound to his credit, when they considered his great zeal for the conversion of souls that he should ask with such earnestness the inendence of his country, and he was chosen for so many duties of that magnitude at the English court. The seclusion of Glendalough retained a charm for him through life, and it was his greatest delight to retire to St. Kerin's .?e, and spend a whole week's prayer, from whence he went forth full of heavenly fire and divine fervour. Through his great love for the people he set out for the continent, and having reached the frontiers of Normandy, he was seized with a fever, and he died in the year 1180, having breathed his last far from the home he loved so well. They who were assembled in that church that day were the descendants of those to whom the saintly man and patriot spoke the glad tidings of dear bought redemption, and who in sad and evil days kept the lamp of faith burning at a time when the greater part of Europe was sunk in the darkness of error. They were the descendants of those, who because of their fidelity to the national faith fell under the ruthless hands of the invader, and were today lying in the dust of centuries beneath the shadow of the round towers and ivy clad abbeys, which in the days of their symmetrical proportions as well as in the beauty of their decay, attest the genius, piety, and heroism of our ancestors. Wither so ever they gazed at that moment, they beheld the children of their race scattered over the earth 'far as the breeze can soar or ocean foam.' They had wandered having with them in all their journeyings that undying love and affection that breaths and burns in their souls for Ireland's fidelity in the cause of God and native land.
At the conclusion of a most eloquent discourse the Right Reverend preacher exhorted the congregation to make an effort to free the church from any debt, and wished them all long life and prosperity.
At the conclusion of the sermon a subscription was taken up the following being the result: -
Revs. Monsignor O'Donovan and Father O'Donnell, 2 guineas each; James Carroll, H. Hardwick, Roger Gleeson, Wm. Egan, 3 guineas Mrs. W. Egan, James Power, 2 guineas each; T. H. Marks and Co., 1 guinea; Mrs. James Mara, J. P. Flanagan, Thomas Hughes, Maurice Flanagan, Mrs. Devitt, John Lane, Wm. McDermott, John Halpin, Peter Mara, James J. Carroll, A. G. Rheinberger, 1 pound each; Thomas P. Carroll, Miss M. Flynn, 10s 6d each; Anthony Dwyer, Michael Quinlan, John Quinlan, John Meaney, J. D. Young, John Hyland, Mrs. J. J. Carroll, Mrs. James Carroll, James Lynch, Mrs. Flanagan, John Riley, John Fitzpatrick, Mrs. John Lane, Thomas Gleeson, James Egan, Mrs. Susan Mara, Thomas Lane, George Robinson, 10s each; Daniel Gleeson, 7s 6d; John Egan, 5s 6d; Mrs. E. Hyland, 6s 6d; Michael Fitzpatrick; Timothy Fitzpatrick, P. Power, Mrs. Smith, James Hogan, Wm. Gleeson, Peter Lynch, Miss Lynch, Mr. Donnellan, Thomas Meaney, Mrs. John Hyland, Frank McDermott, James Mara, Mrs. Field, Patrick Halpin, Mrs. Martin, Wm. Lennox, Wm. Riley, Patrick Gleeson, Mrs. E. J. Gamgee, Joseph Gleeson, Miss M. Egan, E. Gallagher, Mrs. T. Riley, Adolphus Barton, George Robinson, jun., Patrick Curran, Miss K. Kane, Widow Mahon, Miss Maggie Egan, Miss E. Egan, Mrs. Hyland, James Robinson, Mrs. James Robinson, Mrs. Marskell, Mrs. Campbell, Mrs. Berryman, Mrs. Albert King, Miss Clarke, Miss A. Friel, 5s each.
John Smith, Mrs. Halpin, 4s 6d each.
James Willougby, P. Gallagher, 4s each.
James Hogan, jun., 3s 6d.
Miss K. Meaney, M. Connolly, 3s each.
Miss O'Hare, Miss E. Egan, William McDermott, Miss M. Kennedy, Miss Willoughby, Miss F. Lynch, Mary Halpin, Miss M. Mara, Miss Kathleen Egan, Michael McDermott, Chas. Robinson, Archie King, Mrs. James Hogan, Patrick Flanagan, Mrs. Quinlan, Miss Bridget O'Connor, Mrs. Dan Riley, Thomas Robinson, John Hair, 2s 6d each.
John Mara, Miss Bridget Halpin, Miss Rose Egan, Allan Mara, James Martin, 2s each.
Six 1s subscriptions. -
Total, £58 2s 6d2
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