The Harden Murrumburrah community will celebrate the 150th birthday of one of its historic Catholic churches with a musical concert which everyone is invited to attend.
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The concert to celebrate the sesquicentenary of the Parish St Mary’s, Murrumburrah, will be held in its Harden sister church St Anthony’s at 2 pm on Sunday, 21 October.
The Australian Rugby Choir with more than 40 male voices will travel from Canberra to feature at the concert.
Other performers will include Drew Ashley, also from Canberra, who will perform songs from the Phantom of the Opera and Frank Sinatra.
Hilltops soprano Julie O’Connor, musical director of the Australian Rugby Choir Rachel Campbell, teenage singer and performer Harry Cleverdon, The Trinity School choir and the Butt family with Greg Jamieson and Oscar Smith will also perform
Julie O’Connor and Rachel Campbell have also promised ‘something special’ for the concert goers.
All members of the community are welcome and entry is by gold coin donation, with all proceeds going to the farmer’s drought appeal. This promises to be a wonderful afternoon of entertainment.
St Mary’s has a very interesting history. The then Bishop of Goulburn William Lanigan blessed and laid the foundation stone of St Mary’s Church on September 27, 1868.
In the late-1800s priests travelled on Saturday by train from Cootamundra to celebrate Sunday Mass, returning home the following day.
With the increase in the Catholic population, St Mary’s was extended in 1895 with 14 ft of stonework added to the original aisle and the massive granite bell tower built.
The additions were funded in the main from a bequest by an Irish resident Mrs James Murray.
The stone was quarried at Demondrille and carted with bullock teams, and horses and drays by John Shea.
A parish lunch in September and an Anniversary Mass in November will also be held to mark this historic occasion.