22 Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst Year in Review 2019 WORSHIP & PRAYER 150 Years for the Mass tree The town of Wahgunyah celebrated the sesquicentenary of the Wahgunyah Mass Tree on Sunday 27 October. Speeches from Mayor Bernard Gaffney and Sue Fenn, Wahgunyah Historical Society, preceeded attendees adjourning to the “Willows”, on the banks of the Murray River to enjoy a BBQ lunch, prepared by the Rutherglen Branch of the Knights of the Southern Cross. “The Mass Tree is intrinsically linked to the Wahgunyah community and the community to it. It is amazing to think that this enormous gum tree which is potentially more than 600 years old is still going as strong as ever,” Fr Brian Carey, Parish Priest of Rutherglen, said. “Over the years the big gum has served as an excellent tourist attraction in the region.” 150 years prior, Catholics in the region kept the faith alive by meeting regularly for Mass and Rosary. Mass at the time was said under a canvas tent attached to the very same tree. It was the early home of Irish migrants Mary Margaret Burrows and her husband. According to a metal plaque attached to the tree in 1946 Mrs Burrows ‘prepared the altar in her tent at this tree’. Tragically a few years later Mrs Burrows drowned in Sunday Creek which runs off the river not far from the Mass Tree which over the years also became known as the Holy Tree. Mrs Burrows’ twin sons, John and William, were the altar boys at the first Mass. They had been born in the same tent years earlier and housed the family’s belongings after they built themselves a bark hut as their main living quarters. The first Mass was also attended by settlers as well as the local Wiradjuri, who were described as kneeling reverently alongside the Irish Catholics. The first priest to offer Mass at the site was a Father James Tierney who was in charge of the Beechworth Mission at the time. His area took in the whole of the North East. Victoria became its own diocese in 1852 with the 1851 appointment of Bishop James Alipius Goold to Melbourne. In 1869 with the Gold Rush in full swing, Beechworth was considered the capital of the North East and the presence of the Kelly Gang loomed large. Fr Tierney’s journey on horseback from Beechworth to Wahgunyah went all along the river until he reached his destination. Fr Carey, a native of Beechworth was principal celebrant at the celebration in 2019. Fr Brian Carey at the Wahgunyah Mass Tree.
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