After 153 years of providing faithful worship and support to the Avenel community and district, St Paul’s Anglican Church was closed for the last time to services on Sunday, December 14.
This was a sad occasion for the folk of the small township of Avenel, who had attended the church over many years and whose families had been connected with it.
The foundation stone of the original church was laid by Bishop Charles Parry, the first Bishop of Melbourne, before it opened for worship in November 1872.
The current church building was consecrated on Wednesday, April 1, 1914, by Bishop Thomas Armstrong of Wangaratta, with a congregation of 140.
After being under the oversight of the Parish of Nagambie and Parish of Seymour, St Paul’s has been under the auspices of the newly formed Anglican Parish of Central Goulburn for over two decades.
The Bishop of Wangaratta, the Right Reverend Clarence Bester, presided over the service of thanksgiving and de-consecration last month.
Reverend Andre Du Plooy, the current priest of the parish, and Archdeacon Reverend Mel Clark, along with members of Seymour and Nagambie centres, took part in the readings and prayers at the ceremony.
The event was attended by many who had connections with the church, including Mary Greenshields, whose husband Reverend Alen Greenshields had been parish priest at St Paul’s from 1980 to 1996, and her son, James.
Former priests who had served at St Paul’s were also in attendance, including Reverends Norm Hart, Paul Dalziel and Richard Pennington.
In his speech, Bishop Bester stated that he had closed eight churches in the Diocese in six years: a sign of the times.
It seems inevitable that the small country church will now be sold, but it would be great if it could still be of good use to the town by serving as a museum or art gallery, featuring Avenel’s rich history, or converted into a beautiful home — not some commercial enterprise.
Having been a parishioner of St Paul’s in the 1980s and a member of its Parish of Seymour, and then Central Goulburn, as well as a member of the Anglican Central Goulburn Mother’s Union for 48 years, I say thank you to all who supported St Paul’s with their faithfulness and love over the years.
35°C