St Mary’s Parish gearing up for historic milestone

The Bishop of the Sandhurst Diocese Shane McKindlay will visit St Mary’s Parish on December 15 and will lead Sunday mass and officially open the anniversary festivities.

However, the real celebratory events won’t begin until the weekend of Friday, May 24 and Sunday, May 25, 2025.

There will be a mass followed by dinner at Moama Bowling Club on Saturday and there will be a mass at St Mary’s School Echuca on Sunday morning followed by a carnival and gathering for families outside afterwards.

While the anniversary is a significant milestone for the parish and Catholic community in the area, St Mary’s Parish priest Fr Novie Lim wants everybody in the broader community to be involved.

“We want to invite people who have been contributing to Echuca’s Catholic community as well as people who have contributed outside the Catholic community as well,” he said.

“It’s not just a Catholic celebration but for us, we want it to be a whole town celebration.”

Fr Novie highlighted that the anniversary gave the parish opportunities to acknowledge and thank the various groups that had aided in the parish’s growth and development.

“I think for me, we wanted to celebrate this milestone because it is a big deal, but it’s also a way for us to give thanks for the significant contributions of everyone in the development of our parish in its history,” he said.

“We want to thank the Augustinians; they were the parishioners and leaders of this area who provided pastoral leadership for many years, and also want to acknowledge the Brigidine sisters who founded and ran the Catholic schools we have in this area, St Mary’s and St Joseph’s.

“We must thank the priests of the Diocese of Sandhurst, who continue to shepherd the flock in this region.

“Our parish wouldn’t be able to function without the help of the volunteers and contributors who have aided in the growth and development of the Catholic community in Echuca.”