Parliament hears of church opening

Member for Gosford Ms Marie Andrews has told State Parliament about the official opening of the new St John the Baptist Church at Woy Woy on November 18.

She said a "Welcome to Country" was given by the Mingaletta community.

"Representing the Gu-ring-gai people, Aboriginal elder Ray McMinn and his children Stuart, Justin, Rachael, Gerard and Meggan and grandson Rheece, performed the smoking ceremony of greeting and cleansing," Ms Andrews said.

"This was followed by two dances - a welcome dance, Jalamar, and a spiritual dance, Bulyar, with Ray explaining the significance of the ceremonies.

"The solemn dedication was attended by hundreds of parishioners who were delighted to see in attendance Bishop Michael Malone, Catholic Bishop of Maitland-Newcastle and a former parish priest of East Gosford, as well as a number of former assistant priests of the Woy Woy Parish, Fr Michael McCarthy; Fr John O'Connor MSC; Fr Brian Moloney and Fr Geoff Bugden.

"In the spirit of ecumenism, representatives of other Christian denominations in the area also attended: suffragan bishop for the Central Coast in the Anglican Diocese of Newcastle Bishop Graeme Rutherford, Anglican Rector Reverend Penny Jones and her husband, general secretary of the New South Wales Council of Churches the Reverend Jonathan Inkpin, Pastor Bob Hooper, formerly of Ettalong Baptist Church, and the new Minister in Broken Bay at the Umina-Ettalong Uniting Church Parish, the Reverend Narelle Penman.

Ms Andrews, in acknowledging that the new church was a "far cry" from the original St John the Baptist Church officially opened by Archbishop Kelly of Sydney on August 23, 1914, said that the new church was "very striking" and was certainly a landmark on the Woy Woy Peninsula.

Ms Andrews congratulated the Catholic Parish of the Woy Woy Peninsula on the opening of the new church and expressed the hope that the Parish would "continue to grow and prosper well into the future".

"Much of the credit for the new church must go to members of the Parish Building Committee, which comprised parish priest Father John Hill, chairman Patrick Donnellan, Phillip Clarkson; Lynette Dwyer; Cathy Cavanagh; Arthur Gapps and Father John Wakeling, the assistant parish priest."

Ms Andrews also acknowledged members of the Parish Council; the architect, the builders; the sanctuary furniture carver; the stained glass designer and the piped organ builder for their contributions to the new church.

Press release, 17 Dec 2007 Marie Andrews, Member for Gosford