About 180 people celebrated the 100-year anniversary of the blessing and dedication of St Louis’ Catholic church in Boyanup on February 10.
Vicar-general of the Bunbury diocese, Fr Tony Chiera, was the main celebrant of the anniversary Mass that was held outdoors to accommodate the large crowd.
Attendants included both current and former parishioners as well as many people who had previously lived in the area or frequently visited the church.
Reminiscent of the ceremony that took place a century ago, the local Anglican minister, Fr Kuzi Tuhura, also attended the Mass.
After Mass several baskets of rosaries, prayer cards, and miraculous medals were blessed and distributed to the congregation as a memento of the day.
Parish priest Fr Joseph Sousa, who only arrived at the parish at the end of January, said it was a wonderful occasion.
“There was a lot of work involved, but on the day itself, because it was all organised so well … everything went as planned,” he said.
“It was a really memorable day.”
Parishioner for more than 43 years Frances Duce said the event drew a larger crowd than expected, including some familiar faces.
“I met one of my old school friends who I hadn’t seen in years, which was just lovely, it was like we had never parted,” she said.
The church of St Louis was built by Alfred and Frank Peake and blessed and dedicated by Dean Smyth on February 9, 1913.
Since then it has undergone little repair work and remains structurally sound.
“It’s in good condition, and the basic structure is the same,” Fr Sousa said.
“Here and there they may have modified parts of it, but it’s in a good position at present.”
However, Mrs Duce said there was a growing problem with some “underground citizens.”
“We have a rabbit problem underneath the church … and we’ve got to try to combat that pretty soon, but other than that [the church] is in good repair,” she said.
St Louis’ church is closely affiliated with the church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception in Dardanup, located about 10 kilometres away.