Sacred Heart Wodonga is now open and ready for business... or prayer, rather! The church was closed on Easter Monday 2009 for renovations of both the interior and exterior, which was warmly welcomed by parishioners, young and old, new and life-long. The church was built in the 1960's/70's and after decades, time was taking its toll - both in aesthetics and general wear and tear.
On Saturday 12th December, the doors were once again reopen for the Vigil Mass of the Third Sunday of Advent, followed by an invitation to come and check out the new presbytery adjoining St. Augustine's Church (which the three priests only moved into over Friday and Saturday!) while the official opening and blessing will be over January 30th and 31st, officiated by the Bishop of the Sandhurst Diocese, Bishop Joe Grech.
All I can say is... WOW! What they have done to Sacred Heart is amazing! It is much brighter, much warmer looking and where everything is placed makes things much easier! As for the presbytery, once a convent, it has sat there unused for quite some time, giving off quite a derelict appearance if only you could see over the fence. Now it is fully renovated and looking just like a newly built home!
There are many rooms - quite the maze - with plenty of bedrooms for the three priests and guests. Upstairs also has a nice room with just window panels and slats for ventilation which would make a lovely summer room to sit and relax, read a book, or even put a table and some chairs in to share a meal. There has also been an extension so it adjoins the church with easy access inside for the priests. Perhaps if he gets sick of his parishioners, he can even slip out and go back home!
Overall I give the effort put in to this project a total thumbs up! It wasn't a half-assed attempt at making things look nice, but a major overhaul of the two sites! St. Augustine's was not left out of the loop though by all means. Though I have not yet been in there, work has also been done to make it more welcoming and safe. It is the older of the two churches, built sometime in the latter 1800's, though it has of course kept its original character and charm of a traditional Catholic Church. Sacred Heart on the other hand is by no means "traditional" so there is nothing the same there!
A job well done! I am only sad that this has all come to fruition after I have moved to this side of the border and not while I was still in Wodonga!
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