 ('The Friday Ladies') Just before the Shrine was finished, one of the burning issues for Fr Ciantar our, then, Parish Priest was who could he get to clean it on a regular basis, how much might it cost and how would the Parish ever afford it? He decided to ask some Ladies of the Parish if they would consider forming a group to do the job. They agreed and so The Church Cleaning Ladies – or as they are more commonly known – The Friday Ladies came into existence. That was back in 1967 and some of the ladies also took on the task of doing the flowers for weddings and other special occasions.
Successive Parish Priests have continued to support the Ladies by offering lunch and, all told, about 60 Ladies have been part of The Friday Ladies since 1967; with some originals still there although now in their 80s.
There has never been a roster. The Ladies simply come if they can; after the 9.20 Mass on Friday mornings. They also pitch in and do whatever needs to be done to keep the Shrine sparkling clean; with fresh floral arrangements for weddings and festive occasions. Then, after the cleaning jobs have been done they go across to the Presbytery for lunch and, if one of them is having a birthday, a cake to celebrate the occasion.
If you would like to be part of our special ministry and share Friday lunch with us, we would welcome you enthusiastically.
Christine Court.
Phone: 9548 2626 Email: acourt77@gmail.com
Church Cleaning
Friday mornings around ten, the cleaning angels appear. The kneelers go up, stray papers collected, Whether sweeping a floor or dusting a pew They tackle the job with genuine pleasure |
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