No. 1657 - Snug - St Mary's Catholic Church (1968)
Snug is situated on the Channel Highway, approximately 25 kilometres south of Hobart. The name is believed to have come from sailors who found 'snug' anchorage for their ships. The earliest settler, John Dunn (1790-1861), took up a land grant on ‘Snug River’ in 1837. Around the 1840s and 1850s a small settlement was established at what was then called “The Snug” or “Snug River”
The focus of this article is on the third Catholic church built at Snug in 1968. The first church [See No 1649] was replaced by a new church in 1897 [See No 1653] which was lost in the 1967 bushfires which swept across southern Tasmania and destroying over two dozen churches and taking 64 lives.
Snug’s third Catholic church, also dedicated to St Mary, was rebuilt in record time. It opened on Wednesday 13 December 1967, 10 months after the bushfires.
The church’s opening and dedication was an interdenominational service led by Archbishop Guilford Young and accompanied by Anglican Bishop Dr R E Davis. It had been intended that the new church would be used by both the Catholic and Anglican communities but this proved to be only a temporary arrangement when the Anglicans elected to build a new church in 1969 to replace St John’s [See No. 1651] which was also lost in the fires.
The new St Mary’s was a ‘Semac’ modular building which enabled its rapid construction at a relatively low cost of $12 000. The furnishings of the church came from a variety of sources and reflects the community spirit and generosity in response to the devastating fires. The new altar was made by students from Taroona High School while a crucifix, which had been destined for a church in Vietnam, was donated by the Anglicans. Kneelers were provided by St Aloysius Catholic church at Kingston and vestments were provided by an Adelaide convent. The altar linen was sent from nuns in Queensland. The only items from the old church were its bell and brass candlesticks.
After the fire the salvaged church bell was hung on a pylon on the town’s oval, which had become the site of a temporary village for survivors of the fires. Here it was rung each Sunday to summon the faithful of all denominations. The bell was later removed to St Aloysius for that church’s centenary celebrations. It was then taken to the Channel Heritage Museum. Finally in 2017, 50 years after the fires, St Mary’s bell was rehung outside the church as a symbol of the communities faith and resilience.
Sources:
The Mercury, 14 December 1967
Gardam, Julie. The Snug : a history of the Snug-Electrona-Coningham area [Snug, Tasmania] 2015
Southerwood, W. T., 1938-. Priceless heritage : the Tasmanian Catholic community 1772-2010 / by W. T. Southerwood Stella Maris Books St. Leonards, Tas. 2010
Channel Heritage Centre - Interpretation signage at the site of the church.
The focus of this article is on the third Catholic church built at Snug in 1968. The first church [See No 1649] was replaced by a new church in 1897 [See No 1653] which was lost in the 1967 bushfires which swept across southern Tasmania and destroying over two dozen churches and taking 64 lives.
Snug’s third Catholic church, also dedicated to St Mary, was rebuilt in record time. It opened on Wednesday 13 December 1967, 10 months after the bushfires.
The church’s opening and dedication was an interdenominational service led by Archbishop Guilford Young and accompanied by Anglican Bishop Dr R E Davis. It had been intended that the new church would be used by both the Catholic and Anglican communities but this proved to be only a temporary arrangement when the Anglicans elected to build a new church in 1969 to replace St John’s [See No. 1651] which was also lost in the fires.
The new St Mary’s was a ‘Semac’ modular building which enabled its rapid construction at a relatively low cost of $12 000. The furnishings of the church came from a variety of sources and reflects the community spirit and generosity in response to the devastating fires. The new altar was made by students from Taroona High School while a crucifix, which had been destined for a church in Vietnam, was donated by the Anglicans. Kneelers were provided by St Aloysius Catholic church at Kingston and vestments were provided by an Adelaide convent. The altar linen was sent from nuns in Queensland. The only items from the old church were its bell and brass candlesticks.
After the fire the salvaged church bell was hung on a pylon on the town’s oval, which had become the site of a temporary village for survivors of the fires. Here it was rung each Sunday to summon the faithful of all denominations. The bell was later removed to St Aloysius for that church’s centenary celebrations. It was then taken to the Channel Heritage Museum. Finally in 2017, 50 years after the fires, St Mary’s bell was rehung outside the church as a symbol of the communities faith and resilience.
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| St Mary's Catholic Church |
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| The altar was made by students at Taroona High School |
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| St Mary's Catholic Church - Photo credit: www.churchesaustralia.org |
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| Photograph credit: Channel Museum - Facebook page - posted 26 August 1916 |
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| Photograph credit: Channel Museum - Facebook page - posted 26 August 1916 |
The Mercury, 14 December 1967
Gardam, Julie. The Snug : a history of the Snug-Electrona-Coningham area [Snug, Tasmania] 2015
Southerwood, W. T., 1938-. Priceless heritage : the Tasmanian Catholic community 1772-2010 / by W. T. Southerwood Stella Maris Books St. Leonards, Tas. 2010
Channel Heritage Centre - Interpretation signage at the site of the church.
https://www.facebook.com/KingstonChannelParish
https://www.churchesaustralia.org/
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