St John's in Orford will hold its final service this Sunday, becoming the third Catholic church in Moyne Shire to hold its final mass this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Port Fairy and Koroit parish priest Father Bill van de Camp said it was due to declining congregation numbers.
"The numbers are not what they used to be," he said.
The service in Orford will be held at 10.30am on Sunday.
Fr van de Camp said he wasn't sure how many people would attend the Orford service because it was a small community.
About 200 people attended St Joseph’s Church Hawkesdale last Sunday for the church’s final mass.
Hawkesdale’s Anne-Maree Huglin said the service drew a number of previous parishioners along to the church.
“While there was a tinge of sadness, it was more of a celebration,” she said.
Fr van de Camp held the mass and was joined by previous parish priest Fr Tom Brophy.
Mrs Huglin said parishioners only found out in December that masses would be stopping at the church.
She said the small congregation at Hawkesdale would meet to discuss what to do in the future.
She said in the meantime there were Catholic services at Penshurst and Koroit which parishioners could attend.
Fr van de Camp said it was a great gathering at Hawkesdale on Sunday.
"I thought it was wonderful," he said.
He said there was only one mass per month being held at St Joseph's Hawkesdale before services ceased.
Fr van de Camp said he predicted parishioners from Hawkesdale would go to services in Koroit or Penshurst.
The Catholic church in Yambuk also held its final service in early February.
Fr van de Camp said six to eight people had regularly attended the Yambuk services.
He said the ageing Catholic Church buildings would eventually be put on the market.
“In the long run we will be closing those properties and selling them off,” he said.
He said while parishioners didn’t want to lose their churches they were consulted prior to the decisions and were understanding.
Meanwhile, Fr van de Camp said he will retire in May.
He has been parish priest at Koroit and Port Fairy for the past 11 years.
Fr van de Camp will hold the final mass at Orford on Sunday morning.
Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.
