April AtoZ Challenge Conquered

Over the last few years I have taken up the April AtoZ Blogging Challenge several times.

As I did in 2023 I participated in  the challenge on my personal blog jillballau. My topic Gods' Houses may be of interest to my genimates so I am posting a list of links to my 26 posts published in April below. I hope you enjoy some of my travel snaps.

 
A-Z Blogging Challenge 2024: A is for Altars


A-Z Blogging Challenge 2024: B is for Buddhas, Books and Bells


A-Z Blogging Challenge 2024: God's Houses - C is for Candles and Crucifixes


A-Z Blogging Challenge 2024: D is for Domes and Dragons


A-Z Blogging Challenge 2024: E is for Entrances and Exits


A-Z Blogging Challenge 2024: F is for Fonts and Flowers


A-Z Blogging Challenge 2024: G is for Gold


A-Z Blogging Challenge 2024: H is for Holy Men and Women


A-Z Blogging Challenge 2024: Gods Houses - I is for Information


A-Z Blogging Challenge 2024: J is for Jesus and Joss Sticks


A-Z Blogging Challenge 2024: K is for Kneelers and Kneeling


A-Z Blogging Challenge 2024: L is for Let there be Light


A-Z Blogging Challenge 2024: M is for Mosques and Minarets


A-Z Blogging Challenge 2024: N is for Naves


A-Z Blogging Challenge 2024: O is for Organs and Offerings


A-Z Blogging Challenge 2024: P is for Pagodas and Pulpits


A-Z Blogging Challenge 2024: Q is for Quaint and Quirky


A-Z Blogging Challenge 2024: R is for Religious Art


A-Z Blogging Challenge 2024: S is for Spires and Steeples


A-Z Blogging Challenge 2024: T is for Tombs


A-Z Blogging Challenge 2024: U is for Unique and Upclose


A-Z Blogging Challenge 2024: V is for A-Z Blogging Challe Virgin Mary


A-Z Blogging Challenge 2024: W is for Windows


A-Z Blogging Challenge 2024: X is for eXteriors


A-Z Blogging Challenge 2024: Y is for Yellow


A-Z Blogging Challenge 2024: Z is for Zakynthos, Zakopane, Zanzibar and Zayatsky

Phipps Connection

Wandering down Old Street in London yesterday we came across LSO St Lukes, the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, a deconsecrated church which is surrounded by a garden with seats. As I was footsore we stopped in to give my legs some R&R. 

I thought St Lukes, Old Street sounded familiar and then a penny dropped. It was the parish in which my Phipps ancestors resided in the late 18th and early 19th Centuries. Some 4x great relations were even baptised in the now deconsecrated Church.

St Lukes, Old Street

After our rest we continued walking towards the Covid Testing Centre to complete the requirements for our impending cruise.

Quipolly Cemetery

On one of our country drives last weekend we called in at the delightful St Chad's Anglican Church and Cemetery in Quipolly, NSW. 

While there I spent about half an hour snapping pictures of the site and headstones vowing to come back and finish the job on my next visit. I discovered that the cemetery now known as Quipolly Cemetery is still active being managed by the Liverpool Plains Council.

I had intended posting my images to FindaGrave as I didn't think anyone would have photographed that cemetery. Well I was wrong. Someone named Grace had already posted many headstone images to FindaGrave. I was able to add a few that showed the church and its sign. When we visited it had been raining so many of the headstones that are unclear in Grace's images were clearer in my images due to their recent wash. I have added a few of these and will continue to add those of mine that are easier to read. 

Here are a few of my snaps.

From the Archives - There's one in every family!

 Reposting this entry from 29 November 2010.

One of the photos from the original post is missing and some of the links are broken.  Since 2010 there have been three more family baptisms and one funeral at St Mary's. 

Monday, November 29, 2010

"There's one in every family!" or "6 Baptisms, 5 Weddings and a Funeral"

 I have been scratching my head as I wonder who or what to write about for the 100th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy.  After much ruminating I am writing about a place significant to our family history. I had previously blogged about St. Mary's in July and, as the Carnival creates an opportunity for my post to reach a wider audience, I am going to embellish and repost for the Carnival.

Our children have all been baptised and married at St Mary the Virgin Anglican Church in Waverley, NSW. The Church has also been the venue for some of our grandchildren's baptisms and the funerals of other family members.

St Mary the Virgin is an historic church in Birrell Street, Waverley . There is a short history of the Church at the Waverley Council website. A book on the history of the Church, Through the archway of the years : St. Mary's Church, Waverley, N.S.W., 1864-1964, can be found in the National Library of Australia. A list of the clergy who have served at St. Mary's can be found on the Church site.

The Church was designed by Edmund Blacket, a prominent Victorian architect and personal friend of the first rector, Stanley Mitchell. Blacket, who became the official Colonial Architect 1849-1854, was responsible for the design of many 19th century sandstone buildings in Sydney including St Andrew's Cathedral. 

St Mary's circa 1900 (Powerhouse collection)

  St Mary's foundation stone was laid on June 6th, 1863 and the Church was dedicated on May 13th, 1864. Additions and modifications have been made to the Church during the past 150 years.  The Church and Organ are listed on the NSW State Heritage Register and the Church on The Register of the National Estate.

1983 St. Mary's Christmas Pageant - Rev Terry Dicks and children including my four as angels and Joseph

In recent times our family has celebrated significant occasions at St. Mary's Anglican Church Waverley. A peek at the tags in my digital family album shows that I have several hundred photographs tagged St Mary's. As well as hatches, matches and dispatches there are photos of social events, confirmations, Christmas pageants and Sunday School events. The picture on the header of this blog is taken at the most recent family wedding at St. Mary's.

1986 - Confirmees

2009 Family Wedding - Rev Beth Spence

2009 Family Christening - Rev Michael Spence

 St Mary's is a happy place as described in a 2004 article in the Anglicans Together Newsletter,  St. Mary's Church, Waverley : High and Happy.

1997 Family Wedding

 More recent news of the Parish is detailed in the snippets below from http://www.stmaryswaverley.org.au/page1/page12/page12.html

St Mary's is a significant place in our family history as so many family events took place in this beautiful Church.

Church on the Hawkesbury River

We've had this painting of a "Church on the Hawkesbury River" hanging on our walls since the early 1980s when we bought it from the artist, Marge Curson, who worked at Una Voce at Lower Portland where we used to holiday with the family.

Since that time I have learnt that my ancestors lived in the Hawkesbury area and I wonder if the church was significant in our family. I realise that because of artistic licence the painting may not accurately portray an actual church but I am posting a photo of the painting in the hope that someone recognises the building.

Frustrated

Can you spot the problem with this advice on the State Library of NSW's Family History blog? 

http://statelibrarynsw-familyhistory.tumblr.com/post/154411792187/i-am-wanting-information-on-mabel-buchanan-or-any

I may be confused but I think that St James Church, Beaconsfield is in the Sydney Diocese ( http://sydneyanglicans.net/findachurch/st_james_south_sydney) so the advice given to anonymous is a bit off the mark.

Am I missing something here? If I am the one that is confused I'd love to be set straight.

Carnival of Genealogy, 108th Edition - Places of Worship

Exterior St Vincent's College Chapel

Every day during my school years at St. Vincent's College, Potts Point I was required to 'pay a visit' to the College Chapel. Woe betide any student who did not stop and make that visit on the way into school each morning. The nuns had spies somewhere who were able to identify those students who had forgotten this most important visit and there was punishment awaiting. Being a dutiful girl who was scared of the consequences that might arise from a non-visit I always dropped by to say hello to God.

I am choosing the Chapel as my place of worship for this Carnival of Genealogy as it is the place of worship with which I am most familiar.

It was the venue for my First Holy Communion and the place where I was sent with my classmates to confess our sins on a regular basis.

Geniaus and classmtes outside the College Chapel on First Communion Day

A description on the College website states: "The beautifully proportioned Neo-Gothic St Vincent's Chapel, Potts Point was solemnly dedicated on the 10th February 1902.

Interior of The St Vincent's College Chapel

While modelled on the chapel in Dublin of the Irish Sisters of Charity, it relates beautifully to its own Australian context through the use of local red brick and its sandstone trim. Many of the exquisite stained glass windows were gifted to the Chapel by students and ex-students of St Vincent's College.

There are many examples of Carrara marble statues which still grace the chapel today.

The parquetry floor provides an interesting story that reveals the importance of this chapel in the period of the Second World War as it was paid for by American forces situated locally who needed altar breads."

Chapel Organ

I remember singing many hymns such as "Come Holy Ghost", "Hail Queen of Heaven" and "Faith of our Fathers" to the accompaniment of the Chapel Organ during the many Benediction services we attended there.

I would like to have been married in that chapel rather than my parish church but the Sisters of Charity had not woken up the the commercial possibilities of hiring it out as a wedding chapel at that time. My younger cousin, also an ex-student, was married there; it is a beautiful venue for a wedding.


A Sydney Wedding site describes the Chapel: "The Chapel at St Vincent's College in Potts Point is a lovely wedding venue. It is an old style chapel with a high ceiling and lovely interior features. There is a loft area for an aerial view and also an outdoor area large enough for mingling and group shots.".


Although I may appear a trifle cynical I loved that Chapel. It was a pretty, peaceful place that was a constant in the lives of we growing girls. It was somewhere I visited regularly from age 5 until 16.


This post was prepared for The Carnival of Genealogy, 108th Edition

"There's one in every family!" or "6 Baptisms, 5 Weddings and a Funeral"

 I have been scratching my head as I wonder who or what to write about for the 100th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy.  After much ruminating I am writing about a place significant to our family history. I had previously blogged about St. Mary's in July and, as the Carnival creates an opportunity for my post to reach a wider audience, I am going to embellish and repost for the Carnival.

Our children have all been baptised and married at St Mary the Virgin Anglican Church in Waverley, NSW. The Church has also been the venue for some of our grandhildren's baptisms and the funerals of other family members.


St Mary the Virgin is an historic church in Birrell Street, Waverley . There is a short history of the Church at the Waverley Council website. A book on the history of the Church, Through the archway of the years : St. Mary's Church, Waverley, N.S.W., 1864-1964, can be found in the National Library of Australia. A list of the clergy who have served at St. Mary's can be found on the Church site.

The Church was designed by Edmund Blacket, a prominent Victorian architect and personal friend of the first rector, Stanley Mitchell. Blacket, who became the official Colonial Architect 1849-1854, was responsible for tthe design of many 19th century sandstone buildings in Sydney including St Andrew's Cathedral. 

St Mary's circa 1900 (Powerhouse collection)

  St Mary's foundation stone was laid on June 6th, 1863 and the Church was dedicated on May 13th, 1864. Additions and modifications have been made to the Church during the past 150 years.  The Church and Organ are listed on the NSW State Heritage Register andthe Church on The Register of the National Estate.

1983 St. Mary's Christmas Pageant - Rev Terry Dicks and children including my four as angels and Joseph

In recent times our family has celebrated significant occasions at St. Mary's Anglican Church Waverley. A peek at the tags in my digital family album shows that I have several hundred photographs tagged St Mary's. As well as hatches, matches and dispatches there are photos of social events, confirmations, Christmas pageants and Sunday School events. The picture on the header of this blog is taken at the most recent family wedding at St. Mary's.

1986 - Confirmees

2009 Family Wedding - Rev Beth Spence

2009 Family Christening - Rev Michael Spence

St Mary's Organ

 St Mary's is a happy place as described in a 2004 article in the Anglicans Together Newsletter,  St. Mary's Church, Waverley : High and Happy

1997 Family Wedding

 More recent news of the Parish is detailed in the snippets below from http://www.stmaryswaverley.org.au/page1/page12/page12.html

St Mary's is a significant place in our family history as so many family events took place in this beautiful Church.

 

6 Baptisms, 5 Weddings and a Funeral

1983 St. Mary's Christmas Pageant - Rev Terry Dicks and children including my three angels and Joseph

In recent times our family has celebrated significant occasions at St. Mary's Anglican Church Waverley. A peek at the tags in my digital family album shows that I have several hundred photographs tagged St Mary's. As well as hatches, matches and dispatches there are photos of social events, Christmas pageants and Sunday School events. The picture on the header of this blog is taken of the most recent family wedding at St. Mary's.

2009 Family Wedding - Rev Beth Spence

2009 Family Christening - Rev Michael Spence

St Mary the Virgin is an historic Blackett church in Birrell Street, Waverley . There is a short history of the Church at the Waverley Council website. A book on the history of the Church, Through the archway of the years : St. Mary's Church, Waverley, N.S.W., 1864-1964, can be found in the National Library of Australia. A list of the clergy who have served at St. Mary's can be found on the Church site. St Mary's has a strong tradition of music that is enhanced by the Gern organ that is listed on the NSW State Heritage List.

St Mary's Organ

 St Mary's is a happy place as described in a 2004 article in the Anglicans Together Newsletter,  St. Mary's Church, Waverley : High and Happy

1997 Family Wedding

 More recent news of the Parish is detailed in the snippets below from http://www.stmaryswaverley.org.au/page1/page12/page12.html

St Mary's is a significant place in our family history as so many family events took place in this beautiful Church.

 

Jack's hat off to St Christopher | Rockhampton News | Local News in Rockhampton | Rockhampton Morning Bulletin

Jack's hat off to St Christopher | Rockhampton News | Local News in Rockhampton | Rockhampton Morning Bulletin

Posted using ShareThis

Wallerawang Branch Library: St Johns Church - Wallerawang NSW Australia

Just came across this story of a beautiful old church in a small country town.

Wallerawang Branch Library: St Johns Church - Wallerawang NSW Australia

Posted using ShareThis

Historic Ebenezer Church - bicentenary in 2009

Congratulations to Australia's oldest Church at Ebenezer that will be hosting bicentenary celebrations this weekend. More details from this link.

Historic Ebenezer Church - bicentenary in 2009

Posted using ShareThis