With Kilmore having just ticked over 170 years of Catholic education, Kilmore Historical Society will mark the occasion with a presentation at its first meeting of 2023.
Society president Brian Clancy will reflect on the history of Catholic education in Kilmore at the society’s meeting on Tuesday, February 7.
For the first 20 years, the Catholic church had the support of government assistance, or state aid as it was more commonly known, but in 1872, the Victorian government cut all funding for the building of denominational schools and the salaries of their teachers.
Mr Clancy said Kilmore’s St Patrick’s parish faced a crisis, but its parish priest of the time, Father Michael Farrelly, with the backing of Archbishop James Goold, opted for Kilmore to ‘go it alone’.
This was the time when they recruited the Mercy Sisters and the Marist Brothers.
Mr Clancy will reflect on the challenges for Father Farrelly – not only in recruiting the nuns and brothers, but also in building them accommodation and classrooms.
The society is looking forward to another productive year with several projects nearing completion, including the upgrading of the Father McHugh film of the 1930s.
The February 7 meeting will start at 7.30pm at the Old Kilmore Post Office, and is open to the public to attend.
The society will be open again to the public on Thursday. Any enquiries, people can email kilmorehistoricalsociety@gmail.com.
