Our Lady Of Montserrat History
This church, built in 1936, was opened by Lord Abbot Anselm Catalan on 26th April 1936. It was the culmination of the dream and foresight of the Parish Priest, Rev Fr Plaaas, who arrived in 1923. The architects were Cavanagh, Cavanagh & Tracey of Perth who had original drawings by Fr (later Abbot) Gusi OSB. Up to this time there had been no Catholic Church in Southern Cross, with Mass being celebrated in an un-named hall, later to be called St Joseph’s Hall and, still later, the Sacred Heart Hall. Of the £845 raised in Spain, Fr Planas’ family donated £570. The final cost of the church was £2000. It was named Our Lady of Montserrat St Mary’s Church, after the Patron of Barcelona, in gratitude for the money raised there. The face bricks inside the building came from the Maori Lass Mine near Southern Cross. The first Parish Priest to come to Southern Cross in 1896 was Fr William Prendergast and the first Baptism was solemnised on 14th June the same year. Succeeding priests were Frs Wilfred Hampson, Gerald Griffin and Richard O’Neill. Our Lady of Montserrat sits on relatively high ground and is a prominent building in town.
