ST CANUTE’S CHURCH
STREAKY BAY CATHOLIC
PAUL SCOTT
This rather grainy photograph shows the Church with its main axis in a north – south direction. As usual, we shall use liturgical directions to describe this Church, with the sanctuary in an Easterly direction (capital E).
The photograph shows that the Church has a tower at the West end, and has transepts unusually forming a T-shape with the nave.
A brief history of the Church is given below. However, if you want to begin your tour of the Cathedral immediately, tap / click on START . You can also access intermediate points in the tour by a tap / click on the following links:
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HISTORY
St Canute’s centenary Jarrad Delaney (October 11, 2012)
Catholics and other Christians from around the Eyre Peninsula and beyond gathered in Streaky Bay on September 30 [2012] for the Centenary Mass of St Canute’s Catholic Church.
Around 200 people attended the centenary mass, celebrants were Bishop Greg O’Kelly, Bishop of Port Pirie Diocese and Bishop Creslaw Kozon, Bishop of Copenhagen in Denmark.
The Bishops were assisted by Streaky Bay parish priest Father John Folkman and visiting priests Father Lawrie Quinn of Burra and former parish priest of Streaky Bay Father Chris O’Neil from Quorn. Other clergy present were Reverend Steve Davis and Reverend Ted Horne of the Anglican Church.
Bishop Kozon brought with him an icon of St Canute, who is the patron Saint of Denmark, as a gift to St Canute’s Church and its parishioners. Danish priest Fr Peder Jorgensen, who was based out of Port Lincoln and was parish priest of all the West Coast, founded the church in 1912. Fr Jorgensen served towns as far as Fowlers Bay and was assisted by other priests.
The mass started at 10.30am, followed by a blessing of the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes on the church grounds, with guests gathering for a celebratory luncheon in the Flinders Room at the Streaky Bay Community Hotel Motel soon afterwards.
Bishop O’Kelly said grace and gave a blessing to the meal, and a centenary cake made by Judy Alexander was cut by Pat Kenny, the oldest parishioner present. Fr Folkman said it was great to see so many Christians attending the celebratory mass. “Great to see the faith of the local District, with Catholics from all over the State and the Archdiocese of Port Pirie, as well as Christians of all persuasions,” he said. “It’s also a tremendous honour to have Bishop Creslaw Kozon here today, bringing with him knowledge of the church’s founder, Fr Jorgensen.” Fr Jorgensen’s service in Australia was an interesting occurrence, as during the early 20th century Danish priests rarely left Denmark, as there were few Catholics in the predominately Lutheran country. Bishop Kozon said he was happy to be in Streaky Bay for this momentous occasion. “I am very happy to be here to celebrate this connection between Australia and Denmark,” he said. “The great crowd here is a positive sign of the community continuing to share the joy.”
Bishop O’Kelly said the community celebrated the church’s centenary like a 100th birthday. “For centenaries like this, people take notice, remembering all the great things which happened here like weddings and christenings, sad events like funerals and anything else which has added to the history of this church,” he said. For some of the people there, it truly was a time to reflect on their own and their family’s history with the church.
Colleen and Gerald Beinke celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in January; they were married at St Canute’s. Colleen’s family also has a connection to church founder Fr Jorgensen, as her grandfather Mick Allen used to take the priest by horse and buggy for services in Eucla. Norrie Clarke of Streaky Bay also had a great connection to the church, as her mother Lilian Barrett (nee Montgomerie) was christened in the church when it first opened in 1912.
Streaky Bay local Murray Cook built the grotto, which was blessed after the mass. Mr Cook, who has been a Catholic since 1961, came to Streaky Bay eight years ago from Minnipa and has also added the big cross and the stone wall to the church grounds. Mr Cook said he approached the church with the idea of building the grotto and they gave their permission for it. “The grotto is there mainly to encourage people to pray and to give people another place of prayer on the church grounds,” he said. “I would like to thank all those who assisted in any way, it’s been a gradual job, taking place over the last 12 months.” Like so many other centenary celebrations this year, the people who celebrated the 100 years of St Canute’s Church went away celebrating the past and looking forward to the future.
Report from the West Coast Sentinel, 2012
https://www.westcoastsentinel.com.au/story/390856/st-canutes-centenary/
