Save our unique Italian Australian church

The distinctive Our Lady of Pompeii Church in Yoogali has been the heart of life for the Italian-Australian people of this regional community for more than 80 years. After so many years of service, this historically significant and much-loved church needs repair – to save the unique architecture and to protect its story for future generations.

Known to many as St Mary’s, the church is located in the village of Yoogali, near Griffith in New South Wales, Australia. The building is listed on the State Heritage Register. It is a functioning Catholic church – with a parish priest, regular Masses, monthly baptisms, and the occasional wedding and funeral being performed within its ageing walls. School students from the district are frequent visitors to the church, receiving sacraments and attending special services.

Action is needed now to save the building and its historical significance. Problems with the roof and rising damp are just two issues on a long list that need to be addressed. An extensive scope of works has been completed and a major fundraising effort is now underway to pay for the church’s restoration.

Your donation will enable the church and its history to be protected. You will ensure that the church continues to be a safe venue, open and welcoming to the community and visitors, and that this unique Italian/Australian migrant story is preserved.

HISTORY

The Church dates back to 1939-1940 and is aesthetically distinctive as an example of the vernacular church design of the Veneto region, transplanted in memory to the Australian setting. Both the design and construction reflect these Italian origins and are strikingly different to traditional Australian Catholic church architecture. The unusual construction techniques, which reflect both Italian practices and the amateur skills of the local volunteer construction force, are also of technical significance. It is thought to be the oldest church constructed for the sole use of an Italian migrant community still in use in Australia.

“Our family has a proud association with the Our Lady of Pompeii Roman Catholic Church in Yoogali, going back four generations. My grandparents arrived in the region from Northern Italy in the 1920s and, with others like them, helped bring the ambitious Church project to life. My Nonna was a devoted and devout parishioner, well known in the Church community as someone who raised funds in the early days and attended Mass daily for over 50 years. The church was often a part of precious family moments such as weddings and baptisms. It is certainly a special place with historic significance, as well as being quite unique with a lovely story to tell. For more than 80 years this special Church has been a treasured part of community life, as well as an important piece of early Italian-Australian history.”

– Carolyn DeMarco (nee Negro)

Originally dedicated to the chosen Patroness of Italians in foreign lands, the church continues to have a strong connection and value to the now established Italian-Australian community. The church played a seminal role in the development of this community at a difficult period in inter-ethnic relations during the late 1930s and represents the establishment and growing cultural expression of the Italian community in Australia during this period, which contributed to the development of a multi-cultural Australia.

The building consists of a church with a meeting room attached to the rear, a bell tower to the south-east corner of the street facade and two side chapels. The walls are rubble-filled brick cavity construction rendered externally and internally. The bell tower is of mixed off-form concrete and brick construction. The timber-framed roof structure is clad with corrugated iron. Windows are Gothic-arched with a simple pattern of coloured and textured glass. A statue of the Madonna is set into the street façade.

We ask you to consider making a donation to save our special Church, out of respect for the many hardworking and generous people of the past, and for future generations of church goers and visitors to enjoy. All money raised will be applied directly to preserving this unique piece of Italian-Australian history.