1906
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MAITLAND-NEWCASTLE
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PARISH OF ST BERNADETTE KRAMBACH |
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FOUNDED 1906 |
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DIOCESE MAITLAND-NEWCASTLE |
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PARISH CHURCH OF ST BERNADETTE |
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| PARISH | HISTORY | CHURCH |
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 | PARISH |
| THE SMALL VILLAGE OF KRAMBACH SITS ATOP A NARROW RIDGELINE ON THE BUCKETTS WAY MIDWAY BETWEEN TAREE AND GLOUCESTER. A SINGLE MAIN STREET FOLLOWS THE RIDGE FLANKED BY BUILDINGS BUILT UP AT THE BACK TO REMAIN STABLE. IT IS AN ATTRACTIVE LITTLE SERVICE CENTRE FOR THE SURROUNDING RICH FARMLANDS. TO VIEW KRAMBACH TODAY IS TO WONDER AT ITS STATUS AS A PARISH, YET AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY KRAMBACH HAD A LARGE AND THRIVING CATHOLIC COMMUNITY WITH A SCHOOL AND CONVENT RUN BY THE JOSEPHITE SISTERS AS WELL AS A PARISH CHURCH. FOUNDED IN 1906 FROM THE PARISH OF TAREE, IT ORIGINALLY COVERED THE ENTIRE GREAT LAKES AREA DOWN TO BULAHDELAH. TODAY IT HAS SHRUNK TO KRAMBACH ITSELF AND THE LITTLE HIGHWAY TOWN OF NABIAC AND HAS BEEN EFFECTIVELY TWINNED WITH GLOUCESTER FOR SOME YEARS NOW. NEXT |
| CHURCH OF ST KILIAN, KRAMBACH |  |
| THE FIRST CHURCH AT KRAMBACH WAS A WOODEN BUILDING ON THE SITE OF THE PRESENT PARISH SCHOOL DEDICATED TO ST KILIAN. IT WAS BUILT IN 1893 AT THE SAME TIME AS THE CONVENT AND FIRST SCHOOL AND SERVED THE LOCAL COMMUNITY FOR SOME SIXTY YEARS. IN 1958 THE CHURCH WAS BLOWN DOWN IN A FREAK WIND STORM AND COMPLETELY DESTROYED. THE SITE OF THE CHURCH WAS USED TO CONSTRUCT A NEW SCHOOL AND A NEW CHURCH WAS CONSTRUCTED ALONGSIDE. NEXT |
 | CHURCH OF ST BERNADETTE, KRAMBACH |
| THE PRESENT CHURCH OF ST BERNADETTE WAS BUILT IN 1958. SITED ON ONE OF THE COMPARATIVELY FLAT PORTIONS OF KRAMBACH IT IS A LARGE AND IMPRESSIVE CHURCH SEEMINGLY OUT OF KEEPING WITH THE SIZE OF THE VILLAGE IT SERVES. IN STYLE IT IS MODERN BUT IN DESIGN TRADITIONAL CONSISTING OF A WIDE NAVE WITH AN EXTENDED NARTHEX AND A REAR SACRISTY. A LARGE CRUCIFIX ON THE WALL PROCLAIMS THE CHURCH'S MISSION WHILE A DECORATIVE PANEL IS EMBLAZONED WITH THE CHURCH'S NAME. NEXT | |
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| THE SEVERELY SIMPLE YET ELEGANT SANCTUARY SHOWS A MINIMAL RESPONSE TO THE NEW LITURGY. THE TABERNACLE RETAINS ITS PLACE OF HONOUR AND THE LOVELY MARBLE ALTAR HAS BEEN MOVED FORWARD. A WOODEN REREDOS AND BALDACHINO COMPLETE THE FURNISHINGS. A SMALL SHRINE TO ST BERNADETTE IS LOCATED AT THE BACK. |  | |
 | <<<< ONE OF THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS THAT ADORN THE WALLS. TOP STATION CHURCHES | |
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| STATION CHURCHES |
| NABIAC |
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CHURCH OF ST ISIDORE, NABIAC |
 | THE VILLAGE OF NABIAC LIES ON THE PACIFIC HIGHWAY ABOUT 13KM FROM KRAMBACH. TODAY NABIAC IS A HIGHWAY SERVICE CENTRE FOR TRAVELLERS MARKED BY SERVICE STATIONS AND FAST FOOD SHOPS. YET OFF THE HIGHWAY IT IS AN ATTRACTIVE RESIDENTIAL AREA WITH A STRONG SENSE OF COMMUNITY. NABIAC HAS BEEN A STATION OF KRAMBACH SINCE THE FOUNDATION OF THE PARISH. THE LITTLE WOODEN CHURCH OF ST ISIDORE DATES FROM THE TURN OF THE CENTURY AND CONSISTS OF A NAVE AND PORCH IN TYPICAL "GODBOX" STYLE. THE PORCH HAS A LOVELY STAINED GLASS WINDOW AND ITS GABLE CROSS IS ACTUALLY A SMALL CRUCIFIX. THE NAVE GABLE HAS A LARGE CROSS AND A SMALL PORTHOLE STYLE WINDOW. THE CHURCH HAS RECENTLY BEEN REPAINTED AND RENOVATED AND SITS IN WELL-KEPT GROUNDS REFLECTIVE OF THE LOVE OF THE COMMUNITY FOR THEIR CHURCH. TOP STATION CHURCHES HISTORIC CHURCHES |
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| HISTORIC CHURCHES | |
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| OTHER BUILDINGS | |
| KRAMBACH JOSEPHITE CONVENT |
KRAMBACH PARISH SCHOOL |
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| CONVENT OF ST JOSEPH, KRAMBACH | |||||
THREE SISTERS OF THE LOCHINVAR CONGREGATION AND THEIR SISTER GUARDIAN ARRIVED IN KRAMBACH IN 1893, THE SAME YEAR AS THE ORIGINAL ST KILIAN'S WAS BUILT, TO ESTABLISH A CONVENT AND SCHOOL. THE VENTURE WAS SUCCESSFUL AND THE SISTERS WERE TO CONTINUE TO SERVE THE SMALL COMMUNITY FOR OVER 100 YEARS UNTIL THEY WITHDREW IN 2003. THE PRESENT CONVENT WAS BUILT IN 1932. A SIMPLE DOMETSIC STYLE DWELLING NOTABLE FOR ITS APSIDAL CHAPEL EXTENDING FROM THE LEFT HAND SIDE, IT STANDS TODAY TO REMIND PEOPLE OF THE DEVOTED SERVICE GIVEN BY THE SISTERS TO THE VILLAGE AND THE PARISH.
  TOP OTHER BUILDINGS NEXT | |||||
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| PARISH SCHOOL OF ST JOSEPH, KRAMBACH | |
 | THE PRINCIPAL APOSTOLATE OF THE JOSEPHITE SISTERS WAS TO PROVIDE FOR THE EDUCATION OF THE CHILDREN OF THE DISTRICT. FOR THIS PURPOSE THEY OPENED A SCHOOL IN 1893 WITH AN INITAL ENROLLMENT OF 30 PUPILS. WHILE THE SCHOOL ALWAYS REMAINED SMALL, IT NONETHELESS LACKED NEITHER ENTHUSIASTIC STUDENTS OR WILLING TEACHERS AMONG THS SISTERS. FOLLOWING THE DESTRUCTION OF ST KILIAN'S IN 1958, A NEW SCHOOL BLOCK WAS BUILT ON THE SITE OF THE OLD CHURCH. OPENED IN 1959, ST JOSEPH'S IS TYPICAL OF MANY SMALL PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS OF THE TIME IN COMPRISING A SIMPLE CLASSROOM BLOCK, THE SISTERS SIMPLY WALKING OVER FROM THE CONVENT FOR LESSONS. ALTHOUGH CLOSED IN THE LATER 1900's, THE BUILDNG STILL STANDS WITH ITS STATUE OF THE INFANT JESUS OF THE SACRED HEART TO REMIND PEOPLE OF THE CHURCH'S LOVE OF CHILDREN AND ITS COMMITMENT TO THEIR EDUCATION. TOP OTHER BUILDINGS STATION CHURCHES HISTORIC CHURCHES |
