At a glance
We have three churches, St James, Malanda (map), Our Lady of Consolation & St Patrick, Yungaburra (map), and St Rita of Cascia, Millaa Millaa (map).
For liturgy times.
Parish Office: 5 Monash Ave, Malanda; ph (07) 4096 5156.
The Malanda Parish registers of Baptism and Confirmation are now kept in the Atherton Parish Office, and several office functions are undertaken there: ph (07) 4091 1125.
This church was dedicated on 26 April 1914 to Our Lady of Consolation, by which title St Mary is one of the three principle patrons of the Augustinians who were then in charge of the Vicariate Apostolic of Cooktown (now the Diocese of Cairns).
The bell erected on Pentecost Sunday, 31 May 1925, was dedicated to St Patrick in commemoration of the recently deceased parish priest (in Herberton), Fr Patrick Doyle OSA. Confusion emerged 23 years later when the original dedication of the church appears to have been forgotten, and the mistakely listed the church in the directory under the only other known name, St Patrick. This later led to speculation that the name had been formerly change. However, changing a church’s dedication is strictly forbidden, unless in rare circumstances to a saint of a higher rank, and then usually retaining the original saint as secondary patron. A church dedicated to Mary the mother of Jesus Christ can never be demoted. Use of the correct title, Our Lady of Consolation, has been restored but the historical circumstances have in effect added St Patrick as secondary patron.
Adding to the confusion, the Conservation Plan published in October 1999 mistakenly said the original dedication was to Our Lady of Ransom, whence it was accepted into the Queensland Heritage register; that name has never been used.