Churches

Our Lady of Consolation & St Patrick, Yungaburra

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.

PDF of latest Sunday bulletin

Parish Office: 5 Monash Ave, Malanda; ph (07) 4096 5156.

The Malanda Parish sacramental registers and most office functions are handled in the Atherton Parish Office, 28 Mabel Street, Atherton: ph (07) 4046 5200.

This church was dedicated on 26 April 1914 to Our Lady of Consolation, by which title St Mary is the principle patron of the Augustinians who were 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 church was mistakely listed in the directory as St Patrick. This led to speculation that the name had been changed formerly. However, changing a church’s dedication is strictly forbidden, unless in rare circumstances to a saint of a higher rank, with the original saint then as secondary patron. A church dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus, can never be demoted to that of a lower ranked saint. Use of the correct title, Our Lady of Consolation, has been restored but the historical circumstances have 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.