Our Lady of the Sacred Heart to celebrate Golden Jubilee with new sanctuary window by Central Eastern Arrernte artist Kathleen Kemarre Wallace

OLSH Church will celebrate its 50th Anniversary Golden Jubilee (1969 — 2019) with the unveiling of a new sanctuary window on Saturday October 12 at 11am.

Priest of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Alice Springs, Father Asaeli Raass, pictured outside his church. Picture: AMOS AIKMAN/THE AUSTRALIAN

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church will celebrate its 50th Anniversary Golden Jubilee (1969 — 2019) with the unveiling of a new sanctuary window on Saturday October 12 at 11am.

The current stained glass window above the altar will be replaced with a work by Central Eastern Arrernte artist Kathleen Kemarre Wallace.

Commissioned mid last year by the Arrernte Catholic and Parish Council community, Father Asaeli Raass said the new work depicts the patroness of the Parish, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, but from “the spiritual and cultural worldview of the Arrernte people.”

“That’s an important part, especially for the First Nation people,” Father Raass told the Centralian Advocate.

“When they enter the Church there is something there that reflects their own theology and spirituality and altyerre [creation of the world, things in it and its eternal existence].”

Kathleen Kemarre Wallace in the early stages of the creation of Urtakwerte Atywerrenge Antherre. Image: Father Asaeli Raass

Ms Wallace presented the painting to the Church as a gift during NAIDOC Week in July on behalf of “all my Eastern Arrernte Catholic ancestors, the custodians of this land.”

“Although I have no children of my own, me and my husband Douglas have raised some 26 children over the years. I have a strong sense of my culture and Arrernte spirituality,” Ms Wallace said.

Teaching all the old stories and paintings her mother’s parents taught her, Ms Wallace said “yes wholeheartedly” to the request to paint the new glass window design as part of a desire to keep passing knowledge on to the next generation.

“When Indigenous people come to Church, they’ll know this is their place, their home,” Father Raass said.

“This is something very special and we are so looking forward to the unveiling.”

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart will celebrate 90 years of the Catholic community in Central Australia at a 10am mass on Sunday October 13.

All members of the Central Australia community are cordially invited to attend both events.