HOPE25
By Tom Winterbourne for the Messenger Magazine (July 2025)
The biggest congregation seen in St Mary’s, Middle Swan, for many years packed into the church on Pentecost Sunday, 8 June, for a special Hope25 service.
About 140 people were seated in the church, with over a dozen outside, for the special service, with about 130 people taking Holy Communion.The service was conducted by The Revd Dr Ric Barrett-Lennard, himself a descendant of early setters.
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Over the period from Easter to Pentecost, almost 60 descendant families of early Swan Colony pioneers, many of whom are buried at St Mary’s and All Saints’ in Henley Brook, provided a history and photographs of their links with the pioneer past of the Swan Parish.
The ‘living histories’ were displayed in the Minchin Centre adjacent to St Mary’s. In addition to those in the church, about 50 visitors bypassed the service to just view the displays. The City of Swan and Guildford Historical Society were represented.
After the service, about 200 people viewed the display, spilling out from the Minchin Centre on to the patio and also enjoyed an expansive morning tea, provided by about 30 Swan parishioners.
Activities leading up to Pentecost Sunday, including the compilation of the many living history displays, were spearheaded by Swan parishioners Helen Wakefield and Erica Hill (pictured below).
