![Mt Beppo Apostolic Church, 1987](MtBeppoApostolic.jpg)
Mt Beppo Apostolic Church, 1987
Terry Conway
James Jones, 1892-1895, the long serving David Muir, 1895-1930, T.C.
Pryde, auctioneer and strong Sunday Observance advocate, 1932-1943,
storekeepers and landowners, R.M. and B.M. Chaille, 1959-1962 and from
1962 respectively. The church bought an old hotel billiard room for a
hall before the depression. Rev. T. Gray was the last minister to live
in the old manse, which was sold for removal in 1947; a new one was
built in 1948. Today the church continues to be used as a Continuing
Presbyterian Church worship centre.41
For the Uniting Church formed on 22 June 1977 in Esk the usage of the
Methodist and Presbyterian Church buildings in Esk has reversed. Until
1889 the St Andrew's building was used as a Union by Weslyeans until
1883 and by Anglicans until 1889. Today St Andrew's is used by the
Continuing Presbyterian Church and the former Methodist Church by the
Uniting Church.
Roman Catholics first met for worship in Esk at the Glenrock Hotel on
27 January 1877 and considered building a school and residence for two
of the Sisters of Mercy. The St Mel's church at Esk was built by Lars
Andersen in 1884. Churches in surrounding districts followed Hugh
Conroy laid the foundation stone on 12 August 1900 for St Anne's at
Bryden which opened in 1901, St Patrick's at Moore in 1905, St Agatha's
in Toogoolawah in 1918, St Francis Xavier's in Coominya in 1923, and St
Joseph's at Somerset Dam in 1936. St Mel's burnt down in 1905 and was
rebuilt.
A school was established at Esk in 1923 using the old Murrumba hotel
building, remodelled by contractor F. Lee. It was operated by the
Sisters of St Joseph, and served the district until 1965 when it closed
because numbers fell so low with the drift of population and the
opportunities of the State High Schools at Lowood and Toogoolawah. The
building was then used as a Parish Hall until 1966. The Convent was a
two story building built of pine and hardwood with fourteen rooms, two
bath rooms, and kitchen and laundry attached.42
The parish was administered from Ipswich until 1913. Sir James Duhig,
Archbishop of Brisbane from 1917 and knighted in 1959, visited the area
regularly for confirmations and openings of churches, In the early
years Hugh Conroy would meet him at Esk railway station and take him to
Bryden for services. In June 1912 as Coadjutor Bishop of Brisbane, he
came to Esk for the annual communion breakfast of St Mel's branch of
the Hibernian society and to discuss the establishment
of the Esk convent.and school. In conjunction with the silver jubilee
at the Roman Catholic church Sir James Duhig opened the new presbytery
at Esk on