Marian Valley is about 1 hour south of Brisbane, near the town of Canungra. Marian Valley is on a property belonging to the Pauline Fathers. It is a place of pilgrimage, and there are about 25 various chapels from different Australian ethnic communities, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary there.
The valley itself is very beautiful and peaceful. It is similar to Lourdes, except that there are many shrines there. People come to this place to pray and relax. The Ukrainian Parish in Brisbane has been going to Marian Valley a couple of times each year for a long time now.
About 7 years ago, a piece of land in Marian Valley was given to the Ukrainian community. Fr. Yarko Pasok then started construction of a Ukrainian Chapel and Fr. Stefan Sapun is continuing this work. A mosaic icon style Virgin Mary has been commissioned and will be ready to install soon. The dome on the roof is from Geelong; as it was a small model for the domes there.
The project has caught the imagination of the Brisbane parish. Over the last few months, 10 – 20 people have volunteered regularly to build the chapel. The construction alone has united the community and has created many lasting bonds.
It is the intention that this small chapel will be a meeting place for the Ukrainian community in Australia. After all, everybody finds themselves in Queensland sooner or later.
In time, a pilgrimage date will be announced for an annual celebration. Until now, the Brisbane parish has rented a bus each year and to head up to Marian Valley for prayer and fellowship.
His Beatitude Patriarch Sviatoslav will formally bless this chapel on Monday the 29th of September at 1.30PM. He will travel there directly from the airport. He will be greeted by the faithful in Queensland and the rest of Australia.
