Pilgrimage Site: St Clement’s Monastery, Galong
In the mid 1800’s, an unlikely duo joined forces to climb Bushrangers Hill – now known as Rosary Hill – in Galong.
John Bede Polding, the first Archbishop of Australia, was accompanied by Ned Ryan, a former convict who made his name, and his fortune, squatting on land around Galong after he received his Certificate of Freedom.
“Ned Ryan squatted here, and Archbishop Polding always made this a stopping point on his journeys,” St Clement’s Redemptorist Fr Patrick Corbett explained.
“When he came the first time, he and Ned made a pilgrimage to Rosary Hill. He took out his great Benedictine beads, placed them on a she-oak and blessed the whole area, as was his custom.”
From that day on, people have travelled to the picturesque town to walk up Rosary Hill, many leaving their rosary beads on the she-oak as Archbishop Polding had done.
“Sadly, in a great storm, the tree was knocked down,”Fr Patrick said.
“We had some of the Archbishop’s actual beads from his rosary in our museum for a while. But from way, way back, we can see St Clement’s, Galong, has been a place of pilgrimage.”
Nestled amongst 800 acres of tranquil landscape, the retreat, with its rich history as a Monastery and home to the Redemptorist Fathers, is ideal for pilgrims.
Beautiful surrounds of St Clement’s Monastery in Galong
In recent times, Galong played host to the Marian Procession for many years, before the annual event was moved to Goulburn in 2023.
Fr Patrick said he was delighted Archbishop Christopher Prowse had chosen St Clement’s as a designated pilgrimage site.
“We are missionaries of hope to a very troubled, wounded world, so we fit in happily with this great year,” he said.
“I think today the world is looking for hope. It leads to peace – peace in our world, peace in our own land, peace in our hearts.”
St Clement’s Provincial Father John Hodson has declared the first Saturday of every month open to pilgrims.
“We will have a healing Mass in our lovely chapel, and those who want to can make a journey to our beautiful grotto,” Fr Patrick said.
“This is an ideal place, I think, for people to come and pray for our troubled world.”
Fr Patrick said the pilgrimage would be particularly significant for him.
“It will probably be my last pilgrimage as I have turned 90 and I’m into retirement,” he explained.
“Galong, for myself, has been a home for many, many years. I came here as a young person to start my journey to priesthood. I came back here to teach and more recently, I was here as the superior for 12 years.
“I’m very happy to be here in this holy year as a pilgrim myself, welcoming people and sharing with them a Eucharist and a time of healing and a time of prayer for hope.”