Melissa Hitchman, the Australian Ambassador to the Holy See, unveils a revamped section of New Norcia Museum & Art Gallery. It was her first time in New Norcia. Photo: Feby Plando.
By Matthew Lau
The Australian Ambassador to the Holy See Melissa Hitchman officially opened a recently developed section of New Norcia Museum & Art Gallery.
The new exhibition focuses on Rosendo Salvado’s mission era from 1846 to 1900.
Along with fellow Spanish Benedictine Joseph Serra, first Abbot Salvado co-founded the Territorial Abbey of New Norcia in 1847, which remains Australia’s only monastic town.
Ambassador Hitchman’s brief visit to Western Australia included a personalised tour of New Norcia.
Ambassador Hitchman and Abbot Herbert make their way through Australia’s only “Monk Town”. Photo: Feby Plando.
During her speech at the official ceremony, Ambassador Hitchman gave her assurance that the museum upgrade would attract visitors to become better acquainted with New Norcia’s unique history.
“You may not be aware, but your community and its contribution to the Australian Catholic public and indigenous discourse is becoming ever more familiar in Rome,” she stated.
“No issue is more vibrant or more energised than promoting indigenous recognition and culture. Not only in Australia, but to the 25,000 visitors per day to the Vatican Museums.”
New Norcia Archivist Peter Hocking provides Ambassador Hitchman a taste of New Norcia’s rich vein of history. Photo: Feby Plando.
Ambassador Hitchman congratulated those responsible for preserving New Norcia’s contribution to Australian church-state-indigenous relations.
“Over the past few years, my predecessors, I and my colleagues at the Australian Embassy to the Holy See, have been privileged to journey with Abbot John Herbert to bring to fruition the scholarship to honour the memory of indigenous Benedictine student Francis Xavier Conaci,” she explained.
Ambassador Hitchman congratulated those responsible for preserving New Norcia’s contribution to Australian church-state-indigenous relations.
“Conaci travelled from the monastery [of New Norcia] in 1849, met Pope Pius IX in Rome, died and was buried at St Paul’s Outside the Walls in 1853.”
The Ambassador paid homage to young indigenous Australian Catholic University student Nathan Pitt, who last year named the inaugural Francis Xavier Conaci scholar.
“Nathan built on Conaci’s legacy by walking in his footsteps in Rome in 2017.
“It is therefore with some personal satisfaction that I have come to see Conaci’s origins, to understand better his story,” she concluded.
From pages 16 and 17 of Issue 14: ‘Culture of Life: Love does not come at the price of another person or their dignity’ of The Record Magazine