Almost one hundred thousand hand made bricks were used while mortar was made from burnt seashells , and by 1917 the church was completed . The Nyul Nyul women decorated the interior using objects from the ocean , shells , mother of pearl , and more . Depictions are of Christian symbols and Aboriginal motives of the “ saltwater people ” lifestyle . Images created by a German nun after World War 2 offer a surprising take on the Third Reich .
Whilst the church is a monument to Christianity and what that stands for amongst an Indigenous community there ’ s little argument that it has brought people together , the missionaries originally sent to protect the people from the pearling industry and a practise known as ‘ blackbirding ’, essentially slavery , forced cultures together and in some ways both were able to learn from each other .
It ’ s said that this continued as the ‘ stolen generations ’ policies were being enforced . Aboriginal children from as far as 1,000 kilometres away were sent to Beagle Bay and forced to live amongst the missionaries , the Nyul Nyul and Jabirr Jabirr peoples . The communities came together to ‘ protect ’ these children , many turned to God , becoming priests and nuns .
Eighty-two years after construction , disaster struck as the church tower came tumbling down . Again , the community was forced together and after the initial feeling of loss they began work to rebuild the church through community spirit .
Beliefs or thoughts on assimilation through religion aside , the Beagle Bay Mother of Pearl Sacred Heart Church is a monument to coming together , a beautiful construction amongst an even more beautiful yet harsh land . It ’ s also a gateway to what lays further on .
Almost 80 kilometres further north
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