Benalla parishioner, Gabrielle Downie, is more than qualified to chair of the Sandhurst Mission and Council (SMPC). Currently Principal of St Patrick’s Primary School in Wangaratta, Gabby has over 39 years of experience working in Catholic education, 27 of those years in leadership roles. Yet it’s perhaps her childhood experience as the daughter of faith-filled migrant parents in a small town that has best laid the foundations for her role with SMPC, equipping her with the necessary humility, empathy and genuine desire to listen to and understand others.
Gabby has a Bachelor of Education and a Graduate Diploma in Religious Education. She has been the Principal of St John’s Primary School, Euroa and St Joseph’s Primary School, Benalla and for six years worked as the principal consultant for the Northeast Deanery for Catholic Education Sandhurst, where she provided support to principals in 14 schools of the northeast.
A resident of Benalla for thirty years, Gabby has been a member of St Joseph’s Parish Pastoral Council for over ten years, four of those years as Chair.
“Right from birth my journey has always been in Sandhurst,” she said. “I’ve got to know many Sandhurst priests and been involved with many different Sandhurst groups and communities over the years.”
The Diocesan Assembly in February this year, was possibly the first time Gabby had seen parishioners from across the Diocese gathering in one place. Gabbie was delighted to see how engaged the participants were. “It really showed me that people care – they all want our Church to be successful, to be outward-facing and want others to know how good it can be,” she said.
Gabby said she submitted an expression of interest to become a member of the SMPC after she was politely tapped on the shoulder. “I had just stepped back from the Benalla Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) where I was Chair,” said Gabbie. “I had a week’s grace between finishing with the PPC and starting with the SMPC.
For Gabby, responding to a request for service was a natural thing to do. Gabbie’s parents were shopkeepers in Corryong where they were totally immersed in parish and community life. “They were very generous, kind and faith-filled people,” reflects Gabby. “They contributed so much to the building of the Corryong community.” Her father, and his brother, were founding parishioners at Sacred Heart Parish in Corryong (established in 1961) and, with Fr Leo Lacey PP and others, they formed a school committee to establish a Catholic primary school in the town (Sacred Heart Primary School was established in 1963).
“Bishop Stewart told them they would have to build a school building, then – if they wanted nuns to come and run the school – they would have to build a convent.”
Sacred Heart parishioners set to work building a school on land willed for the purpose by Dan Cronin. “Everyone was on site pitching in,” said Gabbie. “Someone laid the bricks, others put the roof on; you couldn’t build a school building like that today, OH&S would have a fit!” exclaimed Gabby.
Gabby remembers that during this time, her home seemed a hub for visiting nuns, clergy and bishops and remained one for many years. “Our whole life was around the Church,” she recalls.
“My parents were migrants from Lebanon. We looked different; we couldn’t hide who we were – most people just assumed we were Italian.” Said Gabbie. “Back then, Corryong was more isolated than it is today, and the Catholic community was a very small minority.” Gabby reflected that, for her parents, creating a sense of community through their actions was important to feel they belonged.
Gabby explained that when her mother arrived in Australia as a young woman, she had only a limited understanding of English. Her father had migrated to Australia as a child and grew up in Canning Street, Melbourne. He travelled and returned to Lebanon for a while where he met her mother. It was a brave move to settle in Corryong, yet it was the opportunities to build parish and school in Corryong, to contribute in a tangible way, that helped her parents feel at home.
“Isolated communities are really resilient and self-sustaining,” said Gabby. “Corryong didn’t want for anything. It had a tennis team, football team, everybody knew everybody ... school, church ... as a community we were self-sustaining and resilient because we had to be. So many successful people have come out of Corryong. These days, there is still that sense of community, but the next generation will have to tap into the ‘how’ to ensure it continues.”
Relating this to Church Gabby said, “Lots of people are passionate about their communities; they want others, and especially the next generation, to know about the good in our church that can help us to lead rich and rewarding lives. A lot of this is sometimes hidden beneath the tradition, or the old ways which aren’t fashionable anymore. We need to recontextualise for today – we need better branding. We have kept ourselves humble and quiet, but that’s not doing us, or anyone else, any favours.”
For Gabby, one of the biggest challenges for the Church today is being relevant. “We need to reveal ourselves in a recontextualised way. We reach out in so many ways, but I still think we are unknown.” Gabby references Pope Francis as someone who resonates with people, irrespective of faith, and who extends a wonderful invitation for people to live a spiritual faith-filled life. “Generally, people are anti-institution these days,” said Gabby. “Pope Francis extends a loving invitation. He has a Catholic voice, but he is outward-facing – as a church we need to shape ourselves around that.”
Gabby said that her role as Chair doesn’t make her a leader of the SMPC. “We are all leaders; I’m fortunate to be working with a diverse group of people who bring so much to the table.” She aims to embed a culture of growth and improvement so that parishes can grow and flourish. For Gabby, the SMPC is looking at the bigger picture. “We aren’t baking the cakes in the cake stall; we are setting direction for plans which are measured and sustainable,” she explained.
Gabby is clear that parishes need to put money into things that work, so the SMPC is working on developing strategies that can be enacted effectively, and sustainably. She agrees that people are used to the church working at a “glacial pace” but stresses the importance of taking time to make sure things are done well. “If we want to see real change and real growth and to embed that change, we have to do it carefully.” Having said that, Gabby notes that action is also required, as well as an understanding that there will be some things that won’t change.
For Gabby the biggest change she has seen within the Catholic Church in her lifetime is the education of Children. “Catholic schools strive to be a secure loving place to nurture and grow children in a faith-filled environment and I think they do it very well.”
Gabby was the inaugural Chair of the SMPC. She resigned from the SMPC in July 2024. The Diocese is grateful the dedicate service over the inaugural year of the SMPC.
If you would like to get in contact with the Sandhurst Mission and Pastoral Council, please phone the Chancery on 5445 3600, or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
