Mt Beppo Apostolic Church, 1987
Terry Conway

James Jones, 1892-1895, the long serving David Muir, 1895-1930, T.C. Pryde, auctioneer and strong Sunday Observance advocate, 1932-1943, storekeepers and landowners, R.M. and B.M. Chaille, 1959-1962 and from 1962 respectively. The church bought an old hotel billiard room for a hall before the depression. Rev. T. Gray was the last minister to live in the old manse, which was sold for removal in 1947; a new one was built in 1948. Today the church continues to be used as a Continuing Presbyterian Church worship centre.41

For the Uniting Church formed on 22 June 1977 in Esk the usage of the Methodist and Presbyterian Church buildings in Esk has reversed. Until 1889 the St Andrew's building was used as a Union by Weslyeans until 1883 and by Anglicans until 1889. Today St Andrew's is used by the Continuing Presbyterian Church and the former Methodist Church by the Uniting Church.

Roman Catholics first met for worship in Esk at the Glenrock Hotel on 27 January 1877 and considered building a school and residence for two of the Sisters of Mercy. The St Mel's church at Esk was built by Lars Andersen in 1884. Churches in surrounding districts followed Hugh Conroy laid the foundation stone on 12 August 1900 for St Anne's at Bryden which opened in 1901, St Patrick's at Moore in 1905, St Agatha's in Toogoolawah in 1918, St Francis Xavier's in Coominya in 1923, and St Joseph's at Somerset Dam in 1936. St Mel's burnt down in 1905 and was rebuilt.

A school was established at Esk in 1923 using the old Murrumba hotel building, remodelled by contractor F. Lee. It was operated by the Sisters of St Joseph, and served the district until 1965 when it closed because numbers fell so low with the drift of population and the opportunities of the State High Schools at Lowood and Toogoolawah. The building was then used as a Parish Hall until 1966. The Convent was a two story building built of pine and hardwood with fourteen rooms, two bath rooms, and kitchen and laundry attached.42

The parish was administered from Ipswich until 1913. Sir James Duhig, Archbishop of Brisbane from 1917 and knighted in 1959, visited the area regularly for confirmations and openings of churches, In the early years Hugh Conroy would meet him at Esk railway station and take him to Bryden for services. In June 1912 as Coadjutor Bishop of Brisbane, he came to Esk for the annual communion breakfast of St Mel's branch of the Hibernian society and to discuss the establishment
of the Esk convent.and school. In conjunction with the silver jubilee at the Roman Catholic church Sir James Duhig opened the new presbytery at Esk on