As merry parishioners filed out of Ss Michael and John's Catholic Church on Christmas Day, it signalled the end for Fr Peter Hudson.
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After 49 years as a priest - the past eight spent in Horsham - Fr Hudson is retiring, somewhat reluctantly.
"I can say that like I'm very grateful to God for the opportunities to be with, work with and meet people in their journey of life," he said.
"People have been very supportive. The messages and speeches and things I've got just in the last couple of weeks have been very humbling, very gracious, and very kind.
"It was great to be part of a whole team of people. In the life of the Church, we just rely on each person being able to do his or her role within Church and the community that contributes to the way in which we can grow and support and care for each other."
One of nine children raised by a housewife and a railyard worker in Ararat, Fr Hudson was attracted to the priesthood while at school.
He followed his interest through education in Ballarat and Melbourne, before later becoming ordained in 1971.
Fr Hudson's first appointment would be in Terang, followed by stays in Hamilton, Warrnambool and Swan Hill, before he eventually ended up in Horsham.
"It's a great place, with strong faith communities, and strong, good people," he said.
"There are people who used to come to Horsham to work for various government departments and contributed to the life of the community and the Church.
"We continue to get the benefit from them, and all the other young families that continue to come along.
"It's been a great final parish for me to be in. Not that I thought it was my last."
Fr Hudson's tenure in Horsham was punctuated by several seminal events for the Church.
In late 2012 - less than a year after Fr Hudson moved to the parish - the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse was announced.
The final report, released five years later, was heavily critical of the Ballarat Diocese, describing its handling of clergy child sex abuse as a "catastrophic failure of leadership".
"It affected people, and a lot of people are very hurt by what priests did and what other religious figures did to children, and walked away from the Church," Fr Hudson said.
"But those who were able to stay, or could stay, did stay. That's not saying anything about those who walked away; that was just a protest on their behalf against whatever the bishops weren't or were doing at the time.
"Those who stayed on just came in and gave us the courage to persevere."
The end of 2017 would also bring the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Australia.
"Every parish I've been in families have had children who are gay," Fr Hudson said.
"As Pope Francis said, 'who am I to judge'.
"I'm here to support them and support their families.
"You know the whole gender thing, the whole society thing, the changing attitudes towards the Church; whatever it is, people are still spiritual.
'We're not condemning them to hell because they're not coming to mass. They still believe in God, and they believe in expressing their belief in their own way. We support them and welcome them."
Fr Hudson had hoped to continue serving his parish, with his appointment not officially ending till 2021, but fell victim to the Ballarat Diocese's hard-line stance on retirement.
Bishop Paul Bird has expressed his desire for all priests, regardless of experience, to retire at 75.
"I'm an active senior priest in the diocese, and when I think of myself compared to some of the older priests who are monsignors and more, well I'm just an ordinary priest doing my job and working with the people," Fr Hudson said.
"I said I was happy to stay on, not just because I was going to be 50 years ordained in May next year, but because I was happy to help out and felt well enough.
"But, (the Bishop) said he wanted this policy to start. So here I am, retiring."
As an ordained member of the Church, a priest never retires from their priesthood, but eventually must resign from responsibility for a parish.
The diocese is responsible for helping retired priests transition to the next stage of their lives.
Fr Huson had made plans to reside at Nazareth House, a residential aged care facility in Ballarat, and serve as a live-in chaplain.
Though, the week before Christmas, Fr Hudson was told the incorporated body that runs the facility on behalf of the Sisters of Nazareth no longer permitted chaplains to live on site.
"The nuns were very upset because they were looking forward to me coming in. They knew me, and they were happy that I was going to be their chaplain," he said.
"Suddenly, all that's just changed."
With his immediate future unclear, Fr Hudson left Horsham to stay with his sister in Melbourne.
"The next stage of my life will be to be available to go out and help other priests who may be on holidays or assist in parishes where they may need another priest," he said. "I'm a St Kilda supporter, so I hope to go down and watch a few more St Kilda games and go to some shows in Melbourne.
"Of the priests who were ordained in my year, 10 of us are still going so I look forward to catching up with them. They're all based in Melbourne.
"I just thank God because I have had the opportunity to serve people, and work with great priests and great bishops."
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