The first decade of the twentieth century continued to be a busy time for the Dandenong Mission with three other Churches established. Two years after Iona, another Church, St John the Baptist, was opened on the Koo Wee Rup Swamp, at Koo Wee Rup, on August 24, 1902. The Advocate reported -
A new Catholic Church was solemnly opened and blessed at Koo-wee-rup, in the Dandenong Mission, on Sunday last, 4th August. Notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather, a large congregation had assembled to witness the opening ceremony, the entire seating space being taken up. After the blessing of the new church, Mass was celebrated by Rev. Fr. J. Hagarty, C.M., of Malvern, who also preached the sermon, after which a collection was taken up, which realised upwards of £50, including a donation of £25 received from His Grace the Archbishop. The pastor (Rev. J. Gleeson) assisted in the function. (11)
The current Church, built in Modernist Design, was opened on December 23, 1962, by the Bishop of Sale, the Most Reverend P.F. Lyons.
St John the Baptist Church, Koo Wee Rup, 1930s.
Image: Koo Wee Rup Swamp Historical Society
St James' Church, Nar Nar Goon Catholic Church opened on May 29, 1904 -
A new church recently built at Nar-Nar-Goon at a cost of between £300 and £400, on land given by
Mr. James Kelly, of Nar-Nar-Goon, was formally opened on Sunday by the Very Rev. J. T. Colgan, S.J. The choir from Pakenham assisted. There was a large congregation. (12) The current St James' building was opened on March 13, 1971.
St Mary's Church, Lang Lang
On September 14, 1908 the Lang Lang Church was opened, it is called St Marys. The Advocate reported -
The Vicar-General's Visit to Lang Lang - New Church opened and Blessed - Last Sunday the Very Rev. Dean Phelan, V.G., visited Lang Lang (Iona Mission) for the purpose of solemnly blessing and opening a new church. It being the feast of the Holy Name of Mary, the church was placed under the invocation of Our Blessed Lady under that title. There was a large congregation people attending from all parts of the mission, and not a few of our separated brethren were present.
After the ceremony of blessing the church, in which the Dean was assisted by the respected pastor (Rev. James Byrne), and previous to delivering the occasional sermon, he congratulated Fr. Byrne and the parishioners on the wonderful progress made during the few years he had been in charge of the district. Four churches had been erected in the parish, and a fine presbytery and Catholic Hall at Iona. Over £2000 had been paid off during the past four years, leaving but a small debt on the parish. Considering the growing needs of the place, the Dean told the congregation that at Fr. Byrne's request he would send him an assistant priest within the next couple of months. In future, the Vicar-General said, you will have Mass every Sunday at a fixed hour in each of the four churches. This announcement gave pleasure to the people of the Lang district, who, in the past, had Mass only on week-day.
The Dean preached on the necessity of a church as a home for the Blessed Eucharist, and touched on the Sacrifice of the mass and the Doctrine of the Real Presence as a reason why Catholics erected churches. The collection made after Mass was a very generous one, and realised over £150. There remains, in consequence, a debt on the building of only £120. Amongst the larger donations received were:—Dean Phelan, V.G., and Fr. Byrne, £10 each; Messrs. P. Kennedy, £15; J. O'Connor, £11; P. Doyle, £8 8s.; J. Glasheen, T. Lonergan, and M. Coghlan, £6 each; R. Gray, £5 5s. Fr. Byrne, in announcing the result of the collection, thanked the Dean for his presence and generosity, the people for their earnestness in building the church, and the many non-Catholics who were present and contributed generously to the building fund. (13)
The Church is still in operation.
St Peter's Church, Tooradin
The Tooradin Catholic Church opened on December 3, 1922 and, as befits a fishing village, it was named St Peters, after the Patron Saint of Fishermen. The Advocate published this report -
St Peter's - of Tooradin. New Church for Fishing Village. Opened and Blessed Last Sunday.
A fine spirit exists amongst the handful of Catholics in the fishing village of Tooradin, one of the outer parts of the Dandenong parish, and this has found expression in the erection of a large wooden church in the district. Situated on Westernport Bay, about 36 miles from Melbourne, Tooradin is a long way removed from Dandenong, the centre of a very extensive parish. In such a scattered place, where the Catholics are few and far between, the visits of a priest from Dandenong are not very frequent and Mass has only been celebrated at irregular intervals. Despite these drawbacks, the district Catholics pressed their claim for the building of a church,, and expressed their readiness to shoulder the responsibilty. The Rev. F. A. Merner, P.P., knew the genuine spirit that prompted the people to ask for a church, and now their wish has been acceded to.
The new church, which is dedicated to St. Peter, is practically completed, and it is a credit to the district. Designed by Mr. Fritsch; it has been built by Messrs. Claude and Len McCarthy, whose work is most thorough. The site is an admirable one, and commands a good view of a wide expanse of country. With many natural advantages, and enjoying a well-earned reputation as an established fishing ground, Tooradin is bound to progress in the near future. With the development of the place, it will become more and more apparent what a wise step has been taken in erecting the church. Future requirements, in a spiritual sense, have indeed been well provided for.
The new church was blessed and opened on Sunday afternoon by his Grace the Archbishop of Melbourne (the Most Rev. Dr. Mannix). Sultry, conditions in the early part of the morning gave way to a cool change later, and in the latter part of the afternoon light rain fell. There was a fine gathering at the function, many having come from Melbourne, lona, Koo-wee-rup, Pakenham, Lang Lang, Dandenong, and other parts. Irish and Australian flags were placed at the entrance to the church grounds, which will be planted with buffalo grass, later. When his Grace, who motored from Melbourne arrived with Fr. Merner, he was greeted with rousing cheers by the men of the district, who formed a guard, of honour in and about the church grounds. His Grace's visit was regarded as a most important event in the district, and it was quite a sight to see the large collection of motors and vehicles drawn up in the grounds.
After the blessing ceremony speeches were delivered in the church building. It was intended to have an outdoor demonstration, but the showery conditions necessitated the change of plans. In addition to his Grace, there were present the Rev. F. A. Merner, P.P.; Rev. J.Carroll, Rev. W. M. Collins, D.D., and Rev. L. Hartnett. The proceedings were of an enthusiastic character, and his Grace's address was followed with close Interest. (14)
The Church was closed and the building was moved to St Peter's College in Cranbourne in 2003 where it is used as a Chapel.
St Peter's Tooradin in 1923
Sacred Heart Church, Gembrook
A few weeks later, on December 31, 1922 Scared Heart Catholic Church at Gembrook was blessed and opened by Archbishop Mannix - and dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus according to the beautiful and inspiring formulary prescribed by the Roman Ritual.
The Advocate report commences with -
New Church at Gembrook. Blessed and Opened by the Archbishop. On Sunday 31st December, within the Octave of the Nativity of Our Lord, his Grace the Archbishop of Melbourne (the Most Rev. Dr. Mannix,) who motored from Melbourne accompanied by the Very Rev. Dean Carey. P.P., visited Gembrook for the purpose of the solemn blessing and opening of the new Church at Gembrook. There was a very large assemblage, many coming from Pakenham, Nar Nar Goon, and every part of the parish, not a few journeying from the metropolis.
As explained by Father Little, the Church was originally to have been opened in July -
Fr. Little, who was cordially received, said that a well-known expression rose to his mind on that occasion, "All things come to those that wait." The blessing and opening of the church was originally intended for July; adverse weather caused the function to be postponed till 15th October, and the same reason was responsible for a third postponement to that day. There had been, of course, much disappointment. However God had blessed them and gave a beautiful day for the function. (15)
This Church was described as - The new church, of timber construction, is pleasing in appearance, and was built by contract for £825, according to the design Mr G. Vanheems (16).
Sacred Heart, Gembrook, 1922
Holy Family Church, Maryknoll
On September 3, 1950 at St Mary's Rural Settlement at North Tynong (as Maryknoll was originally known) the Holy Family Church was blessed and opened by Archbishop Mannix. The original Church was designed by Smith and Tracey, architects, Sydney-road, Brunswick.
The comprehensive Advocate report began -
The widespread interest in St. Mary's community settlement, Tynong North, was shown last Sunday, when more than 3000 people attended the blessing and opening by Archbishop Mannix of a church-school and presbytery for Rev. Father Pooley and his pioneer co-operators at St. Mary's. Visitors came in hundreds of private cars and some fifty parlour coaches and vans from Melbourne and its suburbs, from nearby country centres and from towns as far apart as Geelong and Sale. So large was the concentration of cars on Tynong North that a special mobile police squad directed the traffic......A large tract of bush land at Tynong North is being converted into a Catholic rural settlement for 150 families. Fine work has already been done in clearing the land and home building is now in progress. Each family will have a holding of two or three acres to grow its own vegetables and fruit and keep poultry. There will be a community dairy farm and craft shops and later, it is hoped, a fruit cannery (17)
The Church was enlarged at a later date. I have written more about the history of the settlement
here.
Caption: This is Holy Family Church-School, opened by Archbishop Mannix of
St. Marys Rural Settlement, Tynong North, on September 3. The building was erected from a design by Smith and Tracey, architects, Sydney-road, Brunswick, who also prepared the large-scale map of the settlement which appeared last week. The erection of the first seven permanent homes is now being undertaken and these will be occupied by settlers, at present housed in temporary quarters in the vicinity.
Other Catholic Churches in the area
There are other Catholic Churches in this region which were opened after 1954 - The Holy Family Church at Doveton was opened in 1960. On October 21, 1962 St Kevin's at Hampton Park was opened - this was in a building that had been transported to the site - the old St Leonard's Church from Glen Waverley. They appear to have a newer building now, but I don't have any details on it. Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church at Narre Warren was opened in February 1980; and the St Paul Apostle Catholic Church at Endeavour Hills was opened on August 14, 1983. (18)
St Kevin's, Hampton Park
Image: A Parish carved from the bush: the centenary history of the Dandenong Parish (St Marys) 1883-1993,
compiled by Greg Dickson (St Marys Centenary Committee, 1983)
Sources -- 100 years of a faith community: St Joseph’s Iona 1905-2005 by Damian Smith (St Joseph’s Catholic Church, 2005)
- A Parish carved from the bush: the centenary history of the Dandenong Parish (St Marys) 1883-1993, compiled by Greg Dickson (St Marys Centenary Committee, 1983). Also covers the Catholic Parishes of Iona, Koo Wee Rup, Pakenham, Berwick, Cranbourne and Narre Warren.
- Church on the hill: a history of St Michael’s Parish Berwick by Maree Chapman (St Michael’s Catholic Parish, 1996)
- Parish of St John the Baptist Catholic Church: 50th anniversary as a Parish 1946-1996 (St John’s Catholic Church, 1996)
- St Agatha’s Parish Cranbourne Silver Jubilee 1973-1998 (St Agatha’s Catholic Parish, 1998)
- St Patrick’s Pakenham, 1840 - 2016 by Patrick Ferry (St Patrick’s Parish, 2016)
Footnotes
(2) A Parish carved from the bush: the centenary history of the Dandenong Parish, 1883-1983, compiled by Greg Dickson and published by the St Mary's Centennial Committee, 1983.
(3) A Parish carved from the bush, p. 16.
(4)
The Advocate, July 29, 1871, see
here.
(6)
Yarragon Settlement News, July 21, 1910, see
here;
The Argus, July 7, 1914, see
here.
(7)
The Advocate, April 6, 1878, see
here.