St Francis' Church, Melbourne

St Francis' Church, Melbourne
St Francis' Church, Melbourne
	37°48′42″S144°57′45″E / 37.8116°S 144.9624°E
Location	Melbourne
Country	Australia
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Religious order	Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament
Website	www.stfrancismelbourne.com
History
Status	Church (1842 –1848); Cathedral (1848 –1868); Church {since 1868);
Founded	4 October 1841
Dedication	St Francis of Assisi
Consecrated	23 October 1845
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Victorian Heritage Inventory
Designated	n.d.
Architect(s)	Samuel Jackson
Architectural type	Church
Completed	1845
Administration
Archdiocese	Melbourne
Parish	St Francis'
Clergy
Priest(s)	Ben Ho

Last updated October 09, 2024

St Francis' Church is an Australian Roman Catholic church located on the corner of Lonsdale and Elizabeth streets in Melbourne, Victoria. It is the oldest Catholic church in Victoria.^{[ citation needed ]}

History

On 28 April 1839 a committee of the Catholics at Port Philip, who customarily met for prayer in the house of Peter Bodecin, wrote to Bede Polding, vicar-apostolic of New Holland, Van Diemen's Land, and the adjoining islands, requesting a priest. Polding sent Father Patrick Geoghegan OFM who had arrived from Dublin the previous December. Geoghegan landed at Williamstown on 15 May. He was the first resident Catholic priest in the Port Phillip District of New South Wales.^[2]

The church's foundation stone was laid on 4 October 1841, the feast day of St Francis of Assisi, to whom the church is dedicated.^[3] The first Mass was held in the completed nave on 22 May 1842. Mary MacKillop (1842–1909) was baptised at St Francis' Church in 1842. The completed church was blessed on 23 October 1845.

In 1848, St Francis' became the cathedral church of the first Catholic Bishop of Melbourne, James Goold, and continued as a cathedral until 1868 when the diocesan seat was moved to the still unfinished St Patrick's Cathedral.^[3] The cedar ceiling was installed in 1850. The ornate Ladye Chapel on the west side was designed by George and Schneider and constructed in 1856-58, with decoration by Le Gould and Souter.

A new sanctuary designed by Reed and Barnes was added in 1878-9 in the Renaissance Revival style.^[1] The front porch was added in 1956, incorporating the roof of a smaller porch added in the 1850s. At different times, various Catholic organisations have been based at St Francis’ Church.

Historic unions

In 1856, Edward de Lacy Evans married Mary Delahunty.^[4]

On the first day of 1900 Marion (Bill) Edwards married Lucy Minihan.^[4]

Present day

Centrally located in the Melbourne's CBD, St Francis' has never lost its place as one of the city's most popular and widely used churches. It is the busiest church in Australia, with more than 10,000 worshippers attending each week.^{[ citation needed ]} Since 1929, it has been a centre of eucharistic life in the care of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament. A monastery was constructed in the late 1930s.

The church is listed on the Victorian Heritage Inventory,^[1] with the National Trust of Australia (Victoria), and with the Australian Heritage Commission.^{[ citation needed ]} Although there have been many changes made to the building, including the erection of a new tower, a gift from the Grollo family, to house the original 1853 bell imported from Dublin, the church remains essentially as it was designed by Samuel Jackson.

Related Research Articles

Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin was an English architect, designer, artist and critic with French and Swiss origins. He is principally remembered for his pioneering role in the Gothic Revival style of architecture. His work culminated in designing the interior of the Palace of Westminster in Westminster, London, and its renowned clock tower, the Elizabeth Tower, which houses the bell known as Big Ben. Pugin designed many churches in England, and some in Ireland and Australia. He was the son of Auguste Pugin, and the father of Edward Welby Pugin, Cuthbert Welby Pugin, and Peter Paul Pugin, who continued his architectural and interior design firm as Pugin & Pugin.

The Cathedral Church of St. Barnabas is a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church in the city of Nottingham in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the mother church of the Diocese of Nottingham and seat of the Bishop of Nottingham. The cathedral is a grade-II* listed building.

The Cathedral Church and Minor Basilica of Saint Patrick is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, and seat of its archbishop, currently Peter Comensoli.

The Cathedral Church and Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Mother of God, Help of Christians, Patroness of Australia is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney and the seat of the Archbishop of Sydney, currently Anthony Fisher OP. It is dedicated to the "Immaculate Mother of God, Help of Christians", Patroness of Australia and holds the title and dignity of a minor basilica, bestowed upon it by Pope Pius XI on 4 August 1932.

The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, head church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, stands on 18th Street on the east side of Logan Square, at the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. It was designed by Napoleon LeBrun to plans by the Reverend Mariano Muller and the Reverend John Tornatore and built between 1846 and 1864. Its dome and Palladian facade, by John Notman, were added after 1850. The interior was decorated by Constantino Brumidi.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne is a Latin Rite metropolitan archdiocese in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Erected initially in 1847 as the Diocese of Melbourne, a suffragan diocese of Archdiocese of Sydney, the diocese was elevated in 1874 as an archdiocese of the Ecclesiastical Province of Melbourne and is the metropolitan for the suffragan dioceses of Sale, Sandhurst, Ballarat, and the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Ss Peter and Paul. The Archdiocese of Hobart is attached to the archdiocese for administrative purposes. St Patrick's Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Melbourne, currently Peter Comensoli, who succeeded Denis Hart on 1 August 2018.

The Diocese of Sandhurst is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in Australia. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Melbourne. The Diocese of Sandhurst was erected in 1874 and covers the central and north-east regions of Victoria, including Bendigo.

Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo, is an Australian cathedral. It is the Roman Catholic cathedral church of the Diocese of Sandhurst and seat of Bishop Shane Mackinlay. The cathedral is located in the provincial city of Bendigo, Victoria.

James Alipius Goold was an Australian Augustinian friar and the founding Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne in Australia.

Patrick Francis Moran was a prelate of the Catholic Church and the third Archbishop of Sydney and the first cardinal appointed from Australia.

The Archdiocese of Sydney is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church. Its episcopal see is Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bathurst (Australia) is a Latin Church suffragan diocese of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Sydney, established in 1865, covering the Central West and Orana regions of New South Wales, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary Star of the Sea, West Melbourne</span> Church in Victoria, Australia

St Mary Star of the Sea is a Roman Catholic parish church in West Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The foundation stone of the church was laid in 1882 and the building was completed by 1900. Since 2002, restoration has been ongoing to restore the church to its original state. Built with seating for over 1,200 people, it has been described as the largest parish church in Melbourne, in Victoria, or even in Australia.

The Cathedral of Saint Patrick and Saint Joseph is an heritage-listed Catholic cathedral church in Auckland CBD, situated on the corner of Federal Street and Wyndham St. It is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Auckland and the seat of the Bishop of Auckland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Byrne (architect)</span> Irish architect (1783–1864)

Patrick Byrne was an Irish architect who built many Catholic churches in Dublin. He also served as a vice president of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland.

Saint Francis Xavier Cathedral, located in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, is the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Wollongong, presently the Most Reverend Brian Mascord.

Patrick Bonaventure Geoghegan, O.F.M. (1805–1864) was an Irish Roman Catholic clergyman who served firstly as Bishop of Adelaide. Born in Dublin, he became a Franciscan friar and served at a Dublin parish before volunteering for Australia. After five years as Bishop of Adelaide, He returned to Ireland, intending to stay only briefly. He was named Bishop of Goulburn, Australia, but died before he could assume the post.

Cathedral of St Michael and St John is a heritage-listed Roman Catholic cathedral at 107 William Street, Bathurst, Bathurst Region, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Charles Hansom and built from 1857 to 1861 by Edward Gell. It is also known as Cathedral of Saints Michael and John. The cathedral is the episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Bathurst. The property is owned by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bathurst. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 5 June 2012.

St Peter and Paul's Old Cathedral is a heritage-listed former Catholic cathedral and now parish church at 42 Verner Street, Goulburn, Goulburn Mulwaree Council, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Andrea Stombuco and Charles Spadacini and built from 1871 to 1890 by C. J. O'Brien and Wilkie Bros. It is also known as St. Peter and Paul's Former Cathedral and St Peter and Paul's Catholic Cathedral; Saints Peter and Paul's Catholic Cathedral. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 20 April 2009.

St Francis Xavier's Roman Catholic Church is a heritage-listed Catholic church at Hume Highway, Berrima, Wingecarribee Shire, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Augustus Pugin and built from 1849 to 1851 by William Munro. Originally known as St. Scholastica's Church, it is used by the Parish of St. Paul, administered by the Pauline Fathers, and located in the Diocese of Wollongong. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 25 January 2008.

References

1 2 3 "St Francis RC Church". Victorian Heritage Register . Victorian Heritage Council. n.d. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
↑ "St. Francis 1841-1941". The Fathers of the Blessed Sacrament. 1941 – via State Library of Victoria.
1 2 "Early history", St Francis’ Church, Melbourne
1 2 Willet, Graham; et al. (March 2021). A History of LGBTIQ+ Victoria in 100 Places and Objects (PDF). Heritage Queer Archives. p. 170. ISBN 978-0-6451287-0-3.

External links

Official website

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[VHR-1] 1 2 3 "St Francis RC Church". Victorian Heritage Register . Victorian Heritage Council. n.d. Retrieved 31 August 2023.

[2] "St. Francis 1841-1941". The Fathers of the Blessed Sacrament. 1941 – via State Library of Victoria.

[sfcm-3] 1 2 "Early history", St Francis’ Church, Melbourne

[obj100-4] 1 2 Willet, Graham; et al. (March 2021). A History of LGBTIQ+ Victoria in 100 Places and Objects (PDF). Heritage Queer Archives. p. 170. ISBN 978-0-6451287-0-3.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]