Our motto - “Though many we are one.”
Our vision - One in faith and one in the Gospel values of hospitality and welcome, compassion and justice.
ABOUT US
St. Mary’s Parish – part of the Brighton Mission – was erected on 18th April, 1883 by Archbishop Goold. However the present site was obtained in 1855 and the First Mass was said there in December 1864 by the same Archbishop in a tent. The next day, he laid the first stone for the first St. Mary’s Church, which was completed in 1866.
Initially our Parish encompassed from the mountains to the sea, from as far as Emerald in the Dandenongs to the Mornington Peninsula, Philip Island and Western Port Bay and into South West Gippsland.
Our Parish has seen an amazing population growth, which is now compressed into a comparatively small, but vital area.
Over the years these Parish boundaries have been whittled away with the emergence of new parishes – a healthy sign of a living Church. There are now 40 Catholic Parishes within the original St. Mary’s Parish Boundaries of 1883.
St. Mary’s Parish Dandenong, a parish rich in multi-culturalism having more than 50 nationalities which has been growing during the years and has still a total of nearly 1500 families.
St. Mary’s is continuing to be built upon the faith, commitment and generosity of its parishioners and many people help in small ways to contribute to the everyday and major events of the Parish.
The future of our Parish holds many challenges for us all.
STATISTICAL DATA
| 1855 | Parish Site donated as Crown Land |
| 1866 | First St. Mary’s Church (Cost £ 1159) |
| 1866 | Eumemmerring Catholic School started |
| 1883 | St. Mary’s Parish erected |
| 1886 | Presbytery built – (Cost £ 1140) |
| 1892 | Second St Mary’s Church (Cost £ 2200) |
| 1912 | Presentation Sisters arrived |
| 1912 | St Mary’s Catholic School opened |
| 1924 | New Convent built in Langhorne Street |
| 1958 | St John’s Boys School opened under direction of the La Salle Brothers |
| 1959 | Third St Mary’s Church opened |
| 1968 | St Angela’s Girls School opened |
| 1969 | St John’s Boy’s School became St John’s Regional College |
| 1977 | St John’s and St Angela’s became fully Co-educational |
| 1977 | St Mary’s Parish Centre including the Presbytery was built |
| 1977 | St Mary’s Community Centre was built |
| 1993 | Total refurbishment and Solemn Dedication of St. Mary’s Church |
| 2003–7 | Refurbishment of St Mary’s School |
| 2007 | Opening and Blessing of McQuade Court. |
| Designed and built by Mary Ferlin and Matthew Price. Produced by Catholic Communications Melbourne |