Parish History

 
Earliest History
These lands that the parish has were once the lands of the Bunurong People, part of the Kulin Nation. 
 
Parish History
Long before the suburb of Endeavour Hills was established, these lands were settled and developed by European farmers. These lands were used for grazing and milk production.
 

Some of our key moments have been:

1976: September 5: Weekly Sunday Mass celebrated in the Sub-division Office, now Joseph Banks Medical Centre.
1977: Sunday Mass celebrated in the Homestead, now Essex Park Community Centre.
1980-1986: Fr Frank Martin serves as first Parish priest.
1980: July 27: Bishop Kelly blesses the First Church, a portable building.
1981: January: St Paul Apostle South School began in January 1981.
1983: August 14: the present Church and Hall were blessed and opened by Archbishop Frank Little.
1985: January: St Paul Apostle North School began.
1985: Men’s Club started
1987: Fr Gerry McKernan serves as parish priest
1998: January: Fr Terry Kean arrives to serve as parish administrator
1998: July 1: The Passionists assume pastoral responsibility for the parish. Fr John Pearce CP serves as parish priest, with Fr Tim O’Toole CP as assistant priest and Community Superior. Fr Ray Sanchez CP is a community member working as a school chaplain and leading Parish Missions.
1998: Men’s Club renovates the Annexe, removing small rooms to make it more usable for the community.
2000: Nov 30: Fr Tim O’Toole CP transfers to Templestowe. Fr Ray Sanchez CP transfers to Oxley, Qld.
2000: Dec 1: Fr Chris Monaghan CP arrives from Templestowe as Community Leader and Assistant Priest. He also teaches Scripture at YTU. Fr Brian Gleeson CP arrives from Glen Osmond SA. His ministry is teaching theology at YTU and providing parish supply. Fr Dunstan Mellors CP arrives from Templestowe. He is retired and assists with some Masses.
2002: Parish Centre renovated, creating more office space and meeting rooms.
2002: CanCare Cancer Support Group began
2005: March - October: The Church is closed for refurbishment, with Mass celebrated in the North School Gym.
2005: April: Fr Tim O’Toole arrives from Bourke NSW as assistant priest. Fr Chris takes on more teaching.
2005: October 1: Return to Church with first mass led by retired Archbishop Frank Little.
2005: November 11: Memorial Garden Opened.
2007: The Sisters of the Cross and Passion joined the Parish. Sr Joan Smith arrived in November and Sr Patricia McCabe in February 2008 for 10 months. 2008: The Parish hosted Passionist Youth Encounter in preparation for World Youth Day. Youths from Passionist parishes overseas came for World Youth Day and were hosted by families in the Parish for some days prior to going to Sydney. We welcomed Fr James Fernandesz as an assistant Priest.
2008:
2009: Fr John Pearce finished his term as Parish Priest and left in January for Marrickville, NSW.
2009: Fr Tim O’Toole was appointed Parish Priest and took on his role in February.
2009: Sr Brigid Murphy CP joined the Sisters’ Community and the Parish Team
2010: Sr Anne Cunningham joined the Sisters in community in September.
2010: Our long time secretary Bev Cresswell died unexpectedly in October 2010. Bev had been part of our Parish team for 18 years. Not only was Bev one of our long time parish secretaries but was also Sacrament co-ordinator and with a few others began Cancare. Bev is sadly missed by the parish team and our parishioners.
2014: February Fr James left our Parish for Queensland and we welcomed Fr Tony Egar as our Assistant Parish priest.
2016:
2016: April Completed the renovation of the Annexe to be a more suitable space for Parish groups and other hirers.
2016: May We farewelled Fr Tim who has been assigned to Sydney and Fr Tony to Adelaide. We welcomed Fr Xavier Ubargaraswamy (Parish Priest) & Fr Jose Mathew into our parish.
2017: We farewelled Fr Xavier who had been re-assigned to India. Fr Brian Gleeson fills in as Parish Administrator.
2017: December 3rd, we welcome Fr Kevin Dance CP as our new Parish Priest. Fr Kevin is no stranger to Endeavour Hils. He was the Province Leader who agreed that the Passionists would take on the Pastoral Care of St Paul Apostle Parish. In the same month we sadly had to say goodbye to our dear Fr Tim O'Toole CP who passed away on 22nd December in Sydney. A whole Parish memorial mass was held on 30 December 2017.
2018: Fr Jose moves to Templestowe and Fr Pastor Mumburi joins us as assistant Parish Priest.
2018: April – Renamed the Annexe as the Tim O’Toole Annexe in honour of Fr Tim O’Toole
2019: May - Fr John Pearce, our former Parish Priest sadly passed away in New Zealand.
2020:February - Sisters Joan and Brigid leave our Parish for Ireland and Vietnam respectively.  Fr Kevin Dance and Fr Pastor Mumburi leave our Parish and Fr Brendan Connell joins us.

Cultural Diversity

Like many parishes in the Dandenong Deanery we experience a new form of life through the rich cultural diversity around us.  Our own Catholic Community has people born in over 70 countries.  At the same time, we live amidst people of many faiths and none at all.  Through offering the hand of friendship, we experience a peace many nations yearn for.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Some of our countries of origin are:
Argentina 
Armenia 
Australia 
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Island
Austria 
Bahrain 
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Burma (Myanmar)
Cambodia 
Canada 
Chile 
China 
Columbia 
Costa Rica 
Croatia 
Czech Republic 
Equador
Egypt 
England 
Ethiopia 
Fiji 
France 
Germany 
Greece 
Guyana 
Hong Kong
Hungary  
India 
Indonesia 
Iraq 
Ireland 
Israel 
Italy 
Japan 
Jordan 
Kenya 
Kuwait 
Laos 
Lebanon 
Macao 
Macedonia 
Malawi 
Malaysia 
Malta 
Mauritius 
Mozambique 
Netherlands 
New Zealand 
Pakistan 
Palestine 
Papua New Guinea 
Peru
Philippines
Poland 
Portugal 
Russia
Samoa 
Scotland 
Serbia 
Seychelles 
Singapore 
Slovak Republic 
Slovenia 
South Africa 
South Korea 
Spain 
Sri Lanka 
Sudan 
Switzerland 
Syria 
Taiwan
Tanzania
Timor Leste
Trinidad & Tobago
Ukraine 
Uruguay 
USA 
Vietnam 
Wales 
Zimbabwe

Please refer to our Newsletter for the most up to date information

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