East Bentleigh, VIC - St Peter's Catholic
Year Built: 1973
Denomination: Roman Catholic
Saint: Peter
Address: 844 Centre Road, East Bentleigh, Victoria, 3165
Architect: Unknown
Traditional Owners: Boon Wurrung people
Last Updated: 03/02/2023
History and Architecture:
The present parish of St. Peter's was originally part of Brighton Parish (Est. 1853) and later included in St. Paul's, Bentleigh Parish (Est. 1928).
The first Church building in this area was a small wooden school house and hall erected in February, 1865 on Centre Road, opposite the present Moorabbin Hospital. A brick school building constructed in 1903 replaced the original wooden structure and was the site of the first Mass celebrated in East Bentleigh.
Archbishop Little blessed and opened the new St. Peter's church on December 15, 1974. Fr. Coakley developed the plan for a new Church in 1972 and worked tirelessly on the project until his death on July 18, 1973.
Clergy:
This list may not contain every serving cleric, past or present, for this church.
Further submissions welcomed.
| Years | Name | Annotation | D.o.B | D.o.D |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 - 1958 | Father Frederick McKenna | 1958 | ||
| 1958 - 1969 | Father William Casey | 1999 | ||
| 1960 - 1964 | Father Joseph Browne | Asst | ||
| 1965 - 1966 | Father Edward Fitzpatrick | Asst | 1996 | |
| 1967 - 1969 | Father Malcolm Crawford | Asst | ||
| 1969 - 1973 | Father Daniel Coakley | 1973 | ||
| 1970 - 1973 | Father Kevin Dillon | Asst | ||
| 1973 - 1993 | Father Maurice Heriot | |||
| 1974 - 1976 | Father Ray Whitehouse | Asst | ||
| 1976 - 1977 | Father Terry Laidler | Asst | ||
| 1977 - | Father Gerald O'Conor | Asst | ||
| 1977 - 1979 | Father William Van Kooy | Asst | 2002 | |
| 1980 - 1982 | Father Colin Bourke | Asst | ||
| 1983 - 1985 | Father Desmond Moloney | Asst | ||
| 1986 - 1988 | Father Michael Sierakowski | Asst | ||
| 1988 - 1990 | Father Rod Pitts | Asst | ||
| 1989 - 1991 | Father Tim Tolan | Asst | ||
| 1992 - 1994 | Father Wahid Rahid | |||
| 1993 - 2002 | Father Gordon Gebbie | |||
| 1995 - 1996 | Father John Petroulis | Asst | ||
| 1997 - | Father John Tollan | Asst | ||
| 2000 - 2002 | Father Shane Carr | Asst | ||
| 2002 - | Father Michael Sierakowski | |||
| 2005 - | Father Paul Gurry | Asst | ||
| 2018 - | Father Raju Jacob |
Organ:
No information currently available. Submissions welcomed.
Source:
1. The Golden Harvest, A History of St Peter's Parish East Bentleigh 1984 - 2005
2. Deceased Clergy in Australia, 1788-2023