Ferntree Gully, VIC - St John the Baptist Catholic
Denomination: Roman Catholic
Saint: John the Baptist
Address: 19 Forest Raod, Ferntree Gully, Victoria, 3156
Architect: Unknown
Traditional Owners: Wurundjeri people
Last Updated: 31/03/2024
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History and Architecture:
The first Catholic church in the Gully was completed in 1890. The simple wooden building was erected on the south side of Main Road (now Burwood Highway, where Woolworth’s service station now stands). The land was donated by John Buckley and the building was erected by Thomas Jones at a cost of 200 pounds.
In 1911 saw the establishment of St John the Baptist parish, Ferntree Gully. In 1925 Irish pioneer John Buckley donated six acres of land in Forest Road.
In 1926 a new red brick church was built on the site of the present church.
A full history can be seen on the church website here.
Clergy:
These names are now in the Database and can be searched individually.
| Years | Name | Annotation | D.o.B | D.o.D |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 - 1912 | Father T. Lynch | Locum | ||
| 1912 - 1913 | Father T. U. O'Sullivan | |||
| 1913 - 1919 | Father John A. O'Brien | |||
| 1919 - 1926 | Father T. J. Little | |||
| 1926 - | Father Timothy McCarthy | 1973 | ||
| 1939 - | Father T. Flynn | Asst 39 - 44 | ||
| 1944 - | Father Francis Harman | Asst | 2000 | |
| 1944 - 1948 | Father G. O'Callaghan | |||
| 1948 - 1954 | Father J. Phelan | |||
| 1954 - 1956 | Father Kevin Quinlan | 1984 | ||
| 1956 - 1960 | Father Francis Casamento | |||
| 1960 - 1979 | Father A. Sheehan | 2003 | ||
| 1969 - | Father Conleith Cummings | 1980 | ||
| 1979 - 1997 | Father William Bainbridge | 2003 | ||
| 1993 - | Father J. Petrulis | Asst | ||
| 1993 - | Father Eugine Fernandez | Asst | ||
| 2000 - 2005 | Father Des Moloney | |||
| 2005 - | Father Alan Fox | |||
| 2019 - | Father Thomas Kuruvilla |
Organ:
No information currently available. Submissions welcomed.
Source:
1. Church website. For full history click here.
2. Deceased Clergy in Australia, 1788-present