From our Principal 

Dear Parents, Students and Friends,

I had the honour last Sunday to attend the last official weekend St Thomas the Apostle Parish mass to be held at St. Peter’s College. It was a very emotional and moving mass. In taking the opportunity to address the congregation it was important to highlight the significance of the school/parish partnership, a partnership that has been fostered over the course of the past eleven years. In reflecting on the growth of the parish I could not help but be reminded of a very famous line spoken in the 1980s film Field of Dreams, “build it and they will come”. We have been in the privileged position at St. Peter’s College to be witness to the birth of the parish from its very infancy to the thriving community it is today. Whilst we are delighted for the parish that from next weekend masses will be celebrated in their new Church, their new sacred space, we are also saddened at the prospect of the loss of our “parish in residence”. 

St. Peter’s College in their review year of 2022 were reviewed on all sorts of criterion including Parish/School partnerships. The panel universally rated St. Peter’s as outstanding in this category. We value highly our connections with both St. Agatha’s and St. Thomas the Apostle and this was reflected in the rating achieved. May they continue to be partnerships full of purpose and meaning as together we provide a vehicle for our young people to be drawn closer to their loving God.

We wish the parish of St Thomas the Apostle every blessing as they continue to grow and be of great witness to the building of the kingdom of God.

Our resident archivist Greg Nelson has recently “penned” a piece on the history of the early St Thomas the Apostle parish. This can be found below:

In the early years of the 21st century, the Diocese of Sale, through its administration and various stakeholders, identified the area to the east of Cranbourne as a ‘growth area’. It was determined that in the near future, the area would need to provide worship facilities and educational amenities for the anticipated increase of the Catholic population in the Clyde North area. 

Land was purchased with the intention of housing St. Peter’s College, Clyde North Campus, St. Thomas the Apostle Primary School, and St Thomas the Apostle Parish Church. The vision for the precinct was unusual, if not unique, for the Diocese of Sale: secondary school, primary school, parish church on the same area of real estate. The negotiations for the purchase of the land began in 2007. At that time Fr. Andrew Wise was Parish Priest of St. Agatha’s Parish, and the Canonical Advisor for St. Peter’s College. At that time, Mr. Terry Feely was the principal of St. Peter’s College. The land purchase was finalised in 2009 and building of St. Peter’s College, East Campus, as it was then known, commenced in 2010. At that time Mr. Tim Hogan was the principal of St. Peter’s College. As such St. Peter’s College was the first to build facilities on the current site. As a result, these early facilities would not only serve the educational needs of the students of Clyde North but also provide a gathering space for the St. Thomas the Apostle Parish community: Sunday Mass was celebrated in the space provided by St. Peter’s College.

The next facility to begin construction was St. Thomas the Apostle Primary School. When the then Bishop of Sale, Christopher Prowse turned the soil to begin the building of St. Thomas the Apostle Primary School, someone in the party quipped that the area looked like it was having twins. The bishop took a moment, looked around and retorted that it looked like the area was having triplets. 

Finally, the foundation of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish took place in 2012. The following is taken from the St. Thomas the Apostle Parish web-site and indicates the joy of the parishioners at that time.

Sunday 8th July 2012 is a memorable date in the history the new Cranbourne East community as well as that of St Peter’s College. It was indeed the celebration of the Foundation Mass by Bishop Christopher Prowse and Father Denis O’Bryan for the new Parish of St Thomas the Apostle in Cranbourne East.

The East campus had the honour and privilege to be the ‘Gathering Place’ on this very special occasion. In his captivating Homily, Bishop Christopher Prowse expressed, first of all, his gratitude to the Aboriginal Community and he stressed on the exceptional opportunity for the parishioners to let themselves be guided by Jesus and the Holy Spirit to evangelise and build a vibrant community in Faith.

The establishment of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish provides an interesting insight into the communal nature of the Catholic Church. Not only was St. Thomas the Apostle Parish able to use the facilities of St. Peter’s College but the fledgling parish was also supported, sponsored, and mentored by St. Agatha’s Parish, Cranbourne. Fr. Denis O’Bryan, the Parish Pastoral Council and many parishioners worked tirelessly to ensure a smooth birth for the new parish. To date, Fr. Denis is the only priest to have ministered to the St. Thomas the Apostle Parish.

For almost eleven years the parishioners of St. Thomas the Apostle parishioners have yearned, and waited patiently, for their Church to be built. The time has come for the final piece of the puzzle to fall into place.

Chris Black, the current Principal of St Peter’s College says that it is “the end of era: no longer will masses be celebrated in the classroom, they will be celebrated in the new church. On March 19 in addressing the congregation as they celebrated their last mass at St Peter’s College Mr Black spoke of the importance of school/parish partnership and that this must continue to be a priority for the youth of our shared community. Mr Black concluded by wishing the parish the very best as they begin a new chapter in their journey of faith. He said, 

We look forward to celebrating in the blessing and dedication of the new Church on April 23 at 1.00pm. Mark this date on the fridge door…Sunday 23rd of April 1pm. This has been a monumental effort over the ten plus years, since the parish began. There is plenty to be joyful and praise for! 

The community of St. Peter’s College congratulates Fr. Denis O’Bryan and the many parishioners who have waited patiently, and worked diligently, to build the new St. Thomas Apostle Church. 

May God bestow many blessings on those who enter the new church to worship God’s name.

Greg Nelson

Archivist

Enjoy the week ahead.

Mr Chris Black

Principal