St Therese Of Lisieux Moonah Lutana Parish
Presbytery
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24 Hopkins Street, Moonah, TAS, 7009
PO Box 819, Moonah TAS 7009
Fr Parthalomai (Bartha) Paniyadimai msc
03 9412 8471
Monday Tuesday & Friday – 9:30am to 4:00pm

History

Parish History

The Parish was originally established St Therese’s Parish on 28th February 1931 with Fr T. J. O’Donnell as the first Parish Priest. It was blessed and officially opened by Archbishop W. Hayden on 21st February 1932. St Therese’s first School-Church, now the Parish/School Hall, was built in 1931 in just over two months at the cost of £4,025. The Church was opened by Very Reverend D Murphy (Administrator of the Archdiocese) on 25th October 1931, Feast of Christ the King.

The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart came to Moonah in June 1932, at the initiative of the then Parish Priest Fr T. J. O’Donnell, with Fr T. O’Loughlin MSC (Parish Priest) and Fr R. Dando MSC (Assistant Priest).

The Convent was built under the direction of Fr T. O’Loughlin MSC for the Sisters of St Joseph and was blessed and opened on 5th May 1935, at a cost of £4,000. The Convent was named St Joseph’s Convent.

The Sisters of St Joseph decided to leave Moonah in 1950. The Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (OLSH) commenced their ministry within the school and community in 1951. The Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (OLSH) remained at the School and Parish until 1970.

In 1952 the first Polish Masses were celebrated at St Therese’s Parish, by Fr Godlewski. The first appointed chaplain, Fr A. Stopa was appointed on 10th November 1960.

The present church was blessed and opened by Archbishop E. V. Tweedy on 21st February 1954, with the cost of the building being £24,000.

“Bowerbine” was purchased in September 1960 from the trustees of the Burgess Estate. This home was blessed, opened, and renamed on 7th May 1961 as “Martin Manor” after the family name of St Therese. Martin Manor was to be used as a secondary school for girls. In 1969 the school closed and became the presbytery.

In 1961 Archbishop Young formed the Lutana-Goodwood Parish as a separate parish out of Moonah Parish. The Church, Our Lady of Victories, was constructed on the site at Ashbolt Crescent. The Church was blessed and opened on 5th April 1964, as a memorial to the men and women who fought in all the wars of our country. A side chapel commemorated Archdeacon T. J. O’Donnell, the first permanent priest of the area.

The Sisters of St Joseph returned to the School and Parish in 1971 and resumed their ministry.

On 27th April 1999, Archbishop Doyle launched “Call to Change” and through dialogue and consultation the decision to merge the Parish and Lutana Parish into one parish on 26th May 2002 with the formation of Moonah-Lutana Parish.

On 31st December 2006, Our Lady of Victories Church was closed in a beautiful ceremony recognising the rich history of the Lutana Parish and Our Lady of Victories Church community.

In December 2013, the Sisters of St Joseph departed St Joseph’s Convent and the Convent was returned to the Parish for its use.

In January 2014, Archbishop Julian Porteous, invited the Sisters of the Immaculata to be resident at St Joseph’s Convent. The sisters remained in the Parish until July 2015. At this time St Joseph’s Convent returned to the Parish for its use.

In September 2015, L’Arche Beni Abbes Hobart and the Parish undertook to occupy the St Joseph’s Convent as their principal offices and the building was renamed, opened and blessed on Thursday, 17th December 2015. It was named Saints Louis and Zelie Martin Parish Centre, after the parents of St Therese who were made Saints on 18th October 2015.

A major renovation of St Therese of Lisieux Church was undertaken in 2017, this resulted in the Church returning for six months to its original home which is not the school/parish hall. For many parishioners, this was a trip down memory lane returning to the original church.

On Saturday, 19th November 2016 the Feast of Christ the King, the re-opening, consecration and re-dedication of St Therese of Lisieux Church was celebrated in a beautiful moving ceremony led by Archbishop Julian Porteous and concelebrated by past Missionary of the Sacred Heart Priests and Priests and Deacons from the Archdiocese of Hobart.
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