Statistical History of St. Mark's Catholic Church Dingley Village
A complete version of the history of St. Mark’s Catholic Church 1960-2020 can be downloaded from here. 1960: In the Beginning
In 1969, Father James Shorten, the parish priest of St Joseph’s Church Springvale, fulfilled a promise to his predecessor, Father Coghlan. That promise was to establish a Catholic church and school in Dingley Village.
The first Catholic Masses celebrated in Dingley Village were held in the Dingley Community Hall, now known as the Harold Box Memorial Hall. Before this, Catholics from Dingley Village would attend Mass and other Catholic liturgies by travelling to St. Joseph’s Parish Church in Springvale or some other neighbouring parish.
The first census established that there were 70 Catholic families. Fr. Coghlan decided this was a sufficiently sizeable Catholic community to justify holding a weekly Mass in Dingley. Thus started the long and windy road concept to have a Catholic church presence in Dingley Village.
Father James Shorten would ride his bicycle from St Joseph’s Church in Springvale to Harold Box Hall in Dingley Village, where he would celebrate Mass for interested Catholics. The first Catholic Mass in Dingley Village was celebrated in the Community Hall on Marcus Road in May 1969.
The name for Dingley – “St. Mark’s, was chosen by Cardinal Knox as this links the church with the history of the Village. The famous Australian author, Marcus Clarke, lived in Dingley in the early days, Clarke Road, Marcus Road, St. Mark’s Close, and now St. Mark’s Catholic Church keeping the local traditions alive.
From the beginning and for all initial development phases, the parochial responsibilities were undertaken by diocesan priests at Springvale, led by the Parish Priest: Father Coghlan (1956-1970), Father Shorten( 1970-1976) and Father Peter Elliott, Assistant Priest.
1970: Official opening of the Church/Hall, the Franciscan Conventual Friars arrive in Dingley Village
During the 1970s, a small group of people approached St. Joseph’s at Springvale, and it was arranged that a priest from St. Joseph’s would celebrate mass every Sunday at the Community Hall on Marcus Road. This was the first Catholic Mass in Dingley Village.
A new ten-acre site was purchased between Dimar Road and Lower Dandenong Road. Plans for the site would include a Church, a Catholic primary school and a Church Hall. In the early 1970s, a multi-purpose hall was constructed on the site. In the first instance, the hall would serve as a Church, a School, and a Hall for other parochial purposes.
The Brigidine Sisters, through the Arch-Diocesan “Frontier Group” initiative, were commissioned to establish Catholic Education in Dingley Village. The Brigidine Order purchased a three-bedroom house in Jacks Avenue, and almost straight away, the Sisters commenced operating a school from the house. The Catholic Archdiocese had already procured a ten-acre site in Dimar Court. Subsequently, the Sisters obtained portable classrooms and toilets and had them on the land. That was the nucleus of St Mark’s Catholic School. In 1974, the Brigidine Sisters moved to the newly built St Mark’s Primary School.
The first official Mass celebrated in the Church/Hall was a Pontifical Mass held at 10.00 a.m., Sunday, 15 September 1974, blessed and officially opened by the regional Bishop John A. Kelly, D.D., E.V. The Acting Parish Priest was Fr. Peter Elliott (now Bishop Peter Elliott). Fr. Eliott served the first three years of his priesthood in the Springvale/Dingley Parish, assisting the then Parish Priest, Fr. Shorten. Frank Marshall was the Parish Secretary then and was responsible for organising the invitations for this solemn and historic occasion.
In 1976, a significant moment for the Springvale/Dingley Parish, the Melbourne Archdiocese handed the parochial responsibilities for St Joseph’s and St Mark’s Parish to the Conventual Franciscan Friars – the first Conventual Franciscan Parish for the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. This was the best thing that could have happened to the Catholic Community in Springvale and Dingley Village.
1980: Construction of the House of Studies and Chapel
In 1983, the Conventual Franciscan Friars purchased land adjoining St. Mark’s and constructed a House of Studies and Chapel. Finally, in late 1985, the House of Studies and the Friary were completed nine years after the Conventuals assumed responsibility for the Parish. Fr. Victor Bonello, O.F.M. (Conv.), Parish Priest for Springvale/Dingley Village, was among the earliest Conventual Franciscans and responsible for the planning and building of the Friary/House of Formation.
In the previous year, 1982, Fr. Anthony Fox, the first Australian-born Conventual Franciscan Friar, had been ordained at St. Francis’ Church, Melbourne. He became the first Rector of Friar students.
1990: Planning and building the first dedicated Catholic Church in Dingley Village
In 1991 Fr. Daniel Pietrzak, O.F.M. (Conv.), arrived in Australia to spend three months in Australian custody, mainly as Formation Director. He resided at and worked from the House of Studies. It was to be the beginning of a longer and more rewarding association with Fr. Daniel. In 1995 Fr. Daniel would ultimately become Custos-General of the Australian Order.
In 1996, under the guidance of Fr. Tony Fox, OFM Conv., plans for building a new church in Dingley Village were submitted to the Archbishop of Melbourne. Subsequently, the Vicar-General of the Archdiocese advised that the Archbishop had given the new church project his fullest support.
In March 1997, a Church Building Committee was formed to establish a plan for building the new Church. The plan was submitted to the City of Kingston for approval and issuing of a building permit. St. Mark’s Catholic Church was built after a great deal of hard work through the Friars and the Church Building Committee. St. Mark’s Catholic Church was officially dedicated and consecrated by Bishop Denis Hart, Vicar-General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Melbourne, on 25 April 1999.
Special and unique items adorn St. Mark’s Church. These include the inside furnishings and religious objects that parish benefactors carefully chose and donated. The Crucifix, the Tabernacle, was specially designed for St. Mark’s with the symbol of the Gospel writers. The Altar was the last slab of marble available after most of the marble was used for the Altar in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, with its distinction of changing colours with the light in the Church. The coat of arms of the Franciscan Order that is done in gold leaf at the front of the Altar is always to remember the commitment and work of the Conventual Franciscan Friars.
In addition, Fr. Daniel provided some relics of St. Francis of Assisi, St. Clare, St. Anthony of Padua and St. Maximilian Kolbe, which would be placed in the Altar Stone in the church.
The relics and statues donated by the Order added to the Franciscan imagery already agreed for the new church. It had been previously agreed that a glass panel detailing the ‘Canticle of Creatures’ would form the backdrop of the prayer area in the church. Other Franciscan symbols would be located on the doors to the Reconciliation rooms, and the Franciscan statues would be located throughout the church.
St. Mary of the Cross Window design uses Mary’s paper-saving writing device vertically and horizontally. The Stations of the Cross were made using the technique of Paper Toile by parishioner Heather McFarlane, circa 1995-1996.
Fr. Joseph (Joe) Son Nguyen was inspired by the great poem “The Canticle of the Creatures” composed by St. Francis of Assisi, the founder of the Franciscans. Fr. Joe discussed his inspiration with various artists to help him design the frosted mural that adorns the glass wall at the entry foyer of St. Mark’s Church.
The Liturgical Banners, creatively designed by Fr. Joe and made in Vietnam, are oil paintings and hang with prominence on the wall, to the side of the altar, changed for each liturgical and festive season during the year.
Fr. Peter Elliott, Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne, commissioned the German–born Artist Eva Schubert to carve a statue of the Virgin Mary and Child in a French medieval style, asking that it be mainly designed to represent flora and fauna of the rural environs of Dingley Village. This statue now resides in the foyer of the newly built church – Our Lady of the Gum Nut.
In March 1999, the Parish announced that parishioners had celebrated the first liturgies in the newly completed church on the weekend of 13 and 14 February 1999.
St. Mark’s Catholic Church was officially dedicated and consecrated by Bishop Denis Hart, Vicar-General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Melbourne, on 25 April 1999. Tribute was paid to many people of dedication and vision, whose dream was now realised in the opening of the first Catholic Parish Church in Dingley Village – from the development of the Parish in Dingley Village, the first tentative steps of Fr. Coghlan and local Catholic families in 1962 to the first Masses in the Community Hall in 1969 to the realisation of the dread of a dedicated church. Many people had contributed to the realisation of the dream, the determined Dingley Catholic families of the 1960s, Fr. Coghlan, Fr. Shorten, Fr. Peter Elliott, the Brigidine Sisters, the Conventual Franciscan Friars and finally, the dedicated work of Parochial Councils, and especially of Michael Egan, who would have been so proud, after all his hard work, dedication and persistence during his final years. Sadly, Michael died shortly before the completion of the church.
2000: And so, the story continues...
Fr. Gabriel Doheny, O.F.M. (Conv.) was elected Custos in 2001. With his previous background and experience, Fr. Gabriel was to bring many skills to his position of Pastor to the Order and the Parish of Dingley.
Fr. Gabriel was succeeded by Fr. Vincent Long in 2005. In 2008, Fr. Vincent was appointed to a senior position with the Conventual Franciscan Order in Rome. Fr. Emanuel Gatt was nominated as the interim Custos General until a General Chapter for the Order could be organised.
The appointment of the Conventual Franciscans to the Springvale/Dingley Parishes was an immense benefit to the Dingley Village Catholic Community in many ways, not the least being the enormous financial savings to the Parish in not having to build a Presbytery. The Conventuals built and paid for the Friary with not one cent being contributed by the Parish. The friary was a residence for the Friars, serving the Parish as a Presbytery and a Seminary to train future Friars. Without this very generous contribution by the Conventual Franciscans, the Dingley Village Catholic Community likely would never have had a resident priest. Instead, and unlike many other Parish communities in the Melbourne Archdiocese, Dingley Village enjoyed the privilege of having numerous priests supported by Friar students, catering to the spiritual needs of Dingley Catholics. In addition, the Conventual Franciscans have provided a charisma that has set St. Mark’s apart from most other parishes.
The Legacy at St. Mark’s continues
During 1995/96, Fr Joseph Son Nguyen and the Church Building Committee and Liturgy Group had a concept. They built upon the momentum of building a new church to bring the parishioners together to strengthen St. Mark’s Community. The concept was to create certain days of the year, attached to the Church’s Liturgical season, as memorable, enjoyable and spiritually motivated initiatives, which would become the legacy of St. Mark’s. Thus started, three significant and popular events from St. Mark’s Community and current parishioners ensure the legacy at St; Mark’s continues.
St. Mark’s Community Prayer
The Liturgy Group, led by Fr. Joe, composed the following Community Prayer that is recited at the beginning of every Mass at St. Mark’s Church. A very proud moment for all past members of the Liturgical Group.
O God, our Creator and Father,
We praise You, and we thank You,
Bless each of us in St. Mark’s Community,
Help us in our everyday living of sharing, giving, and loving,
Firstly, to you, Lord and to all we meet in our daily lives.
Amen.
Good Friday Community Soup
The first group of about 12-15 parishioners came together, in the Church Hall, with a pot of vegetable soup and bread donated from Bakers Delight in Dingley Village to start a Good Friday Community Soup lunch after the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday. A small group has grown to about 70 recently (2023). Every family donates a large pot of soup, and organisers have continued to get bread and rolls from Bakers Delight and Woolworths in Dingley Village.
Parishioners love coming to the soup lunch as it allows the seniors and families to come together to share a meal, catch up on social activities and assist in clean-up after the event.
It is very pleasing to see a few regulars from other parishes who also attend the Stations of the Cross and look forward to the soup lunch held at St. Mark’s Church Hall. Everyone is always very welcome.
Port and Cake after Easter Vigil and Midnight Mass
The Liturgy Group initiated Community participation, sought volunteer hosts, and began this tradition of port and cake, which has taken place since 1995.
Christmas Cake, Port and Christmas Candy and soft drinks for the children after Midnight Mass and Chocolate Cake, Port and mini Easter Eggs and soft drinks for the children after the Easter Vigil are very popular get-togethers’ with those attending the services.
2010: Dawning of a significant decade
The highlight for this decade was St. Mark’s Catholic Church Community celebrating the Fiftieth Anniversary of the first Catholic Mass held in the Harold Box Hall, Dingley Village, and the Twentieth Anniversary of the Consecration of the first Mass at St. Mark’s Catholic Church, Lower Dandenong Road, Dingley Village. The celebrations occurred over a weekend on Saturday, 27 and Sunday, 28 April 2019.
The Most Reverend Peter A. Comensoli, D.D. presided over the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Archbishop of Melbourne, Fr. Joseph Truong Nguyen, O.F.M. Conv., Parish Priest and Fr. David Blowey, O.F.M. Conv., Provincial of the Conventual Franciscan Friars, amongst over three hundred past and present parishioners, local religious and government dignitaries.
Archbishop Peter Comensoli, in his homily, not only paid tribute to the Friars and the Community of St. Mark’s for their unconditional commitment on their long journey of fifty years to celebrate two significant achievements; but added that “it was a joyful leap into the future”.
After the service, the congregation was treated to refreshments where there was much excitement greeting Archbishop Peter Comensoli, and delightful to watch parishioners mingling and exchanging stories from the last fifty years.
The celebration continued on Sunday, 28 April, with a morning Mass by Fr. Joseph Truong and a family BBQ hosted by St. Mark’s Primary School, Dingley Village.
Parishioners also reminisced on the display of photographs and memorabilia of the last fifty years, together with the congratulatory and well-wishes from past Friars and parishioners who could not attend.
It was undoubtedly a wonderful celebration dedicated to the men and women who collaborated and were committed to bringing to fruition the beautiful church of St. Mark’s, Dingley Village.