Sunday January 20th 1929 was an important day for the Cranbourne community. It was the opening of the new brick church to replace the old wooden structure that served the parish so well for the last 70 years. It was opened by His Grace Archbishop Mannix who was paying his first visit to Cranbourne.

Cranbourne, along with many other parts of the current Diocese of Sale, was originally part of the Brighton Mission. It was quite extensive, covering all of the territory south of the Yarra, form Emerald Hill (South Yarra) to the Mornington Peninsula, and the large area east of Port Phillip as far as the Strzelecki Ranges. The priests that were assigned to minister to the people in these areas were quite heroic: travelling great distances by horseback over rough, often uninhabitable country, as well as facing loneliness and dangers, which seem by today’s standards to be almost intolerable. By their sheer presence in these areas they nurtured the faith of the early settlers and promoted the development of Catholicism in the area.

Why was our parish dedicated to the Sicilian martyr, Agatha? There does not appear to be a definitive answer to this question, but if one reflects on the history of the Church in Victoria and Australia, it is possible to see several influences at work.

Prior to European settlement, the Cranbourne area was known as mar-ne-bek by the Boonwurrung people. The name mar-ne-bek means excellent country. The first Europeans arrived via Tasmania in 1836 with the area opening up to settlers in the 1860s.

Feastday: February 5

St. Agatha died in defense of her purity, in Catania, Sicily, where she was born. After Quintanus, the governor of Sicily, tried in vain to force her to consent to sin, she was imprisoned for a month with an evil woman. He then turned from sensuality to cruelty and had her breasts cut off; but that night Agatha was healed by St. Peter. She was then rolled over sharp stones and burning coals, and finally taken to prison where she died while praying. Her name appears in the Roman Canon.

Our parish is consists of many wonderful, dedicated and gifted people who serve and minister to the St Agatha’s community on an ongoing basis in ordained, religious, and lay ecclesial ministry capacities. Here are some of the people you are likely to meet at our Parish Office:

St Agatha's Parish Staff

	Fr Antony Rebelo: Parish Priest		Family Ministry / Children’s Liturgy Communion to the sick Youth Ministry
	Fr Prabhu Antony: Assistant Priest		Tina Dam: Parish Secretary
	Sr Faustina Ede: Sacramental Co-ordinator		Gaude Tandoc: Assistant Parish Secretary
	Sr Victoria Orinya: Music Ministry / Liturgy / Catechetics		John MacDonald: Maintenance and Gardening
	John Kelly: Safeguarding Officer (Volunteer)		Adam Dam: Admin Assistant Godstart /

Welcome! If you are a visitor we hope that our website will be a reflection of the wonderful and Spirit-filled community of St Agatha’s. We hope and pray that your visit will encourage you to be drawn more deeply into God’s presence and his love through active engagement in our parish.

If you are a parishioner, it’s good to touch base with you again. We hope that you find all the information you need to become more fully engaged in our faith community and that you too, will be drawn ever more deeply into the loving arms of God.

St Agatha’s Catholic community is a place where you can truly belong; where you can truly be at home. Whether you are on the fringes of Catholicism, whether you are just starting out on the journey of Catholic life, or whether you’ve been Catholic all your life: we value you as a person. Our parish offers many opportunities for you to grow and develop your potential, to discover your giftedness and God-given talents and encourages you to reach out to others to do the same. Whilst we realize the importance of the development and nurture of the individual, we also place equal importance on community: of standing together as a family through all of the joys, struggles and challenges that each day brings. As a well-known proverb states ‘shared joy is double joy, shared sorrow is half a sorrow’; we support each other throughout our lives and stages of faith.

At the heart of St. Agatha’s Parish is Jesus Christ living and active among us.  Above all it is in celebration of the Holy Mass and in the other Sacraments that we encounter the Lord Jesus.  This loving encounter in spirit and truth spills over into an active love and service of one another and all whom we meet.  This reaches a high point in our participation in the “New Evangelisation” that “the kingdom may come.”  Prayer and especially Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is the other fountainhead from which all the spiritual energy of our Parish flows and bears the fruits of the Holy Spirit among us.