HISTORY OF ST. MONICA'S PARISH
A Brief Outline on the History of St Monica's Church
The present St Monica's Church was built on the site of a stone church, begun in 1884, completed in 1910 and demolished in 1934 to make way for the larger building. Demolition of the old building and construction of the new building took twelve months. The nave, lady chapel, entrances and baptistry were opened on December 16, 1934 at a cost of 25,000 pounds. The sanctuary and sacristies were completed in 1941.
The architect was Thomas Payne of Payne and Dale (who was also the architect of the chapel at Newman College, University of Melbourne). Construction was done by local builders, Simmie & Sons with stone work being attended to by Lodge Bros. using the stonemasons who had just completed work on the Shrine of Remembrance.
A proposed tower on the north west corner has not been built. Stained glass windows from the old church building were incorporated into the present building, particulalry in the side chapel. Other windows have been added through the 1940s and 1950s.
Some internal rearranging with the provision of a new sanctuary area and a new altar made from the stone of the former altar rails was done in 1972.
Using the space in the choir loft, the building can comfortably hold well over 1000 persons.
The Windows
The windows in the Side (Lady) Chapel were originally in the older church demolished in 1934. Some of these date from 1910/1912 and came from John Hardman Studios in Birmingham with "the tones subdued because of the brightness of the Australian sun" and some are much older and from an Australian artist.
The windows in the main body of the church are from Hardman of Birmingham and were installed in the late 1940s and 1950s. The windows at the East end (sanctuary) have scenes from the birth and from the resurrection of Jesus, the great west window depicts the majesty of heaven with God surrounded by the saints. The south wall has a series of windows with scenes from the passion of Jesus and the window over the north east door has scenes from the life of St Monica and her son St Augustine. Over the stair well leading to the choir loft is a window to St Monica taken from the older church.
An Extract From Journal of the Royal Victorian Institue of Architects - July 1937
The Style
The style of the building reflects the Spanish Gothic influence of the Caralan School adapted to modern conditions. This particular phase of fourteenth century Spanish Gothic architecture includes among its finest examples the Cathedrals of Barcelona and Palma.
The Plan
The Front Entrance to St Monica's Church leads to the ante Narthex and thence to the Narthex and is flanked on the left by the uncompleted tower (on the ground floor of which is the baptistery) and on the right is the stair hall, which provides access to the Choir Gallery over the Nave.
The Nave extend for 120 feet to the Sanctuary Arch and is 30 feet wide and on either side of the nave arcade are aisles . The north aisle opens to the Lady Chapel. The total width over the aisles is 64 feet but including the Lady Chapel is 82 feet.
The Front Porch is approached from the ground level by generously wide steps and shows deeply recessed doorways under the archway composed of successively diminshing orders of Hawkesbury stone. Over the main doorways is a carved spandrel infilling with sculptured representations of the four evangelists symbolised.
The Narthex baptistry and the stair hall are paved in four-inch colour-blended orient tiles in soft brown shades with wide joints. The walls are of silver-grey sand finished plaster. The ceiling of the Narthex is in oak panelling in two feet squares with richly moulded members and is finished in dull wax in natural colour.
The stair hall encloses a tile paved staircase, leading to the choir gallery, which is at the far end of the nave from the Sanctuary and immediately behind the great west window. The organ chamber is adjoining the choir gallery and has two large pierced grilles of carved wood opening into the nave and aisle.
The Nave arcades are each of five pointed arches deeply moulded, rising from concrete columns 30 feet high.
All doors internally are of Queensland walnut flush panelling and the Choir Gallery front is in walnut.
The present St Monica's Church was built on the site of a stone church, begun in 1884, completed in 1910 and demolished in 1934 to make way for the larger building. Demolition of the old building and construction of the new building took twelve months. The nave, lady chapel, entrances and baptistry were opened on December 16, 1934 at a cost of 25,000 pounds. The sanctuary and sacristies were completed in 1941.
The architect was Thomas Payne of Payne and Dale (who was also the architect of the chapel at Newman College, University of Melbourne). Construction was done by local builders, Simmie & Sons with stone work being attended to by Lodge Bros. using the stonemasons who had just completed work on the Shrine of Remembrance.
A proposed tower on the north west corner has not been built. Stained glass windows from the old church building were incorporated into the present building, particulalry in the side chapel. Other windows have been added through the 1940s and 1950s.
Some internal rearranging with the provision of a new sanctuary area and a new altar made from the stone of the former altar rails was done in 1972.
Using the space in the choir loft, the building can comfortably hold well over 1000 persons.
The Windows
The windows in the Side (Lady) Chapel were originally in the older church demolished in 1934. Some of these date from 1910/1912 and came from John Hardman Studios in Birmingham with "the tones subdued because of the brightness of the Australian sun" and some are much older and from an Australian artist.
The windows in the main body of the church are from Hardman of Birmingham and were installed in the late 1940s and 1950s. The windows at the East end (sanctuary) have scenes from the birth and from the resurrection of Jesus, the great west window depicts the majesty of heaven with God surrounded by the saints. The south wall has a series of windows with scenes from the passion of Jesus and the window over the north east door has scenes from the life of St Monica and her son St Augustine. Over the stair well leading to the choir loft is a window to St Monica taken from the older church.
An Extract From Journal of the Royal Victorian Institue of Architects - July 1937
The Style
The style of the building reflects the Spanish Gothic influence of the Caralan School adapted to modern conditions. This particular phase of fourteenth century Spanish Gothic architecture includes among its finest examples the Cathedrals of Barcelona and Palma.
The Plan
The Front Entrance to St Monica's Church leads to the ante Narthex and thence to the Narthex and is flanked on the left by the uncompleted tower (on the ground floor of which is the baptistery) and on the right is the stair hall, which provides access to the Choir Gallery over the Nave.
The Nave extend for 120 feet to the Sanctuary Arch and is 30 feet wide and on either side of the nave arcade are aisles . The north aisle opens to the Lady Chapel. The total width over the aisles is 64 feet but including the Lady Chapel is 82 feet.
The Front Porch is approached from the ground level by generously wide steps and shows deeply recessed doorways under the archway composed of successively diminshing orders of Hawkesbury stone. Over the main doorways is a carved spandrel infilling with sculptured representations of the four evangelists symbolised.
The Narthex baptistry and the stair hall are paved in four-inch colour-blended orient tiles in soft brown shades with wide joints. The walls are of silver-grey sand finished plaster. The ceiling of the Narthex is in oak panelling in two feet squares with richly moulded members and is finished in dull wax in natural colour.
The stair hall encloses a tile paved staircase, leading to the choir gallery, which is at the far end of the nave from the Sanctuary and immediately behind the great west window. The organ chamber is adjoining the choir gallery and has two large pierced grilles of carved wood opening into the nave and aisle.
The Nave arcades are each of five pointed arches deeply moulded, rising from concrete columns 30 feet high.
All doors internally are of Queensland walnut flush panelling and the Choir Gallery front is in walnut.
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St Monica's Parish, Moonee Ponds, began as the Parent parish of Flemington (1891), Ascot Vale (1911), Sunbury (1911) and Essendon (1922).
It's 'grand-children' number five - Kensington (1915), Strathmore (1941), Niddrie (1954), West Essendon (1961) and Avondale Heights (1963). Other 'spiritual descendants' are: Pascoe Vale, Glenroy, Broadmeadows, Dallas, Gladstone Park, Oak Park, Hadfield, Airport West, East Keilor, Darraweit Guim, now part of Kilmore Parish, was also mothered by the Parish we now call St Monica's.
If we push our ancestral line one step further, we find that St Augustine's Keilor, now part of the Airport West parish, was the father of them all. How St Augustine's Keilor became St Monica's Essendon, and finally St Monica's Moonee Ponds is an intriguing part of our story.
Between these 19 parishes, which cover much of the territory served by the original mission of Keilor, there are an estimated 80,000 catholics - almost 10% of the Archdiocese of Melbourne.
The current St Monica's Parish occupies only 7 square kilometres. There are over 2,000 dwellings in which 6,000 catholics live. 20% of these catholics are over 60 years of age and Italians make up about 40% of the families in the parish. Other ethnic groups include people from South America, Asia, Europe and Southern Africa. On many Sundays we get visitors from over 24 different parishes.
It's 'grand-children' number five - Kensington (1915), Strathmore (1941), Niddrie (1954), West Essendon (1961) and Avondale Heights (1963). Other 'spiritual descendants' are: Pascoe Vale, Glenroy, Broadmeadows, Dallas, Gladstone Park, Oak Park, Hadfield, Airport West, East Keilor, Darraweit Guim, now part of Kilmore Parish, was also mothered by the Parish we now call St Monica's.
If we push our ancestral line one step further, we find that St Augustine's Keilor, now part of the Airport West parish, was the father of them all. How St Augustine's Keilor became St Monica's Essendon, and finally St Monica's Moonee Ponds is an intriguing part of our story.
Between these 19 parishes, which cover much of the territory served by the original mission of Keilor, there are an estimated 80,000 catholics - almost 10% of the Archdiocese of Melbourne.
The current St Monica's Parish occupies only 7 square kilometres. There are over 2,000 dwellings in which 6,000 catholics live. 20% of these catholics are over 60 years of age and Italians make up about 40% of the families in the parish. Other ethnic groups include people from South America, Asia, Europe and Southern Africa. On many Sundays we get visitors from over 24 different parishes.
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