The Parish of

Ballarat North

Churches

  • St Columba's

    Corner of Lydiard & Gregory Street, Ballarat North

Presbytery

Postal & Street Address:
306 Gregory Street
Ballarat North  VIC  3350

Phone
53311012    Please note that the phone is not answered or cleared over the weekend.

Email
ballaratnorth@ballarat.catholic.org.au

School Link
http://www.scballarat.catholic.edu.au/

Attending Masses in the Parish

Please see notes below under Mass Times for attending mass in a COVIDSafe way.

Weekday Mass:
10.00am Mass Wednesdays. Please check bulletin for any changes.

Please DO NOT attend if you are feeling unwell.

Please wear a mask in the Church, use the hand sanitizer as you enter and sign in via QR code or manually at the registration desk. Thank you for your assistance in helping keep every one safe.

Please contact the Parish office for more information.

Bishop’s letter regarding Victorian Government’s roadmap 22 September 2021 Bishops letter

 

Parish Office

 

Address 
306 Gregory Street, Ballarat North
(behind the Church follow the yellow footprints)


Hours
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 10.00 am – 2.00 pm


Phone
53311012


Email
ballaratnorth@ballarat.catholic.org.au

For pastoral, Baptism and Sacramental inquiries please email or telephone for updated information – see contact details above.

Sacramental Program
Sacramental programs are family based, parish coordinated and school supported. Each year the sacraments of Confirmation, Eucharist and Reconciliation are celebrated in the Parish. The Parish and School are charged with assisting parents to bring up their children in the faith of the Catholic Church.The Parish and School share this responsibility with the parents and so, together in partnership, the spiritual development of the child can be nurtured and grown. Sacraments are supported, but not restricted, to the following Year levels.Grade 3 – ConfirmationGrade 4 – Eucharist and Reconciliation part 1

Grade 6 – Reconciliation Part 2

 

Proposed Dates for 2022

Sacrament of Confirmation Grade 3 – Term Two

Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist Grade 4 & 5 – Term Three

 

Mass Times

 

Sunday Mass 10am

Mask whilst not mandatory is recommended

 

Wednesday Mass 10am

Mask whilst not mandatory is recommended

 

Please note that from the weekend of 9th/10th October the weekend Mass has returned to 10am Sunday morning.

Wendouree OLHC has a Vigil Mass at 6pm

Latest Parish Bulletin - 28 Mar 2024

Read More View Archives

Personnel

Parish Priest
Fr Marcello Colasante
(Fr Marcello is also Parish Priest of Wendouree Parish and Administrator of Beaufort Parish)
Email: ballaratnorth@ballarat.catholic.org.au
Parish Co-Ordinator
Lia Andanar Yu
Email: ballaratnorth@ballarat.catholic.org.au
Safeguarding Officer
Mr Peter Marquand.
If you wish to contact Peter, please send any information via the Parish email or postal address marked for his attention and we will ensure he receives it.
Parish Pastoral Council
Judy Brown
Georgina Hinchey
Diane Cowie
Rudi van der Voort
Shaun Mohr (School Co Principal)
Bambi Afford (School Co Principal)
Lia Andanar Yu (Parish Co-Ordinator)
Torie Waight (School RE Co-ordinator)

 

Our Parish

Welcome to St Columba’s Parish. Our church is located on the corner of Lydiard & Gregory Street, Ballarat North.


School
St Columba’s Primary School


History

  • On 31st January, 1911, St. Columba’s School was opened for students and was staffed by Sisters of Mercy who travelled each day from Ballarat East. Because the Bishop was away at the time, the official blessing and opening took place later that year.
  • Ballarat North community had its own church in 1919 when a wooden church, which had been built about 1892 as the original chapel of the Redemptorist Monastery in Wendouree, was moved to the site on Gregory Street, alongside the existing primary school.
  • The present church was built in its original form in 1940, and the former wooden church became part of the primary school, originally used as classrooms and later as an assembly hall. There it stayed until 2007 when the school’s needs demanded not only the space but a more up-to-date area for school assemblies and other functions.
  • The 1940 church underwent extensive refurbishment in the years after Vatican II, allowing a more open and simple arrangement while respecting the intrinsic beauty of the original building.
  • Later still, an entrance foyer was added, not only to serve as a gathering (and de-briefing!) space, but also to allow for the various parish meetings.
  • The stained glass windows in the church are neither spectacular nor lavish, but they are rich in symbols from both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament.
  • Although the parish community had a distinct identity of its own from 1911, Ballarat North did not officially become a parish until 1971. The presbytery at the rear of the church was actually built before then (1958), and served as a residence for a number of priests who were engaged in various ministries in Ballarat and beyond.
  • Many of the parishioners who have lived in the area for many years have fond memories of the pastors who served as their parish priests: Fathers Boylan, Martin, van de Camp and Brophy. In 2002 when Fr. Brophy was moved to Mildura, the parish lost the ministry of a resident priest, was then administered from St. Patrick’s Cathedral until it came under the care of Father Gerard Prunty, Administrator of both OLHC Wendouree and St Columba’s. The community has retained a strong identity of its own.
  • Mass is celebrated at 6pm on Saturday evenings, and 10am on Sunday mornings.  A regular group of parishioners warmly welcomes you on Wednesday mornings at 10.00am for Mass in the Church foyer.

Resources

Parish News

News
February 9, 2022
St Columba’s Catholic Church Parish Coordinator
Read More >
News
September 6, 2020
CDF Pay
Have you heard the Good News? CDF has developed an online thanksgiving portal, CDFpay for Parishes.
Read More >
News
July 10, 2020
Ballarat North Stewardship Program 2019
Ballarat North Stewardship
Read More >
More Ballarat North News

Parish Map