The Parish of
Ballarat North
Churches
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St Columba's
Corner of Lydiard & Gregory Street, Ballarat North
Presbytery
Postal & Street Address:
306 Gregory Street
Ballarat North VIC 3350
Phone
5331 1012 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 Phone Email 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 – Confirmation, Grade 4 – Eucharist and Reconciliation part 1, Grade 6 – Reconciliation Part 2Proposed Dates for 2022Sacrament 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
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Wednesday Mass 10am
Mask whilst not mandatory is recommended
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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
Read More View ArchivesPersonnel
Ministry District: Ballarat Cathedral, Ballarat North and Beaufort Parishes |
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Clergy Fr Ed Moloney (Administrator) Fr Jim McKay Fr Francis Kureeckal MST Email: ballaratnorth@ballarat.catholic.org.au |
Parish Co-Ordinator Lia Andanar Yu Email: ballaratnorth@ballarat.catholic.org.au |
Safeguarding Officer Anthea Hinchey. If you wish to contact Anthea, 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 Bambi Afford (School Co Principal) Judy Brown Bruce Chapman (Chair) Anthea Hinchey Georgina Hinchey Shaun Mohr (School Co Principal) Vicki Moroney (Minutes) Rudi van der Voort (Vice Chair) Fr Francis Kureeckal MST Fr Ed Moloney |
Our Parish
Welcome to St Columba’s Parish. Our church is located on the corner of Lydiard & Gregory Street, Ballarat North.
Parish Planned Giving
Be a part of the Planned Giving Program to ensure the financial survival and future growth of your parish.
The Planned Giving Program is the major source of income for the parish. Your financial contribution will ensure we continue to manage the ongoing and increasing expenses in our parish, including, pastoral programs, insurance, wages, utility rates and church maintenance.
To ensure a regular and reliable income for the parish, we request you to make a periodic pledge either, weekly, fortnightly or monthly. Your considered financial gift will make an enormous difference to continuing the work the parish.
For Parish Planned Giving or to donate click the logo below.
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
SAFEGUARDING INFORMATION
A Child Safe Church:
Rights and Responsibilities web
If you see something that concerns you say something
Feel Safe and Be Safe at our Church Poster web
Standard 1 of the Victorian Childsafe Standards
Aboriginal cultural safety—a conversation with Sherry Balcombe and Michael Chisholm I July 2022
Policies:
Commitment Statement to the Safety of Children, young people and vulnerable adults
Children Young People and Adults at Risk Safety Policy Dec 22
Parish Pastoral Council Guidelines 2017