The present Church is situated on the corners of Raglan Parade, Kepler Street and Lava Street.  It was completed in 1889  Until 1849 there was no permanent place of worship for Catholics in Warrnambool and initially a small wooden building erected on the corner of Kelp and Timor Streets served as their Church.

St Anne’s: The Church was built in 1940.  It is situated on the Hopkins Highway which runs through Purnim. The Church is an important place of worship for the Catholic community of Purnim and the surrounding area.
(For further information on both St Joseph’s and St Anne’s see History page)

Catholic Schools

St. Joseph’s Primary School
Principal Michael Gray
Phone (03) 5561 2347
Email principal@sjwarrnambool.catholic.edu.au
Website www.sjwarrnambool.catholic.edu.au
Address 70 Botanic Road Warrnambool 3280

Emmanuel College (Regional Secondary School)
Principal Peter Morgan
Phone (03) 5560 0888
Fax (03) 5560 0889
Email info@emmanuel.vic.edu.au
Website www.emmanuel.vic.edu.au
Address 37 Ardlie Street, Warrnambool 3280

History

St Joseph’s: Until 1849 there was no permanent place of worship for Catholics in Warrnambool. Initially a small wooden building erected on the corner of Kelp and Timor Streets served as the Church for the Catholics of Warrnambool. Dean Thomas Slattery, the first Parish Priest of Warrnambool, came to live permanently in the city in 1853.  In 1856 the foundation stone of  the present parish hall on the corner of Kepler Street and Raglan Parade was laid by Bishop Goold from Melbourne.

The building was used as a school and Church for the increasing Catholic community of Warrnambool.  By 1867 it was becoming apparent that this building was also too small for the congregation and plans for a new Church were made. The Church was built in two stages  and the present St Joseph’s was finally completed on the 23rd September 1889.  In 2002 a Gathering Space was built on to the Church.  This Gathering Space has certainly  complemented parish life.

St Anne’s:  There is no record of when the original St Anne’s Church was  built other than that it was being used as a school and a Church prior to 1863 and was extended in 1885.  This old wooden Church served the community for more than 75 years and in 1940 the community built the present brick building.  This is still an important place of worship for the Catholic community of Purnim.

A Century in Bluestone

A History of St Joseph’s Parish and the Catholic faith in the Warrnambool area up until 1989.
D Melican and C Lourey. ISBN 0 7316 7303 4. Published in 1989. Only available in hard copy: $10. Contact the Parish Office.
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