Holy Trinity Church

34 Stevens Street Queenscliff

1867

• 20^th January 1867 Bishop Goold blessed and opened the church.

1899

• The new Mission of Queenscliff & Sorrento was established. This union of two centres separated by the entrance to Port Philip Bay was possible because of the reliable ferry service then serving  the needs of the Army bases on both sides of the shipping entrance into the bay.

1901

• The Presbytery was completed at a cost of 760 pounds ($1520).

1902

• Father Quinn announced the opening of St Aloysius primary school, 36 feet long x 25 feet wide (18 metres x 7.5 metres).
• In that same year, the Sisters of Mercy opened Santa Casa at a cost of 2,500 pounds ($5,000). This fine building has been a boarding school, a holiday home for groups of disadvantaged children from September to May each year, a refuge for polio victims, a holiday house for Mercy Sisters and now a very successful retreat centre.

1923-5

• The south wall of Holy Trinity church was extended thus increasing its capacity from 100 worshippers to 140.
• Archbishop Mannix made Queenscliff his Mensal parish for forty years. He resided at Queenscliff from the end of January until the Sunday before the St. Patrick’s day procession (17^th. March).

1969

• St. Aloysius’ new school built on the Bethune Street side of the church. Since then St Aloysius has seen many changes. Today it is a most welcoming centre of learning. See website: https://www.saqueenscliff.catholic.edu.au/

1980

• Queenscliff Parish was extended to include Our Lady Star of the Sea, Ocean Grove  and Holy Family Barwon Heads with the appointment of the new Parish Priest Fr. Kevin Nicholson. He would remain in the parish 22 years until 2002 during which time he involved the laity in many different apostolates as he joined the three communities into one. But his first challenge was to build the second Catholic Primary School on the Bellarine Peninsula. He had inherited a fast-growing seaside town of Ocean Grove and was quickly involved in a building programme in John Dory Drive. The first principal, Sr. Joan McGonigal RSM, was already appointed.

1981

Old school building in Stevens Street extended by transporting and attaching a former Point Lonsdale church hall to accommodate summer Mass crowds.

1982

• On 17th April Archbishop T.F. Little blessed and opened Our Lady Star of the Sea School which began with 84 pupils. Today it has developed greatly and has over 500 pupils. See website: www.staroceangrove.catholic.edu.au