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Our History
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Holy Family Parish incorporates the catholic communities of West Footscray, Maidstone and Braybrook. The current parish community springs from the coming together of three churches within two parishes; St. John’s Church, Our Lady’s Church and Christ the King Church.
St John's Church in West Footscray catered to local parishioners since it was established in 1921. Hemmed in by residential development due to the growth in Maidstone in the 1940s and 1950s, fuelled now by immigrants, a separate site seemed inevitable. Expansion and plans for a new Church in Maidstone then began. The new church was christened Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church or simply, Our Lady’s Church.
Our Lady’s Church in Maidstone was inaugurated in 1962 to cater to the growing parishioners of St. John’s. The parish was later known as Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish with two churches. In 2020, after a period of discernment and to support growing enrolments and the children’s need for learning space, St John’s Church was gifted to the St John’s Primary School.
Christ the King Parish in Braybrook was established in 1952 from sections of Sunshine and West Footscray parishes. In 1958, the parish transferred from its temporary centre in Rupert Street to Churchill Avenue, with the opening of the Catholic Centre. Sadly, the new Catholic Centre which was established with such great sacrifice and labour by the parish was destroyed by fire in 1961. The determination of the parish, however, was unbroken and the present church of Christ the King opened in 1966.
The parishes of Braybrook and Maidstone entered into a partnership in 2000 and were finally amalgamated on15 January 2018 into Holy Family Parish through a Decree signed by His Grace, Archbishop Denis James Hart on 13 December 2017.
Some key milestones in the history of the Holy Family Parish:1921 – St John’s Church on Essex Street in West Footscray is established during the industrial boom of the 1920s
1950 – A regular Sunday mass begins at the Maidstone Hall in Thompson Street, Maidstone, in addition to the Sunday masses at St John’s in West Footscray
1952 –The parish of Braybrook is erected under the patronage of Christ the King
1958 – Christ the King Parish opens a new Catholic Centre in Churchill Avenue in Braybrook
1962 – The parish of Maidstone is erected under the title of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, incorporating the community of St John’s, Footscray West1966 – Christ the King Church opens in Braybrook
2000 – Under the leadership of a single parish priest, Christ the King in Braybrook and Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Maidstone become partnered parishes of the Archdiocese of Melbourne
2013 – A single pastoral council is established and the process of discernment of the future of the two parishes is initiated
2017 – A consultative process leading to two formal meetings of parishioners of both parishes support the amalgamation of the two parishes, with each one of the three churches retaining its community identity
2018 – Partnered Parishes of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and Christ the King are amalgamated into the new Holy Family Parish to take effect from 15 January 2018 through a Decree signed by His Grace, Archbishop Denis James Hart on 13 December
2017.
2020 - After discernment and consultation, with the approval of the Archbishop, the Holy Family Parish gifted St John’s Church for the exclusive use of St John’s Primary School, Footscray. The last mass was held on 15 March 2020.