堂区历史 · Parish History

Our Lady of China Catholic Church in Melbourne is a Catholic Chinese community of believers who spread the Gospel in Mandarin. Its purpose is to provide a place where old and new Chinese immigrants, short-term residents, young students and children can praise and worship God in Mandarin. Furthermore, it is a place where there is continual formation of faith, learning from one another and passing on the Chinese culture. We welcome Chinese Catholics from all over the world and friends who are interested in learning about the Catholic Church and knowing Jesus Christ to join our dynamic family.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Chinese Catholics migrated to Melbourne. In order for them to celebrate Mass in Chinese, they had to rent churches in different parishes in Melbourne over time. It has been a dream for the Catholic Chinese community to establish their own church in Melbourne.

The Catholic Chinese community in Melbourne has experienced growth and development in different periods. Initially, there were Father Zhao and Father Yu, who celebrated Masses in Mandarin. Later, Father Kam used Cantonese to celebrate Mass. The older generation of priests made great contributions to the growth of the group. These fathers laid a good foundation for the later development of the group.

In 1985 the Chinese Catholic community established the Our Lady of China Centre. In 1992 Fr Tsang was appointed to be the first permanent chaplain of the Chinese Catholic Community of Melbourne. The Mass was held in both Cantonese and Mandarin.

In 2001, with the approval of the Archdiocese of Melbourne, the Catholic Chinese Community (CCC) began renting the Our Lady of Perpetual Succour church in Surrey Hills. The church and office facilities were shared with the local parishioners. This ended the wandering of the community as it now had a fixed Mass centre and office, but it still dreamt of owning its own church.

In December 2010, Fr Tsang was laid to rest and returned to God. Through God’s blessing, two new priests, Father Li and Father Du, came to join our community. Fr Li takes care of the Mandarin-speaking members and Fr Du the Cantonese-speaking members. The group continued to grow under their leadership, especially the number of Mandarin-speaking members, which has steadily increased since May 2012.

Due to the increasing number of church members and the needs of evangelisation, the space at Our Lady’s no longer met the group’s needs, so the need to build our own church became more and more urgent. In 2015 some church members initiated the purchase of land and the building of a new church, to carry on the wishes of the original members. To accomplish this mission, the Mandarin group was once again named Our Lady of China. In February 2017, Archbishop of Melbourne Denis Hart officially approved the establishment of the Chinese Catholic Centre, which was renamed Our Lady of China Catholic Church (OLCCC). Although resources were limited, with the joint efforts of priests and parishioners the new church was completed on 9 September 2020, and the first Mass was celebrated there on Christmas Eve. In 2022 the church held its inauguration, which had been delayed because of COVID.

We are grateful to the bishops, priests, nuns, and members of the Melbourne Catholic Chinese Friendship Group and the church members around the world who have cared for and helped our group grow and develop over the years. We also pray that our Mother in Heaven will pray for the growth of Our Lady of China Catholic Church. May God bless everyone!