At the bustling corner of Hoddle Street and Victoria Parade in East Melbourne stands St John the Evangelist Church, a landmark with a rich history spanning more than 150 years. This church remains a place of worship and of historical significance, having witnessed the growth of Melbourne‘s Catholic community.
The story of St John’s begins in 1857, when the land on which the current church stands was home to the Anglican Parish Church of the Holy Trinity. This church served both as a place of worship and a school for local parishioners until 1864, when the Anglican congregation moved to a new location in George Street, East Melbourne.
In 1866, a small Gothic-style Catholic church was built to the south of the old Holy Trinity Church. Opened by Archbishop Thomas Carr and named for St John the Evangelist, it was the first Catholic church in East Melbourne.
The church’s school, founded by the Sisters of Charity in 1890, provided education and support to generations of local families.
A second, larger church was built nearby in a Romanesque style and opened in 1901. Its design blended Irish and Australian artistic elements, featuring a prominent Celtic cross and details inspired by the parishioners’ predominantly Irish heritage.
Archbishop Daniel Mannix laid the foundation stone for the current church in 1929, when the Archdiocese of Melbourne purchased the site on which the old Anglican church had stood for £3,151. The striking red-brick church was completed in 1930.
From 1983, St John’s joined with neighbouring parishes St Joseph’s (Collingwood) and All Saints’ (Fitzroy) under a team ministry. This arrangement lasted until 1992, when St John’s regained its status as a separate parish.
Notably, Fr Joe Bui Duc Tien became the first Vietnamese refugee ordained as a priest in the Archdiocese of Melbourne. Appointed parish priest in 1992, he served until 2006, making a lasting impact on the parish and the wider Catholic community.
In 2008, St John’s became part of St Patrick’s Cathedral Parish, reconnecting with its roots as a mission of the Cathedral.
In 2014, the Archdiocese of Melbourne and the Catholic Education Office (now Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools) had a vision to adapt and re-use the historic St John’s Evangelist School site in East Melbourne to become a professional learning centre for teachers and principals within the Catholic Education system.
With its striking design by Woods Bagot—sensitively blending contemporary and heritage architecture—the Catholic Leadership Centre features a series of flexible meeting and learning spaces housed within new and existing buildings. Three existing buildings on the site are now part of the centre. The heritage Celtic Hall, the original former St John’s Church and the St John’s school building have been refurbished and converted into meeting and learning spaces. St John’s Church—still part of the Cathedral parish—is used by the centre from time to time and is also available.