Catholics are well-known for pilgrimages to miraculous sites around the world, sometimes travelling significant distances to spend time in a sacred space. About 20-kilometres outside of the Melbourne CBD is the Catholic Parish of St Peter Chanel which, according to Parish Priest Fr Felimon Libot CMF, has become something of a place of pilgrimage for locals and visitors alike.
Fr Felimon became parish priest in August 2019 and says one of the first things he noticed was the parish’s strong devotion to prayer. ‘One very significant thing I noticed about our parish when I first arrived was our 24-hour Adoration chapel,’ he says.
One day he noticed a small group praying in the chapel at two o’clock in the morning. ‘I was just curious … so I arrived at the Adoration chapel and I was so elated because I saw not just one person but an entire family praying inside,’ he says.
‘I was so moved.’
He says the chapel is visited by people of all ages throughout the day. ‘You’ll see people after work … they’ll pass by the Adoration chapel. And this morning I passed by and there were people there praying,’ says Fr Felimon.
‘And it’s not just local parishioners who visit the chapel. ‘Some of them are coming from Sunbury, some from Truganina,’ he says.
The parish of St Peter Chanel traces its origins back to the late 1940s, when many working-class Catholics began to settle in the neighbouring areas of Sunshine Heights, Ardeer and East Deer Park. In 1954, Archbishop Daniel Mannix created a new parish to cater to the needs of the growing local population. The new parish was entrusted to the Marist Fathers who in turn named it the “Parish of Deer Park”, in honour of Archbishop Mannix’s birthplace in Deerpark, Ireland.
The Marist Fathers promptly placed the newly founded parish under the patronage of St Peter Chanel, who had been a Marist missionary priest in the South Pacific and was martyred on the Island of Futuna in 1841. A new primary school was also set up in his name.
By the early 1970s, the population in the areas of West Sunshine and Deer Park had grown considerably and a new approach was needed to cater to their pastoral needs.
In 1974, His Eminence James Cardinal Knox, then Archbishop of Melbourne, decided to establish Deer Park as a parish in its own right. The Marists continued to care for St Paul’s Church in West Sunshine, while Cardinal Knox appointed diocesan priest Fr Karmel Borg as the pastor for the newly-founded St Peter Chanel Parish of Deer Park. Years later, upon Fr Borg’s retirement, the parish was placed under the care of the Claretian Missionaries.
Parish life has certainly developed over time, with ministries continually adapting to cater to local pastoral needs. While the vast majority of parishioners in the 1950s-60s were newly-arrived migrants and displaced persons from war-ravaged Europe, parishioners in recent decades have arrived from various countries throughout Asia including Vietnam, the Philippines and India. In fact, the 2016 Census showed that close to 70 per cent of people living in Deer Park had both parents born overseas.
What has remained consistent in the parish’s 40-plus years’ history is its strong spirit of Christian service and support for the local community. Like most parishes in 2020, St Peter Chanel suffered from a loss of income due to the pandemic but this did not stop locals from reaching out to one another in what Fr Felimon calls a ‘richness of heart’.
‘During the hard lockdown it was difficult, as the income of the parish was down and 90 per cent of the income was lost,’ Fr Felimon says. ‘But our parishioners brought sacks of rice, and some of them continue to bring items,’ he says. ‘It was very moving for me.’
Fr Felimon also says that numerous prayer opportunities were offered online during the pandemic, including online Mass, a Zoom Bible study group and rosary sessions, all of which were received well.
Attendance at the parish’s regular Masses has slowly returned, says Fr Felimon. ‘People come because they feel safe and when they come from the same family, they sit together,’ he explains. ‘We are recovering.’
The parish regularly attracts young families and worshippers from far and wide throughout the week. Fr Felimon believes that part of the appeal of Deer Park also comes from the lively sounds of their liturgical music. Not a surprise when the parish has more than 10 different choir groups!
‘Our community is largely Asian, and Asians are sentimental people who love their music,’ says Fr Felimon, himself a Filipino.
‘I don’t’ think it’s enough to just have an organ and the same traditional chants, I think it’s good to liven things up as our young people really thirst for it,’ he says. ‘One thing that the young people really love is to listen to is fast-beat music, so I thought we cannot stick to the old songs that we used to sing,’ explains Fr Felimon.
‘The liturgy should reflect the people in the community and music is a powerful tool for ministry.’
Fr Felimon believes that what makes Deer Park a vibrant parish is the way parishioners work together to create a ‘welcoming, prayerful community’ through its various ministries and prayer groups.
‘We have the multicultural prayer group, the Charismatic group, the Divine Mercy group and they are all led by lay leaders so to me that is very encouraging,’ he says.
‘Sometimes I am invited to say Mass, so I make it a point never to turn down an invitation because it is an opportunity for me to be part and get involved.’
Recently, Fr Felimon shares, he met someone who had travelled 45-minutes to attend Mass at the parish. ‘Visitors tell me that every time they come here, their prayers are answered,’ he says.
‘There’s something very magical about our church,’ he says with a smile.
