St. Mary’s Parish

 

In 1903 the Sisters of Mercy from West Perth opened a convent and school in Marian Street Leederville, which they called Aranmore, after a well-known isle off county Galway in Ireland.

By 1904 a weatherboard building was erected and Mass was held each Sunday. On the 1st of March 1919 the Leederville Parish was established with its own parish priest Father Moloney. He was born in Limerick Ireland in 1882 and educated by the Christian Brothers at Charville, France and later studied philosophy at Mt Melleray. After arriving in Western Australia he served as curate at St. Mary’s Cathedral, followed by periods as parish priest in Busselton, York, Victoria Park, Menzies and Wagin. He died in February 1958 after a long illness and his burial cross and surround now reside within the church grounds.

 

Father Moloney’s new parish (the boundaries extended from Scarborough to North Beach, Osborne Park, Wanneroo and Tuart Hill) had no assets, no real church, no presbytery or site for either. By March 1923 three blocks of land (one belonging to the deceased estate of Mrs Teresa Leeder) were purchased for the sum of 900 pounds with Archbishop Clune dedicating the new church and foundation stone in May of that same year.

 

Father Moloney remained committed to the building of the new church along with the architect E.H.Hamilton who was said to also be responsible for the design of the Capitol Theatre (demolished in 1967) and the Subiaco Clock Tower. Little is known of the builder E. Russell. Local parishioners, the Berry brothers were responsible for the extensive jarrah joinery throughout the church. The Sanctuary’s beautiful Stained-glass window features the crucifixion in the centre and the Last Supper in the lower portion, the work of Matthieson and Gibson (London/Melbourne). In the scene of the Last Supper Jesus is present with his disciples seated around the table, partaking of bread and wine but there are only eleven disciples. We know from the Gospels of Mathew, Mark and Luke that there were twelve disciples present. Is this just a mistake or was it intentional not to include Judas?

 

Following extensions the completed Church of St Mary’s Leederville was blessed and opened by the most Rev. Patrick Joseph Clune C.SS.R, Fourth Bishop and First Archbishop of Perth on the 13th of February, 1938. The bell that rings faithfully every Sunday morning was cast at the O’Byrne Foundry in Dublin in 1928, probably ordered when the original plans for the church were first drawn up. On the bell can be found the inscription ~