History
About Sacred Heart Emmaus Parish
We were established on 13th January 1953. Its history is one of accepting and being built in all dimensions by Australian-born Parishioners and migrants/refugees from backgrounds including Malta, Poland, Croatia, Vietnam, Iraq, India, Sri Lanka, South Sudan, Philippines and many others. Parish volunteers built the first church, convent, school and hall. Midnight Mass Christmas 1953 was celebrated under the stars in the shell of the emerging church building. From that beginning the Parish grew exponentially; Sacred Heart school had over a thousand pupils most of whom did not speak English at home, and extended north over Winifred Street.
In the 1970s Holy Eucharist (South), Resurrection (West) and Mary MacKillop (Northeast) Parishes separated from Sacred Heart. The Parish and smaller school were relocated to the present site and the old church, convent, hall and school south of Winifred Street given for the establishment of Catholic Regional College (CRC) St. Albans. Into the 1980s the senior campus of CRC was established at Sydenham and Mass for local parishioners celebrated in its classrooms. Emmaus church Sydenham and school opened in 1997, Cana school, Hillside in 2004. This part of the Parish is continuing to grow rapidly.
The leadership of Parish Priests Fr Con Reis and Fr John O’Reilly in unifying many nationalities into a vibrant faith community continues to be recognised with great gratitude. The strong presence, planning and influence of Fr O’Reilly and Sr Judith Carlson rsj have established a firm awareness of Parish life with the mantra ‘pray-work-share together’. The Sisters of St Joseph have generously contributed a vigorous pastoral and liturgical presence, and significant educational leadership for many years, moving from the Parish in 2022.
When Fr O’Reilly retired in 2017 Sacred Heart Emmaus Parish welcomed Fr Maurie Cooney to our Parish. Fr Maurie has continued the strong identity of Parish-Schools-Colleges being on the mission of the Church together that is a long-standing feature of our Parish. Fr Maurie has worked diligently extending and strengthening our Ministries and the Parish flourished further especially after the tough years of Covid in 2020 and 2021. We now proudly consist of 22 different ministries with over 250 parishioners engaged in continuing the ‘pray -work – share’ mantra begun so many years before. Our story will continue as Fr Maurie retired in September 2024 and we welcome a new chapter to the history of the Parish with the appointment of our new Parish Priest, Fr Linh Tran.
Heritage
Brimbank Hertiage property number 41.
Heritage overlay number HO052.
Construction dates: 1886. Statement of Significance Last updated on – February 2, 1998.
Keiglo is of historical and architectural significance to the region and the City of Brimbank as a rare elaborate late nineteenth century house reflecting the status and ambition of A.H. Padley as the principal of the Cosmopolitan Land and Banking Company, and the instigator of the original subdivision and development of the St.Albans suburb. The landscape setting is important to the heritage value of the dwelling.
Residual large weatherboarded and verandahed house of asymmetrical plan at front comprising projecting rooms. Formerly with cast-iron roof look-out, altered with new roof tiles, stone grotto and other additions. The remnant garden includes stone pines, Monterey cypress, Moreton Bay fig, and sugar gum. The house is now part of a later Roman Catholic complex, having been reused as a presbytery.