A Joyful Celebration of Faith: Consecration of St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Parish South-East Melbourne

July 27, 2025

Saturday 12 July 2025 marked a moment of extraordinary joy and deep spiritual significance for Melbourne’s Syro-Malabar Catholic community, with the consecration of the new St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Parish in Dandenong South.

Located in the heart of Victoria’s growing south-eastern corridor, the newly built church is the culmination of years of prayer, planning and tireless effort from the devoted community. The consecration liturgy was led by His Beatitude Mar Raphael Thattil, Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, and drew more than 2,000 faithfuls from across the state and beyond.

The Syro-Malabar community in Melbourne’s South-East has seen remarkable growth over the past decade, prompting the establishment of the St. Thomas Parish in 2015 to meet the spiritual and pastoral needs of its faithful. In the early years, parishioners gathered for Masses and catechism in shared or rented spaces, all the while nurturing the hope of building a permanent church.

His Beatitude was joined by Eparchial Bishop John Panamthottathil and Emeritus Bishop Bosco Puthur, who each played an integral role in the development and leadership of the Syro-Malabar community in Australia. Also celebrating at the official proceedings was CDF Board member, Bishop Anthony J Ireland, Auxiliary Bishop for the Southern Region and Episcopal Vicar for Health, Aged and Disability Care, who wished the parish joy and prosperity in their new home.

The consecration was both a liturgical and communal milestone, celebrating the flourishing faith of a vibrant and growing community. For many parishioners, the day was the realisation of a long-awaited dream to have a permanent spiritual home for worship and community life.

Nature's Symphony

Emeritus Bishop Bosco Puthur with CDF Board Member, Bishop Anthony J Ireland

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Faces of Humanity

Left to right: His Beatitude Mar Raphael Thattil, Eparchial Bishop John Panamthottathil, Emeritus Bishop Bosco Puthur and Msgr. Francis Kolencherry

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The Catholic Development Fund (CDF) supported the vision for the new church with $9.5 million in funding, helping bring to life a space where generations will gather in faith for years to come.

Representing CDF on the day were Gerard Bibile, Ancita D'Cunha, and Brijo Joju, who joined the community in prayer and celebration. The event highlighted the power of collaboration between Diocesan leaders, parish communities, and values-aligned finance.

“This consecration is a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when a community unites around faith and purpose. CDF is privileged to support projects like this that not only serve today’s needs but build the Church for future generations."

Gerard Bibile - Executive Manager, Client Relationships, CDF

We offer our heartfelt congratulations to Monsignor Francis Kolencherry and the entire St Thomas parish community for their faith, perseverance, and vision. May this new church continue to be a source of light and life in the south-east for many years to come.

To help CDF continue to meet strong loan demand from the Catholic community, you too can put your faith in action and save for a greater reward than money alone. Not only will you earn a competitive rate of interest, but your savings will assist Parishes like St. Thomas Syro-Malabar, and other Catholic organisations and schools to continue the work the Gospel calls on them to do. Learn more and apply today.

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CDPF Limited, a company established by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, has indemnified the Catholic Development Fund ABN 15 274 943 760 (the Fund) against any liability arising out of a claim by investors in the Fund. In practice, this means your investment is backed by the assets of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. The Fund is required by law to make the following disclosure. Investment in the Fund is only intended to attract investors whose primary purpose for making their investment is to support the charitable purposes of the Fund. Investors’ funds will be used to generate a return to the Fund that will be applied to further the charitable works of the Archdiocese of Melbourne and the Dioceses of Sale and Bunbury. The Fund is not prudentially supervised by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority nor has it been examined or approved by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). An investor in the Fund will not receive the benefit of the financial claims scheme or the depositor protection provisions in the Banking Act 1959 (Cth). The investments that the Fund offers are not subject to the usual protections for investors under the Corporations Act (Cth) or regulation by ASIC. Investors may be unable to get some or all of their money back when the investor expects or at all and investments in the Fund are not comparable to investments with banks, finance companies or fund managers. The Fund’s identification statement may be viewed here or by contacting the Fund. The Fund does not hold an Australian Financial Services Licence.