St Mary Star of the Sea, Peppermint Grove

St Mary Star of the Sea
St Mary Star of the Sea
31°59′41″S 115°45′56″E / 31.9948°S 115.7655°E / -31.9948; 115.7655
Location2 McNeil Street, Peppermint Grove, Western Australia
CountryAustralia
DenominationRoman Catholic
Websitestaroftheseachurch.org.au
History
StatusChurch
DedicationOur Lady, Star of the Sea
Dedicated18 December 1904 (1904-12-18)
by Bishop Matthew Gibney
Architecture
ArchitectMichael Cavanagh
Architectural typeGothic Revival architecture
Completed1904
Construction cost£2,000
Administration
DiocesePerth
Clergy
Priests
  • Marcelo Parra
  • Rodrigo da Costa Ponte

St Mary Star of the Sea is a parish of the Roman Catholic Church in Peppermint Grove, Western Australia. Located in the Archdiocese of Perth, it is dedicated to Our Lady, Star of the Sea.

Location

The church building is located on Stirling Highway, between McNeil and Forrest streets in Peppermint Grove, a suburb of Perth in Western Australia.[1][2][3] Given its proximity to Cottesloe, it is sometimes said to be in Cottesloe rather than Peppermint Grove.[4] The Presbyterian Ladies' College is located behind the church.

History

The church building was built in 1904 on land donated by Daniel Kenny (1860–1915).[2][5] It was designed by Australian architect Michael Cavanagh (1860–1941) in the Gothic Revival style.[2] The wrought iron fence and entrance gate, also designed by Michael Cavanagh, were added in 1937.[2] It is made of local freestone and tiles from Marseille in France.[5] It cost nearly £2,000 to build,[5] equivalent to A$352,000 in 2022.

It was the second place of worship built in Peppermint Grove after St Columba's Presbyterian Church Hall, which was built on Venn Street in 1896 and later replaced by St Columba's Presbyterian Church on the corner of Venn and Keane Streets.[2] The first service took place on 18 December 1904, when it was blessed by Bishop Matthew Gibney (1835–1925).[5] In the beginning, the church building was used as a school on weekdays.[5]

The church building was restored in 2013 for $120,000,[6] equivalent to A$147,600 in 2022.

Clergy

As of 13 October 2019, the parish priest is Marcelo Parra.[3]

References

  1. ^ Peppermint Grove: Churches
  2. ^ a b c d e "St Mary Star of the Sea & Corpus Christi Churches". Cottesloe & Mosman Park Catholic Parish. n.d. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  3. ^ a b Catholic Archdiocese of Perth
  4. ^ National Library of Australia
  5. ^ a b c d e West Australian (1904), p. 4.
  6. ^ Biddle (2013).

Sources