Father Brendan Hayes

In June 2004 Father Hayes came to Our Lady of Lourdes Armadale and St Peter’s Toorak as Parish Priest.

Ordained for the archdiocese of Melbourne in May 1976, he had already worked in various parishes as assistant priest and parish priest.

For ten years he had also worked in the Catholic Education Office Melbourne (long before it became Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools MACS) in the fields of Religious Education, Health and Human Relations Education and the ongoing education and in-service of teachers in Catholic schools in Melbourne and Hobart, together with the training of Parish Catechists.  During this period Father also acquired a Licence in Ecclesiastical History from the Pontifical Gregorian University Rome.

The busy work schedule for Father Hayes involves the usual tasks of the celebration of Sunday and weekday Masses, baptismal preparation for infants, children and parents, preparation of couples for Marriage, visiting and anointing the sick and housebound, working with the bereaved and celebrating Funerals, together with ministry at the Cabrini Intensive Palliative Care Unit Prahran, pastoral involvement with Our Lady of Lourdes Parish School and chaplaincy work at Loreto Mandeville Hall and St Kevin’s College in Toorak.

Father Hayes also works with the parish staff:  Secretary/Executive Assistant, Pastoral Associate, Assistant Secretary, Business Manager and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish School Principal.  Father is also grateful for the many dedicated parishioners who volunteer their services and skills to help with and co-ordinate various tasks and duties.  He also works closely with St Peter’s Finance Committee and The Education Advisory Board of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Primary School.

Fr Hayes is a strong advocate for Ecumenism.  Since Pentecost Sunday 1980, St Peter’s Catholic Parish, together with the Toorak Uniting Parish, St John’s Anglican Parish and the Swedish Church have formed the Toorak Ecumenical Movement which in normal times sponsors a monthly Prayer Session, Lenten Studies, Good Friday Way of the Cross and the Food for Friends Campaign before Christmas.

In July 2024, Father Brendan Hayes retired as Parish Priest of the Partnered Parishes of Armadale and Toorak. 

Father Dean Mathieson

In July 2024, Father Dean Mathieson was appointed the new Parish Priest of Our Lady of Lourdes Armadale and St Peter's Toorak.

Parish Priest, Partnered Parishes of Armadale and Toorak:  Rev. Fr Brendan Hayes

In June 2004 Father Hayes came to Our Lady of Lourdes Armadale and St Peter’s Toorak as Parish Priest.

Ordained for the archdiocese of Melbourne in May 1976, he had already worked in various parishes as assistant priest and parish priest.

For ten years he had also worked in the Catholic Education Office Melbourne (long before it became Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools MACS) in the fields of Religious Education, Health and Human Relations Education and the ongoing education and in-service of teachers in Catholic schools in Melbourne and Hobart, together with the training of Parish Catechists.  During this period Father also acquired a Licence in Ecclesiastical History from the Pontifical Gregorian University Rome.

The busy work schedule for Father Hayes involves the usual tasks of the celebration of Sunday and weekday Masses, baptismal preparation for infants, children and parents, preparation of couples for Marriage, visiting and anointing the sick and housebound, working with the bereaved and celebrating Funerals, together with ministry at the Cabrini Intensive Palliative Care Unit Prahran, pastoral involvement with Our Lady of Lourdes Parish School and chaplaincy work at Loreto Mandeville Hall and St Kevin’s College in Toorak.

Father Hayes also works with the parish staff:  Secretary/Executive Assistant, Pastoral Associate, Assistant Secretary, Business Manager and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish School Principal.  Father is also grateful for the many dedicated parishioners, who volunteer their services and skills to help with and co-ordinate various tasks and duties.  He also works closely with St Peter’s Finance Committee and The Education Advisory Board of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Primary School.

Fr Hayes is a strong advocate for Ecumenism.  Since Pentecost Sunday 1980, St Peter’s Catholic Parish, together with the Toorak Uniting Parish, St John’s Anglican Parish and the Swedish Church have formed the Toorak Ecumenical Covenant. 

Executive Assistant/Secretary:  Madeline Dimasi

Partime Parish Secretary:  Carmel Negline

Pastoral Associate:  Delisa Gonsalves

Business Manager:  Frank Glynn

Parish Financial Governance

As Parish Priest, Father Brendan Hayes holds ultimate responsibility for the good financial governance and faithful stewardship of our assets. He is supported and guided in this responsibility through the following Committees:

• Parish Finance Committee
  
  
• Parish Investment Sub-Committee

These Parish Committees are advisory and consultative bodies and assist the partnered parishes to operate within a responsible and sustainable framework.

Parish Safeguarding Committee

At Armadale and Toorak parishes we hold the care, safety and well-being of children and young people as a central and fundamental responsibility of our parishes. 

To ensure that the safety of children and young people is embedded across our parishes, and that all compliance requirements are met, the following Committee has been established:

• Parish Safeguarding Committee
  

The renewed exterior casing and cleaned pipes on the facade of the organ conceal a fascinating history of the instrument: its building, placement, gradual and most recent embellishments and final move from St Francis Church in Lonsdale Street to St Peter’s Church on Toorak Road.The organ was built by Bevington & Sons, based in London and purchased by Bishop James Goold for St Francis Church in Melbourne, the pro-Cathedral, during his first overseas trip to Rome, England, Ireland and elsewhere from April 1851 to March 1853. 

As early as five years after its installation the organ had undergone repairs, alterations and additions and in July 1858 a concert of sacred music was held in St Francis Church to celebrate the refurbishment.

In 1875, George Fincham supplied new pipes, including a Clarabella and increased the size of the bellows. In 1886, Fincham revoiced five stops, and in 1889 remade soundboards, recovered keyboards and carried out minor repairs. Edward Cornwall Cook took over the maintenance at a lower fee and in 1898 added metal pipes in the Double Diapason from Middle C, altered the Harmonic Flute 8 to 4ft; carried through the Great Mixture 5 ranks through all upper octaves; installed a Rohrflöte, Piccolo and Harmonic Flute on the Choir Organ in place of other stops; supplied a new pedalboard and Choir to Pedal coupler. Major repairs were carried out in 1899 by George Fincham. A hydraulic engine was installed at this time.

Over the next 115 years the organ was in continual use in St Francis Church until the decision was made to install a new instrument. Its future was decided by Fr Brian Leonard, the recently appointed Parish Priest of Toorak. Father Leonard had installed an organ in the newly built St Raphael’s Church in the parish of West Preston which he had left to come to Toorak. He moved swiftly. Thanks to the generosity of two parishioners, Sir Donald and Lady Trescowthick, the organ was purchased from St Francis Church and refurbished and installed in the apsidal baptistery of St. Peter’s Church.

In 2019, during the refurbishment and new extension of the church the organ was removed pipe by pipe in a series of packing cases by Australian Pipe Organs Pty Ltd.

After a thorough makeover, cleaning and some complementary and necessary additions, it was reinstalled in time for Advent 2020 and the lifting of the first Covid-19 lockdown.

As part of the restoration of the organ, the console was generously donated by Lady Janette Murray and Peter Murray in memory of Sir Brian Murray KCMG AO.  New music desks were also a welcome addition to the choir area.

The removal of all carpet in the church and the laying of a marble floor in the aisles and sanctuary of the church has improved the acoustic sound to a great degree.

During the short periods that the church has been open from Advent 2020 until November 2021 the sound of the organ has lifted immeasurably the celebration of every aspect of the church’s liturgy and worship.