Community
The Benson is Melbourne’s most desirable place to retire, boasting 33 luxury retirement apartments, nestled in leafy Toorak. Apartments range from one, two or three bedrooms and are exceedingly spacious, light-filled and fitted with high-end European fixtures and appliances.
Please call The Benson Concierge on 0477 710 216 to register your interest in one of our apartments when available or visit our website for more information.
https://armadaletoorak.org.au/itemlist/category/4-community#sigProId0cc91dcb1e
8/10/2021 - Father to decide if we leave this tab in. We could include, online Rosary, Prayer Group? Zoom Cuppa?
The Toorak Op Shop is a treasure trove of designer labels at amazingly low prices. The professional presentation of the merchandise, high levels of quality control (‘we only put the best on display’) ensures the Op Shop’s reputation as Melbourne’s best.
Visit us at 1A Carters Ave, Toorak to discover our vast array of merchandise and collectibles, including fashion, accessories, shoes, jewellery, watches, linen, china, books and much, much more.
The Op Shop is run by a team of dedicated volunteers, with proceeds being distributed each year to over 25 charities nominated by the Toorak Ecumenical Churches.
Open Monday to Saturday 12 noon to 4pm.
Phone: (03) 9827 3172
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Follow the Toorak Op Shop on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/toorakopshop
Or visit our new Website:
https://www.toorakopshop.com.au/
Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. In the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne, we consider the safety and wellbeing of all persons to be our highest priority.
We too acknowledge that children, young people and adults at risk may require additional safeguards to promote their participation, wellbeing and safety.
Clergy, employees and volunteers are committed to upholding the right to safety of all persons, and participating in a creating a culture of safety supported by policies, practices and procedures that strive to prevent abuse in the first instance and to respond appropriately and effectively if abuse does occur. Across the Archdiocese, we respect the human dignity of each person and strive to create an inclusive and welcoming Church that enables its people to grow and develop in their faith freely and in a caring and supportive environment.
'The effective protection of minors and a commitment to ensure their human and spiritual development, in keeping with the dignity of the human person, are integral parts of the Gospel message that the Church and all members of the faithful are called to spread throughout the world.' - Pope Francis
Please Note: Any one who wants to Volunteer or who would like to Volunteer for the Partnered Parishes of Armadale and Toorak, will need to complete and submit:
- a signed copy of the Parish's Code of Conduct
- a completed pdf Volunteer Ministry Application Form (331 KB)
All Parish Volunteers will also need to have an updated WWCC Card that has been registered to:
- Organisation Name: Partnered Parishes of Armadale and Toorak.
- Organisation's Address: 583 Toorak Road, Toorak, VIC, 3142
- Organisation's Telephone Number: (03) 9068 8600
- Organisation's Occupation Type: 64 - Religious Organisation
Resources
- Commission of Children and Young People
https://ccyp.vic.gov.au/ - Australian Catholic Professional Standards Limited
https://www.acsltd.org.au/ - Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne: Professional Standards Unit
https://melbournecatholic.org/safeguarding
The Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne is committed to supporting clergy, employees and volunteers to develop the skills and knowledge to promote the safety of children and young people and uphold their responsibilities in relation to the Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy.
Documents for Download
- pdf Volunteer Ministry Application Form (331 KB)
- pdf STP & OLOL Safeguarding Policy (1.85 MB)
- pdf Protecting God’s Children - Parent Resource (4.74 MB)
- pdf Integrity in the Service of the Church (506 KB)
- pdf ACBC - Guide to Social Media for Parishes (1.07 MB)
- Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne Privacy Policy
- Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne Record Keeping Policy
Please Contact the Parish Office on (03) 9068 8600 for more information or email Delisa Gonsalves at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Food Safety
DoFoodSafely is a free, non-accredited, online learning program provided by the Department of Health Victoria and proudly supported by Queensland Health, South Australia Health and Tasmania Health.
DoFoodSafely is designed to enable you to understand how to safely work with, and handle, food in commercial settings.
By reading through the information in the seven topics below, you will be ready to undertake the assessment quiz and gain your DoFoodSafely Certificate of Completion – a certificate that is well-respected by the food industry across Australia.
Cuppa after Mass
St Peter's Toorak, hold Morning Tea on the
FIRST Sunday of the Month in the Parish Centre (The Leonard Room), after 9:30am Sunday Mass.
The next Morning Tea will be on Sunday 6 April 2025.
If you would like to help, please contact Delisa at the Parish Office on 03 9068 8600 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Pizza Night at St Peter's Toorak
St Peter's Toorak, hold a Pizza Night on the THIRD Saturday of the Month in the Parish Centre (the Leonard Room), after 6:00pm Saturday Mass.The next Pizza Night will be on Saturday 17 May 2025.
If you would like to attend, it would be helpful, to RSVP to the Parish Office via email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 03 9068 8600.
If you would like to help, please contact Delisa at the Parish Office on 03 9068 8600 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Exercise Classes at St Peter's Parish Centre
- Every Thursday at 10.30am - $5 per person, payable on the day.
- The class is led by an experienced personal trainer.
- Numbers are limited, so please register early.
Recitation of the Rosary
Recommences after Lent
Stations of the Cross
St Peter's Toorak:
The Stations of the Cross is every Friday from 10:45am, during Lent, prior to the 11:30am Mass.
(Starting Friday 7 March and concludes on Good Friday - Friday 18 April 2025)
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Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament St Peter's Toorak: Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is every Tuesday evening from 5:30pm, prior to the 6:30pm Evening Mass (Unless advised)
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Prayers for Christian Unity
Members of the Toorak Churches (St Peter's Catholic Church, St John's Anglican Church, Toorak Uniting Church and the Swedish Church) hold prayers for the visible unity of Christians in each month on the last Thursday from February to November. These services commence at 10:00am and last about half an hour, follwed by refreshments and a chat. This is an ecumenical service open to all!
Please Note:
Prayers of Christian Unity will be held on Thursday 27 February 2025, 10:00am at St John's Anglican Church (86 Clendon Road, Toorak), followed by light refreshments.
Ecumenism in Toorak began informally in 1972 at the home of Dr Tom Antonie (dec) and Mrs Joan Antonie who hosted a dinner party. Fr Brian Leonard of St Peter’s Toorak, the then Dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Fr Frank Little (later Archbishop of Melbourne), Rev. Dr David Hodges of Toorak Presbyterian Church, David and Rosemary Leahey and Mrs Jeanette Ricketson of St John’s Anglican Church were all present. The Rev. Victor Maddick, Vicar of St. John’s Anglican Parish, was an apology.
After this inaugural occasion conversations among the three Churches continued apace for the next eight years. In 1980 the Toorak Ecumenical Agreement was affirmed. In 2007 the Swedish Church also joined the Toorak Ecumenical Movement.
In 2020 the member Churches had planned to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Agreement on Pentecost Sunday, but the Covid lockdown intervened. The celebration of the Agreement, now Covenant, took place on Pentecost Sunday 2021 during a temporary cessation of the lockdown. It was held at St Peter’s with a representative congregation from the four constitutive Churches, the present clergy and some who had formerly ministered in Toorak. The four are: St Peter’s Catholic, St John’s Anglican, the Toorak Uniting and the Swedish Churches/Parishes. The preacher at the Service of Thanksgiving was the Rev. Dr Robert Gribben of the Uniting Church in Australia, a distinguished and well known Ecumenical Theologian at national and international levels, preacher and writer.
Almost two generations away from 1980 we can understand that Ecumenism amongst the Churches is a belief and practice, a habit of life that is almost taken for granted. It is difficult to recall the distance, division, suspicion and ingrained hostility that existed among the Churches in the Western world, and Australia by extension. The imported attitudes and habits of 400 years had taken root in this soil, together with the rabbits and sparrows, starlings and foxes. At the same time however, many people had learned to be tolerant at the individual level, at ease with neighbours, respectful of difference.
Among Catholics the Decree on Ecumenism which came out of the Second (Ecumenical) Council of the Vatican in 1964 provided the breakthrough for ‘theological respect’ for other Churches. Defensive of traditional Catholic claims, this Decree also affirmed the common belief in Trinitarian baptism of the major Christian churches, a legacy of common prayers, some elements of shared liturgical practice and acceptance of the Scriptures as the revealed word of God.
In the light of this ecumenical awakening several international and national inter-Church Commissions and Dialogues were created and replicated at the local level. The Catholic Parishes of Toorak and Armadale continue to share in the following activities with the other three Parishes of the Covenant: prayer each Sunday for one another in the General Intercessions, (Prayers of the Faithful), ‘Prayers for Christian Unity’, held in one of the four churches each month, the Lenten Studies programme, the Way of the Cross on Good Friday morning, Common Services of Worship on Pentecost Sunday and Advent Sunday, the Toorak Ecumenical Opportunity Shop and the Food for Friends Appeal conducted each year before Christmas.
For those who would like to donate to the Food for Friends Appeal, please use the following details:
The Toorak Ecumenical Fund - CBA Toorak
BSB: 063 177
ACC: 1002 6147.
Please mark it F for F.
Cheques/cash may be dropped into the parish office. Cheques should be made payable to the Toorak Ecumenical Fund.
We always welcome any parishioners who may be interested in sharing any of these activities. Please contact the Parish Office 03 9068 8600 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
https://armadaletoorak.org.au/itemlist/category/4-community#sigProIda0aaa3f354
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)
Many adults are welcomed into the Catholic Church each year through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). The RCIA is also known as the Catechumenate, an early Church term that recognises a Catechumen as a non-baptised person preparing for Baptism and initiation into the Catholic Church.
The Sacraments of Initiation in the Catholic Church are Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. Baptism is the first step of initiation and Eucharist and Confirmation complete the process.
The RCIA is also the accepted form of preparation for adults already baptised into another Christian Church and now seeking full communion with the Catholic Church. They are welcome to participate along with catechumens in the RCIA in the process of learning about the Catholic faith and being formed in that faith.
The RCIA Process
The RCIA offers a way to grow in knowledge of Christ and the Catholic faith in company with others on a similar journey.
The RCIA has several distinct stages.
Stage 1: Enquiry
This is a ‘getting to know you’ stage. As a person expresses interest in the Catholic community, parishioners respond to the enquirer’s questions and share something of their own experience of being Catholic. This period involves no formal commitment. It is a time of initial exploration as the enquirer, with the help of the parish community, decides whether or not to undertake the journey towards Baptism in the Catholic Church. If yes, the enquirer enters the next stage – the Catechumenate.
Stage 2: The Catechumenate
During this phase, a person becomes more deeply acquainted with the people, teachings and practices of the Catholic Church. He/she is no longer called an ‘enquirer’ but a ‘catechumen’. This is the longest period of the initiation process and involves weekly reflections and regular attendance at Sunday liturgies. When ready, the catechumen enters the next stage – the Period of Enlightenment.
Stage 3: Period of Enlightenment
This is a short period of final preparation before Baptism. It normally coincides with Lent, which is a six-week period of repentance and renewal for Catholics and ‘catechumens’ alike. The weekly reflections continue, with heightened focus and a number of small ritual steps taking place at this time.
Stage 4: Full Initiation
This is the culmination of the whole process! A Catechumen is welcomed into full membership of Church during the Easter Vigil Mass, receiving the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist.
For catechumens who are already baptised, the Catholic Church recognises their Baptism and therefore does not re-baptise. Rather, the ceremony involves a solemn profession of faith in the presence of the congregation. The new Catholic then receives the acrament of Confirmation and is welcomed to the table of the Eucharist. Most often this ceremony is also celebrated at the Easter Vigil.
Stage 5: Period of Mystagogy
Even after Baptism, the newly baptised continue to meet for 2–3 weeks to reflect upon and ‘unpack’ the experience of their initiation and all that has happened on their journey of conversion. This period is called Mystagogy (‘reflection on the mysteries’ in Greek) and has a particular focus on the call to mission.
Support Along the Journey
Becoming a Catholic is a communal experience!
A person preparing for the Sacraments of Initiation is assigned a sponsor, i.e. a parishioner who walks with them on their journey. The sponsor is an encourager and guide. Friends, relatives, parishioners and priests also play a support role in this journey of faith. The whole parish community participates though prayer, worship and various rituals along the way.
A small group of parishioners (the RCIA Team) is entrusted to be catechists, mentors and sponsors for those who have approached us. Through their constant support and willingness to share their faith, they are living witnesses of the Good News and of life in Christ.
As the Baptism draws closer, the ‘catechumen’ will be asked to nominate a Godparent.
The RCIA Schedule
Usually the process of preparation involves meetings over a number of months, ideally beginning around August or September. The group of enquirers, catechists and sponsors meets regularly to share faith, pray, and participate in various activities of the parish community.
At the beginning of Lent each year, those in the group who wish to enter the Catholic Church enter into an intense period of preparation, culminating in the reception of the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil.
Further Information or expressions of interest:
We encourage any person interested in participating in the RCIA, either as a candidate or as a sponsor, to contact our Pastoral Associate Delisa Gonsalves on (03) 9068 8602 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.