Our History

The parish of Lockridge had its beginning in 1969 as an outpost of the Carmelite parish of Morley.  Father Terrence Cahill O.D.L. commenced gathering the small Catholic community for Sunday Mass at the Eden Hill Primary School on Ivanhoe Street Eden Hill.

Over the years between 1969 and 1976 this community became very much the ‘pilgrim people of God’ as their numbers grew and they moved from one venue to another for Sunday Mass.

On 3 July 1976, the Church Hall in Arbon Way Lockridge was officially dedicated by Bishop Quinn under the title of ‘Good Shepherd’.  The parish now had its own centre and moved into a period of growth and co-ordination.

1980 saw the Carmelite Fathers hand over the care of Lockridge to Father Michael Timbs CSsR who became the first resident priest in the area.  This year also saw the first stage in the development of the Good Shepherd Primary School.

In April 1981, Father Charles Tory was appointed as the first Parish Priest of Lockridge formally making it a parish.  He was followed between 1987 and 1991 by Father Anton Hesse.

Father Daniel Foley was then assigned parish priest of Lockridge.  Father Dan saw the need for a bigger church for Masses to accommodate the growing community of  Lockridge/Beechboro/Kiara/Eden Hill and in 1992 in consultation with the parish, made a submission to the Diocese to build a new church.

In September 1992 a comprehensive 10 page architectural brief was prepared by Fr Dan Foley.  It provided guidance on features that the Church should possess.  In the preamble of the brief, the need for a suitable place for the celebration of the Eucharist was emphasised – the buildings and requisites of worship are signs and symbols of heavenly things and should be truly worthy and beautiful but the overall décor should be noble and simple. Our new Good Shepherd Church was completed on 15 August 1994 and on 4 September 1994 the solemn dedication and opening by Archbishop Barry Hickey took place.