The Church Building

The Church Exterior
Exterior
The parish was founded in 1880, the third in Victoria, after Christ Church and St. John's. The cornerstone of the present building was laid on November 25, 1951, and the building was consecrated on November 16, 1952, in both cases by Archbishop Harold Sexton.
The Baptismal Font
Font
The font, the symbolic entry-point of the Church, is sited just inside the door, to the right.
The Sanctuary
Altar
The High Altar and Rood as seen from the musicians' gallery. The twelve shields on the altar rail bear symbols of the apostles.
The Rood
Chapel
A polychromed rood, made in England by Jethro Harris of the Cowley Fathers, is suspended above the altar rail. The rood and altar rail mark the boundary between the Sanctuary and the Nave.
The Lady Chapel
Altar
The Lady Chapel, to the right of the sanctuary, is where most of the daily offices are conducted.
The Nave
Font
The nave is blessed with plentiful natural light and glorious acoustics. The light oak pews were made by the former furniture division of Casavant Frères, facteurs d'orgues. Festal services begin with a procession by the sanctuary party down the centre aisle, around the perimeter and back up the centre aisle.
The Organ
Organ
A one-manual, seven rank tracker organ in the musicans' gallery at the rear, by John Brombaugh & Associates Ltd. The carved oak pipe shades depict acanthus leaves and blossoms of vinca and plum, all of which happen to grow nearby.
The Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham
Shrine
The shrine is at the rear of the church, on the right. In the 11th century, pilgrimages to the Holy Land were popular, though long and perilous. In 1061, in a vision repeated three times, according to legend, Mary asked Saxon noblewoman Richeldis de Faverches to build a replica of the house where Gabriel had appeared to her. That simple structure became a popular pilgrimage site itself, with Royal patronage, and Walsingham, Norfolk became known as "England's Nazareth".
Our Lady of Walsingham
O L W
This is a replica of the reconstructed statue of Our Lady of Walsingham. The original was burned when Henry VIII supressed pilgrimage in 1538. Walsingham resumed being a popular pilgrimage destination in 1921, when a new statue based on the image of the seal of the Priory of Walsingham was made and was set up in the parish church.
Diocesan Print
Diocesan Print
A copy of the diocesan print commissioned from Chief Frank Nelson of the Musgamagw Tsawataineuk Tribe in 2006 hangs at the west end of the south aisle. It was presented to the parish by Bishop James Cowan in recognition of Father John Hannen's work with First Nations and of the support given to him by the Parish.
The Creche
O L W
The creche is displayed from Christmas Eve to Epiphany. It is of 1/4 scale timber-framed red cedar.