St Joseph's Parish, Iona, has been at the heart of Catholic life in this part of West Gippsland for many years. The parish was officially established in 1905 by Archbishop Thomas Carr to serve the growing Catholic population of the district. Before then, the faithful were cared for from St John's Parish, Dandenong, with priests travelling long distances to celebrate Mass and administer the sacraments. The first parish priest was Fr James Byrne.

The first St Joseph's Church was opened in 1900, and as the Catholic community continued to grow, the present brick church replaced the original building in 1940. The parish also established St Joseph's School in 1915, providing generations of children with a strong Catholic education rooted in faith and service.

Over the years, the parish boundaries and communities have evolved. Today, St Joseph's Parish is a vibrant faith community embracing three churches: St Joseph's, Iona, St James, Nar Nar Goon, and Holy Family, Maryknoll. Each community has its own unique history and traditions while sharing one mission of proclaiming the Gospel and celebrating the Eucharist together. The inclusion of St James and Holy Family has enriched parish life, bringing together people from across the district in a spirit of unity and mutual support.

The parish continues to honour the faith and sacrifices of the early pioneers whose generosity built churches, schools, and thriving communities. Today, parishioners gather from Iona, Nar Nar Goon, Maryknoll, and the surrounding districts to continue that legacy. Guided by St Joseph, our patron, we remain committed to growing as a Christ centered, welcoming community of disciples, witnessing to Christ through worship, service, and care for one another. As we look to the future, we give thanks for our rich heritage and pray that future generations will continue to build upon the strong foundations laid by those who came before us.

HISTORY OF THE PARISH

Although the parish of Iona was established in 1905 by Archbishop Carr of the Melbourne Archdiocese its history begins some 50 years earlier.

In the1850’s Priests would travel by horseback from Brighton to visit the local areas around Nar Nar Goon celebrating mass and administering sacraments at a homestead on Mt Ararat.

After the collapse of the land boom in Victoria and the closing of the banks in the 1890’s the Victorian government undertook an unemployment project to drain and reclaim the Koo Wee Rup swamp. This led to the establishment of a settlement named Bunyip South. Later to be called Iona and the establishment of the Iona Parish in 1905. In the years between toe late 1890’s and 1905 Priests would travel by train from Dandenong to Bunyip and then by tramcar. (A horse drawn lorry running on wooden rails) to minister to the spiritual needs of the new settlers and their families. After the construction of the first house in Iona in 1892 Mass was celebrated and sacraments were administered there. As the Catholic community increased Mass was celebrated in the local store and later in the pioneer’s hall which had been recently constructed.

The first Catholic Church was built around 1900 by Fr. Gleeson from Dandenong and Mass was celebrated there at varying intervals until 1904. In 1905 Fr James Byrne was appointed the Parish Priest of the newly established parish of Iona. The original Parish consisted of Nar Nar Goon, Koo Wee Rup, Lang Lang and French Island.

The presbytery and Columba hall was built by Fr. Byrne around 1908 at the same time he purchased land on the corner of the Fourteen Mile Rd opposite the Church and Hall for the establishment of a convent. In 1914 the convent was built and the Sisters of St joseph arrived in 1915 to staff the first catholic school, which was held in the parish hall. The hall continued to be at the centre of parish life until following a dance early in 1927 the hall was destroyed by fire. Almost immediately Fr. Joyce started building a new Columba Hall which opened on the 21 October1928 and still stands today. The hall continued to be used as a school together with the construction of new classrooms, library and common rooms commissioned by Fr. Halloran in about 1960.The St Joseph’s Primary School 1015 officially closed in December 2000 with the opening of Columba Catholic school in Bunyip in February 2001.

 In 1918 a new school was built at Cora Lynn and later extended in 1953.

Fr Cremin succeeded Fr Joyce and in 1934 and in 1936 built a school in Koo Wee Rup.

Just as the area was recovering from the Great depression of the 1930’s Fr Cremin decided to demolish the old church and build a new one. The new church as it stands today was completed at a cost of 14 thousand pounds. It was blessed and opened by Archbishop of Melbourne Rev. D. Mannix DD. on the 14^th April, 1940.The cross which now stands at the top of the tower was later added and illuminated.

Fr Garvey succeeded Fr. Cremin after his death in 1947 and remained in the Parish for eleven years, continuing to minister to the parishioners and consolidate the work of his predecessors.

In October 1959 the parish of Iona was detached from the Archdiocese of Melbourne together with seven other parishes and added to the sale Diocese. In January 1968 Fr. Halloran returned to the Melbourne Archdiocese and was stationed at Castlemaine.

In 1949 saw the establishment of the St Mary’s co-operative settlement by Fr. Pooley. It was to be a self-sufficient Catholic Community It was renamed Maryknoll in 1955 coinciding with the opening of the Post Office.

Fr Pooley was transferred to the Iona Parish in 1968 and the two parishes were amalgamated to become the Parish of Iona-Maryknoll. One of Fr Pooley’s first tasks was to redevelop the Nar Nar Goon site with a new Church, unfortunately he suffered a heart attack which resulted in his death on 13^th April,1969.

Fr P.J. Mcguigan was appointed to succeed Fr. Pooley and completed the construction of the Nar Nar Goon Church early in 1971.

Due to overcrowding it became necessary to consolidate the schools at Cora Lyn and Maryknoll and relocate them to a new complex at Nar Nar Goon. The new school was opened on the 15^th June 1975.

Over the years the Parish has been blessed and continues to be blessed by the number of vocations to the Priesthood and religious life.

These include at least Six priests, Three brothers and at least sixteen Nuns.

(SOURCE: The Iona Book Damien Smith. 2005, Local publications and from the memory of parishioners)