St Denis Church, Joondanna

St Denis Church, Joondanna
31°54′30″S 115°50′34″E / 31.9082°S 115.8428°E
Location	Joondanna, Western Australia
Country	Australia
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	www.stdenis.com.au
History
Dedicated	1968-08-25[1]
Relics held	Fragment of bone from Saint Peregrine Laziosi[2]
Architecture
Status	Parish church
Architect(s)	Ernest Rossen
Years built	1967
Specifications
Capacity	500[3]
Administration
Parish	St Denis / Joondanna[lower-alpha 1]
Archdiocese	Perth
Clergy
Priest(s)	Fr Peter Porteous OSM[6][7]

St Denis Church is a Roman Catholic church in the Perth suburb of Joondanna, Western Australia.^[6][7] The building was designed by Ernest Rossen,^[8] and is inspired by the Chapel du Ronchamp.^[9] It was built in 1967^[1][10] and consecrated in 1968.^[1]

The church has a pipe organ. The instrument was originally built in 1957 for the chapel at St John of God Subiaco Hospital. That chapel was demolished in 1994 and the organ was removed and rebuilt at St Denis. It was damaged during a severe storm in 2010, but subsequently repaired.^[11][12]

In 2010/11 a five-year plan to renovate the church building commenced:^[13]

• The crying room was converted to gathering space.^[13]
• A new sound system was installed, including hearing units for those hard-of-hearing.^[14]
• Indoor toilets were installed.^[15]
• Reverse-cycle air-conditioning was installed.^[16]
• Solar panels were installed on the roof of the church and presbytery.^[16][17]

In 2014 the tabernacle was moved from its original location on the side of the sanctuary to directly behind the altar.^{[18][lower-alpha 2]}

History of the parish

The parish of St Denis^{[lower-alpha 1]} was created by Archbishop Redmond Prendiville in 1952 by separating it from the larger parish of Osborne Park; responsibility for the new parish was given to the Servite Order, which had recently arrived in Australia.^[1][20]:1 The first parish priest was Fr Patrick Nolan.^{[lower-alpha 3]} At the time, the new parish's church was a Quonset hut on Wanneroo Road in Tuart Hill,^[21] consecrated the previous year,^[22] which also acted as a school.^[1]

The parish was named after the third-century Christian martyr, Saint Denis.^[23]

Notes

1. The Archdiocese of Perth refers to the parish as "Joondanna",^[4][5] but most other references call the parish "St Denis".
2. The tabernacle now behind the altar at the front of the church is not the original. The original 1968 tabernacle^[19] is now at the rear of the church in a small memorial area.
3. Nolan also served as the first principal of St Philip's high school when it was opened by the Servites in 1958.^[20]:4

References

1. Christopher M. Ross OSM (2001-01-12), Servites in Australia - Part One (PDF), retrieved 2014-10-26
2. Framed relic on display in the church, 2014-11-01
3. Certificate of Approval issued by City of Stirling 2004-03-15, on display in the church 2014-11-01
4. "Parishes & Clergy". Archdiocese of Perth. 2008. Retrieved 2014-10-26.
5. Parish Localities E-L, Archdiocese of Perth, retrieved 2014-10-26
6. "Parishes: Joondanna". Archdiocese of Perth. 2008. Retrieved 2014-10-26.
7. "Saint Denis Parish". Retrieved 2014-10-26.
8. Plaque on St Denis Church, Joondanna
9. "44 - St Denis Catholic Church". Open House Perth. 2014. Retrieved 2014-10-26.
10. "St Denis' Church & Parish House". Heritage Council, State Heritage Office. 2015-10-22. Retrieved 2015-11-08.
11. "Western Australian Pipe Organs: St. Denis's Catholic Church". The Organ Society of Western Australia. 2011-01-28. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
12. "Western Australian Pipe Organs: St John of God Hospital". The Organ Society of Western Australia. 2009-01-22. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
13. Bridget Spinks (2011-02-02). "Servite overhauls Joondanna parish". The Record. Retrieved 2014-10-26.
14. "New Sound System, Hi-Tech Hearing 'Loop'" (PDF), Voice of St Denis, St Denis Parish, 2013-03-30, Archived from the original on 2013-04-10, retrieved 2014-10-26
15. "Please Be Careful!" (PDF), Voice of St Denis, St Denis Parish, 2013-05-18, Archived from the original on 2013-05-17, retrieved 2014-10-26
16. "Saint Denis Parish". 2013-04-09. Archived from the original on 2013-04-09. Retrieved 2014-11-04.
17. "St Denis Catholic Parish Joondanna WA". Five Leaf Eco-Awards. Retrieved 2014-10-26.
18. "Placement of Tabernacle" (PDF), Voice of St Denis, St Denis Parish, 2014-10-18, Archived from the original on 2014-10-26, retrieved 2014-11-02
19. "St Denis Catholic church, Roberts Street, Joondanna [picture] - 340427PD: Vestry, 1968". State Library of Western Australia. Retrieved 2014-11-23.
20. Of Dreams and Realities, A history of the origins and development of Servite College (1958-1983).
21. "Cully-Stephenson Wedding". South Western Advertiser. 1953-09-17. p. 6. Retrieved 2014-10-26.
22. "Church Built From A Nissen Hut". The West Australian. 1951-12-19. p. 12. Retrieved 2014-10-26.
23. "Parishes turn to saints for inspiration". The Record. 2008-11-05. Retrieved 2014-10-26.