The Catholic Chaplaincy at Monash University is almost as old as the University itself. Established by an act of the Victorian parliament in 1958, the University opened its doors to students in 1961 and the first Catholic chaplain began his duties the same year. This was Father Peter Little, a Jesuit priest who worked at Monash on a part-time basis.

 

The first-full time chaplain was appointed in 1964. He was a Dominican friar, Father Peter Knowles. Originally based at St Dominic’s Priory in Camberwell, Father Peter later moved into a private dwelling in Parker Street, Clayton, and then took up residence in Mannix College, a residential college affiliated with Monash University, owned by the archdiocese of Melbourne and administered by the Dominican Order when the College opened in 1969. An urbane and cultivated personality, Father Knowles was much respected and consulted by academic and administrative staff and was a big influence on students.

 

He was a member of the Monash University Religious Centre Advisory Committee which planned the multi-faith Religious Centre complex, the foundation stone of which was laid in 1967. The Religious Centre at Monash is unique among Australian university facilities. It was donated to the University by a combined group of Christian churches and the Jewish community, with funding contributions from state and federal governments and built on land provided by the University. Featuring two chapels (one equipped with a Sharp pipe organ), a narthex, meeting rooms, offices and Muslim and Jewish prayer rooms, the Religious Centre is an important part of the spiritual and cultural life of Monash.

 

Father Knowles was associated with Monash University for a quarter of a century, as chaplain from 1964 to 1980 and as Master of Mannix College from 1981 to 1990. Other chaplains over the years included Fathers David Willis, Laurie Foote, Ephraem Chifley, Anthony Vidot, Thomas Cassidy and Peter Hoang. All have been Dominicans.

 

The Catholic community at Monash University has been active through its chaplain and student involvement in striving to raise the profile of the Catholic ethos at Monash. At times this has been successful, at other times there has been little progress, but always there have been dedicated students and staff who have taken their faith seriously and worked to spread the good news.

 

The Catholic group at Monash has been known by various names over the years – the Newman Society, the Marian Society and, currently, Catholics on Campus. The latest designation was chosen by Richard Houlihan, a layman who became associated with the Catholic presence at Monash in 2005. Richard brought an indefatigable energy to the promotion of the cause of Christ and his Church at the University. It was Richard who instigated the practice of inviting a bishop to celebrate the opening and closing Masses of the year and each semester and also the chaplaincy website, with the generous assistance of Jefferson Tan. He helped to reinvigorate the chaplaincy presence at the Caulfield and Peninsula campuses. The highlight of his work was perhaps arranging for the then Vice-Chancellor, Professor Richard Larkins, to welcome the World Youth Day cross and icon to Monash in 2008. The sudden and untimely death of Richard at the age of only 48 at the beginning of 2014 came as a great loss.

 

For many years the chaplain at Monash University doubled as the chaplain to Mannix College. They now operate separately since a National Evangelisation Team group was installed at Mannix College under the direction of Father Dominic Murphy OP. The current University chaplain, Father Christopher Dowd OP, resides at St Dominic’s Priory. In 2015 for the first time in the history of the Monash chaplaincy the archdiocese provided funding for the employment of a part-time Lay Chaplain, Ms Barbara Shea.