Our Parish Church is called 'Christ the King Church' and is in a modern Italianate design that is open plan and welcoming to all.
St Mel's Parish
Parish Priest: Fr Rene Ramirez RCJ
Assistant Priest: Fr. Ruel Desamparado RCJ
Secretary / Sacramental Program Coordinator: Mel Shiels
Bookkeeper: Carmel Zito
Email: Parish St Mel's This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Christ the King Church - 18 Hamilton Street, Shepparton, 3630
Phone: (03) 5831 2194
Parish Website: smps.org.au/
Mass Times Sunday: 9:30 am and 5:00 pm
Weekdays: Tuesday to Friday 9:15 a.m. & Saturday 9am
Office Hours: Tuesday to Friday: 9:00am – 3:00p.m.
Parish Pastoral Council Chair: Xavier Tanner
Bereavement Team: Maureen Matthews
Liturgy/Music: Maureen Munro
Finance Committee Chair: Danny Whyte
Sacraments and Liturgy
At St. Mel’s we value the importance of maintaining a strong connection between our school and parish community. This sense of belonging to our church community is fostered by Fr Peter, the parishioners and our school community.
Our Sacramental program is parish based, family centred and school supported.
Our preparation for Sacraments, in line with Sandhurst Diocesan policy, is seen as a task that should be the responsibility of parishes and families, while being actively supported and assisted at school.
The Catholic Church believes that the primary job of preparing children for sacraments belongs to parents. This has led to a Sandhurst Diocesan Policy called 'Steps In Faith' that has been in operation for several years. The 'Steps In Faith' Policy has meant a shift from school based sacramental programs to parish based sacramental programs with a strong emphasis on parental commitment and involvement. The school supports the Sacramental preparation of the children with the whole school learning about the Sacraments through their religious education lessons at this time. Children generally receive the sacraments of Reconciliation, Eucharist & Confirmation in Year 3-4 or when the child is ready. It is the parents' decision when they want their children to receive the Sacraments.
Throughout the year there are a number of whole school masses, opportunities for children to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation, and regular class/unit masses at our parish church. Classes will often hold class, unit or whole school liturgies during Religious Education lessons.