Services
Holy Mass at 4.30 pm on Sundays
Migration of Syro-Malabar faithful to Melbourne began in the late sixties. Even though they were few in number, they kept in touch with each other along with other Kerala Christians during the seventies and eighties. The first Syro-Malabar Qurbana was celebrated at the St. Paschals Chapel, Box Hill in the mid-eighties by Fr. Jacob Kavungal, SVD who is a seminary professor in Melbourne. The early nineties saw a few more families migrating to Melbourne, but the flow slowly started its momentum by the late nineties. The few families who assisted in the socio-spiritual growth of the Syro-Malabar Community, in the early years are: Thomas John, Paul Kaithavelil, Thomas Mathew, Jose Pius, and Joy Abraham.
A one-day Prayer service arranged by the visiting Vincentian Potta team in October 1998 gave momentum and enthused Malayalee Catholics to gather for celebrating Qurbana in Malayalam. Fr. Francis Adapoor O’Carm arrived in Melbourne in 1999 for his higher studies, and under his leadership, the Malayalee Catholic Society of Victoria was formed in year 2000 to organize monthly Holy Qurbana at Box Hill. The first committee of the Society decided to make a request for a permanent chaplain for the Community.
On 2015 December 24th, during Christmas Mass, Bishop Bosco Puthur declared St. Alphonsa Cathedral Community as Cathedral Parish of Syro Malabar Diocese of Melbourne and Fr. Mathew Kochupurackal as the First ViFr.Mathewcar.