Since the laying of the church’s foundation stone in 1882, St Mary Star of the Sea has been a place of worship, inspiration and spiritual comfort for many thousands of people. St Mary’s is one of the most beautiful buildings in Australia and Melbourne’s largest parish church.

St Mary’s is an historically significant church, home to Archbishops Daniel Mannix and Justin Simonds when each was coadjutor, and it remains an important landmark in the City of Melbourne. In recent years St Mary’s has been rejuvenated, becoming a cultural centre for sacred art and music, whose doors are open everyday to the public.

But time has taken its toll on the mellow sandstone exterior of the church. In response to the deterioration of the internal and external fabrics of the building, the restoration of this unique church began in 2004 and continues to the present time. St Mary’s is a heritage-listed building and its restoration has received the recognition and involvement of the National Trust of Australia, which manages the restoration account. The restoration has received important funding from the federal and state governments totalling $2.5 million.

While first-time visitors to St Mary’s are often overawed by the glory of its fully restored interior, there is still a great deal of restoration and conservation work to do on the church’s exterior. The total cost for completion of the restoration is $8.5 million. We have $2 million left to raise — a sum that requires donations both large and small. View the three-part short film in this section to get a sense of what St Mary’s restoration has already achieved, and what still needs to be done.