Location: St. Clement’s Catholic Church

Story

The foundation stone of Queensland’s first Lebanese church, Saint Clement’s, South Brisbane was blessed by Archbishop James Duhig, Bishop Malouf and Father S. Khoury, Pastor, 7 March 1929 and was opened for public worship in 1936. St Clement’s was unique because although its establishment was initiated and overseen by Monsignor Sophronus Khoury, a Melkite priest, his objective was not simply to serve the Melkite community. Monsignor Khoury wanted to unite the approximately ‘two hundred Lebanese of different Rites in order to build a church of their Eastern Rite and Customs’. This uniting of the three Rites, Melkite, Orthodox and Maronite, was unusual and was a source of pride for many of the early Lebanese families.

In 1936, St Clement’s South Brisbane, Queensland’s first Lebanese church welcomed all Melkite, Maronite, Orthodox and Latin rite worshippers. Mick Sardie remembered how Monsignor Khoury and the ‘handful’ of Lebanese in Queensland, whether they were Maronite, Melkite or Orthodox, worked together to build ‘one’ church, a ‘Lebanese’ church (Mick Sardie interview with Anne Monsour 1990). For over 50 years St Clement’s (Melkite rite) was a gathering place for the Lebanese community. Today Lebanese Christians also worship at St Maroun’s Church (Maronite Rite) and St Paul’s Antiochian Orthodox Church while Lebanese Muslims attend various mosques.

References

Alexious, Malouf, Golden Jubilee, St Clement’s Church South Brisbane, Queensland, 1929-1979 (Brisbane: Leader Press, 1979); Mick and Rosa Sardie, interview with Anne Monsour, Brisbane 1990.