The Chapel is a Catholic place of worship and plays a sacred and central role in the life of our College. Founded by the Sisters of Saint Joseph, MacKillop College has a long held belief in the uniting force of regular communal worship and the celebration of Eucharist.

The Chapel is central to our community in that it focuses us to build a strong sense of cohesion and loving acceptance of ourselves and each other. It challenges us to look beyond our individual needs and consider those of the wider community and the world.

The ‘Chapel of Saint Mary of the Cross’ is primarily a place of prayer, worship and reflection and, as such, must be treated with appropriate reverence and respect.

 

Wedding Policy

All wedding ceremonies are to be conducted by a Catholic Priest.  Wedding ceremonies are not to be conducted by a marriage celebrant.

 

Who can book the chapel?

The Chapel is available for weddings of members of MOCA, staff members and families with a strong connection to Saint Mary MacKillop. The Principal reserves the right to cancel or refuse any bookings at his discretion.

 

General Information

Wedding Ceremony Date and Times

Due to Council restrictions only a limited number of events can occur in the Chapel in any given month.

Events will be considered on a first in first served basis.

Times for scheduled weddings are:

Saturday
	10:30am
	12:00pm
	2:00pm
	3:30pm

 

Sunday
	2:00pm
	3:30pm

 

Easter

Wedding ceremonies are not permitted during Holy Week.

 

School Holidays

Weddings during school holidays may be possible, excluding the December/January holidays.

Please note that there is often an increase in building and maintenance work during the holiday period.

 

Arrival and Departure Times

Each wedding ceremony is allocated four hours and each wedding party is asked to move on after this time.

Photographers should be notified of the limited time for photos outside the Chapel.

 

Seating

The Chapel comfortably seats 260 people.

 

Costs

Parish

There is a fee of $800.00 to the Parish for all weddings. This covers administration costs, support of the clergy and the wider Parish.

Payment schedule of this fee is to be negotiated with the Parish Office.

MacKillop College Fees

MacKillop College charges a fee of $1200.00 for use of the Chapel for a wedding.

A $500.00 security deposit is also required.  This will be fully refunded if all conditions of use are adhered to.

This fee contributes to the costs of the following:

• Security on the day of the service
• Services of a technician to ensure sound system etc. are in working order
• Cleaning of the Chapel after the ceremony
• Access to the Chapel the evening before the ceremony

Fees are subject to change at the discretion of the Principal.

 

Conditions of Use

The following activities are NOT PERMITTED:

• The use of confetti, rice, rose petals and sugared almonds.
• Throwing of any material inside the Chapel.
• The use of drawing pins, glues or Blu-Tack for attaching decorations, etc., which will damage the Chapel furniture.

A breach of any of these conditions or the damage of Chapel furniture or surrounds will result in the loss of the $500.00 refundable deposit.

Payment of the refundable deposit does not give you permission to breach the conditions of use.  It is your responsibility to ensure your guests, photographers, etc., are also informed of the conditions of use.

 

Flowers and decorations

Flowers for the Chapel are the responsibility of the bride and groom. If flowers are to be delivered to the Chapel, this time must be negotiated with the College to ensure the relevant staff are present to receive and place the flowers.

The Chapel has a number of pedestals that may be used for flower arrangements.

No vases are available for use through the College. The use of boxed flowers is therefore encouraged.

The College has a number of approved decorations that may be used. These will be discussed with the bride and groom if an application is successful.

NO other decoration of the Chapel may occur.

 

Copyright law

Compliance with copyright law is the responsibility of the couple undertaking the wedding.

 

PA System

The Chapel PA system will be set at the correct level for best use, therefore no adjustment will be necessary. The PA system must not be interfered with and if you experience any difficulty please speak with staff in attendance.

The PA system can connect to most iPod and smart phone or devices etc.

The College has a collection of reflective and sacred music which can be used by wedding couples.

Musicians and singers are able to access microphones that connect to the audio system.

 

Musicians and singers

It is the responsibility of the wedding couple to arrange their own musicians and wedding singers.

A list of musicians and singers is available through the Parish.

Musicians are required to bring their own instruments – no keyboard or other instruments are available through the College.

 

Parking

MacKillop College has on‐site parking. Guests are asked to park only in the designated parking spaces and not along the front driveway nor on any grassed surface.

Parking is only available in front of the Chapel for the bridal party and Priest.

Additional parking is available in the Corpus Christi carpark off Russell Street.

 

Alcohol/Smoking

NO alcohol or smoking is permitted on College grounds.

Please ensure that your guests are aware of this.

 

Ringing of the bell

Arrangements can be made for the ringing of the ‘Chapel of Saint Mary of the Cross’ bell at the conclusion of the ceremony as a symbol of celebration.

 

Photography

Photographs outside the Chapel are permitted but no photographs are to be taken within other areas of MacKillop College unless prior arrangements have been made.

 

Booking Procedure

Step One

Email moca@mackillop.vic.edu.au to express your interest in being married in the Chapel.

You will be contacted by a member of the College staff, who will liaise with the Parish to confirm your wedding.

Step Two

You are then required to contact the Parish of St Andrews who will work with you regarding the necessary legal elements of preparing for a wedding.

If you live outside the Parish of St Andrews you may be required to ask your own Parish Priest or Priest of your acquaintance to officiate at your wedding.

Saint Andrew’s Parish Office:

Address:                             105 Greaves Street North Werribee, VIC 3030

Postal Address:                 PO Box 872, Werribee, VIC 3030

Phone:                                 9741 4144

Fax:                                      9741 4433

Email:                                  werribee@cam.org.au

Saint Andrew’s Parish Office hours are:

Monday to Thursday:     9:00am – 4:00pm

Friday:                               9:00am – 12:30pm  &  2:00pm – 4:00pm

 

Step Three

Once the wedding booking has been finalised through the Parish of St Andrews and all requirements are in place, they will communicate this to the College via the MOCA Team.

At this point in time you will be contacted by the College to arrange and finalise the arrangements for the day.