Multicultural Melbourne at Worship
By Muriel Porter
21 February 2026
Archbishop Ric Thorpe was treated to a dynamic expression of multicultural Anglicanism when he presided and preached at St John’s Footscray last Sunday, 15 February.
The Most Revd Dr Ric Thorpe preaching at St John’s, Footscray. Image credit: The Revd Canon Nigel Pope.
The parish’s afternoon Dinka (South Sudanese) congregation joined with the morning congregation, which is itself made up of eleven nationalities, to welcome Archbishop Thorpe’s first visit to St John’s. In the throng of 180 worshippers – 50 of them under the age of 16 – there were anglos, Indians, Nigerians, Filipinos, Sri Lankans, Samoans, Solomon Islanders, Tongans, Mauritians, Vietnamese and Indonesians. Many were in national dress, filling the church with colour.
The service, faithfully following the second order Eucharistic liturgy from A Prayer Book for Australia, was energised with music and dance from the Dinka congregation and the Solomon Singers. The Singers, a group of Solomon Island men who are regular worshippers at St John’s, all of whom work at the Cedar Meats Abattoir in Brooklyn, led the singing of the Gloria, the Nicene Creed, the Lord’s Prayer and more. The Dinka Youth and the Sunday school children also contributed musical offerings. To complete the mix, there were two traditional hymns – ‘Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation’ and ‘Guide me O thou Great Jehovah’ – and some organ music during Communion.
The service was followed by a community lunch, attended by Archbishop Thorpe and Mrs Louie Thorpe, where Dr and Mrs Thorpe cut the special cake made to celebrate the Archbishop’s visit. The Vicar, Canon Nigel Pope, said the archbishop could hardly eat his meal because so many people lined up to pray with him and ask for a blessing during lunch!
The Most Revd Dr Ric Thorpe and Mrs Louie Thorpe enjoying refreshments in the parish hall. Image credit: The Revd Canon Nigel Pope.
Food is a key ministry of the parish. It hosts a weekly food bank, providing food for some 50 families, and also a weekly barbecue for the many homeless people in Footscray, which has a low economic demographic. “There are a lot of homeless people, particularly women, in the area,” Canon Pope said.
He explained that the parish doesn’t just hand out food. The food bank operates out of the church hall, where people are offered morning tea and friendship as they collect the food. “I know every one of them by name,” Canon Pope said. “We journey with them, offering help with finding social housing and other needs.”
He summarised the parish as “a community church on the margins, offering love and belonging”.
You can watch the service in full here.