St John's Theological College, Melbourne was an Australian educational institution in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, established in 1906 and closed in 1919. It trained candidates for ordination in the Church of England in Australia.

History

The college took over buildings formerly occupied by a private school, Cumloden College, located at 195-201 Alma Road, St Kilda East. The college opened in 1906. The future Bishop of Bathurst (1911–28) and

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

(1928-30), George Long was offered the position of warden on the establishment of the college, but declined. St John's had a focus on training non-graduates for ordination. The college was Anglo-Catholic and was closed in 1919 for churchmanship reasons in the Diocese of Melbourne, the evangelical

Ridley College Ridley College may refer to * Ridley College (Melbourne), Victoria, Australia * Ridley College (Ontario), Canada See also * Ridley Hall, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, UK * * Ridley (disambiguation) {{schooldis ...

having opened in 1910. After the college closed, the buildings were sold and demolished. In 1908, two students at St John's decided to form a religious community, the Association of the Divine Call, with three-year vows of celibacy. The two students were Maurice Richard Daustini Kelly and Gerard Kennedy Tucker. Tucker had previously studied for ordination at St Wilfrid's Theological College, Cressy. At the time (1906 to 1907), the warden of St Wilfred's was Nugent Kelly, the father of Maurice. Three other students joined. The establishment of the association received a lukewarm response from Archbishop

Lowther Clarke Henry Lowther Clarke (23 November 1850 – 23 June 1926) was the fourth Anglican bishop and first archbishop of Melbourne, Australia. Early life Clarke was born at Firbank Vicarage, Westmorland, England, the son of the Revd William Clarke an ...

and, after ordination to the diaconate in 1910, the members of the community went their own ways. Kelly became a member of the Community of the Ascension in Goulburn in 1921, but died just five years later. Tucker went on to found the Brotherhood of St Laurence in 1930 and the Food for Peace Campaign in 1953 (which eventually became

Oxfam Australia Oxfam Australia is an Australian, independent, charity, not-for-profit, secular, community-based aid and development organization, and is an affiliate of the Oxfam International Confederation. Oxfam Australia's work is divided into four broad c ...

). The nearby Anglo-Catholic church, St James the Great, St Kilda East, began as a small community worshipping in the college chapel.

Wardens

* Reginald Stephen, 1906–14. Concurrently Dean of Melbourne, 1910–14; Bishop of Tasmania, 1914–19; Bishop of Newcastle, 1919–28. *James Roy Norman, 1908-09 (acting). * John Stephen Hart, 1914–19. Dean of Melbourne, 1919–27; Bishop of Wangaratta, 1927–42.

Notable alumni

Martin Boyd Martin à Beckett Boyd (10 June 1893 – 3 June 1972) was an Australian writer born into the à Beckett–Boyd family, a family synonymous with the establishment, the judiciary, publishing and literature, and the visual arts since the early 19th ...

, novelist, brother of Merric Boyd. Boyd did not proceed to ordination. * Merric Boyd, artist, brother of Martin Boyd. Boyd did not proceed to ordination. *Fr John Hope, Rector of

Christ Church St Laurence Christ Church St Laurence is an Anglican Church of Australia, Anglican church (building), church located at 814 George Street, Sydney, George Street, near Central railway station, Sydney, Central railway station and Haymarket, in City of Sydney, ...

, Sydney, 1926–64 *The Rt Revd William Johnson, Dean of Newcastle, 1928–36; Bishop of Ballarat, 1936–60. *Fr Maurice Kelly, co-founder of the Community of the Ascension *Fr Gerard Tucker, founder of the Brotherhood of St Laurence and the Food for Peace Campaign

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint John's Theological College, Melbourne Anglican seminaries and theological colleges Former theological colleges in Australia Education in Melbourne 1906 establishments in Australia Educational institutions disestablished in 1919 St Kilda East, Victoria Universities and colleges established in 1906 Universities and colleges disestablished in the 20th century 1919 disestablishments in Australia