The church of St. Cyril and Methodius was built in year 1986 by plans of France Kvaternik. Cross’ sweat on the south wall is the work of sculptor Stane Jarem. Statues of St. Cyril and Methodius (Method) are the work of academic sculptor Černe. On the choir hangs a painting of Anthony Marin Slomšek, which was painted by academic painter Lojze Perko. The statue of Mary in the church is from the chapel at blessed spring. Stained glass windows in the chapel are the work of Veselka Šorli Puc. In addition to the tebemacle stands a wooden polychromed statue of Mary. The painting of Last supper was painted by painter Christopher Zupet from Ljubljana.slovenian church

Slovenian Mass was offered to Slovenians only at special occasions in the early 50s for there was no priest stationed in Melbourne until 1956. They sang Slovenian hymns, met new friends and spoke in Slovenian language. This mass occurred in Clifton Hill.slovenian mass,

Black and white photo of the Slovenians after Slovenian Mass in church at Burnley.The photo was inappropriately folded at some stage and is damagedslovenian mass

On Sunday 19 December 1954 at 3.30 pm, 52 people attended the inaugural general meeting, which was held in the Catholic church hall at Theodore Street, St Albans. Slovenians at the meeting were enthused at the prospect of developing closer ties and a committee was formed to organise the next dance. This humble beginning laid the groundwork for the establishment of the first Slovenian organisation in Melbourne, Victoria.On 5 December 1954 the first meeting of the club’s preparatory committee was held at 36 Prentice Street, East St Kilda with 26 people in attendance. The group prepared a list of regulations and decided on the name Slovenski klub Melbourne – Slovenian Club Melbourne (SCM). The first Minutes of the Meeting announced the club’s statement of purpose: • to assist migrants of Slovenian origin; • to assist assimilation to the Australian way of life; • to help Slovenian migrants in every possible way, especially financially; • to help Slovenian refugees in Europe, especially those who wanted to find a a new and free life in Australia; • to offer members and their friends healthy intellectual and physical activities in the cultural, social and sports arenas; and • to cultivate a Slovenian cultural heritage while also making contributions to their Australian community.A sepia photo of the Slovenians attending the first meeting in St. Albans, 1954 Some in attendance included: Ljubo Pirnat, Paule Postarenko, Ivan Gerbec, Tinka Verbic, Zladko Verbic, Viktor Ferfolia, Tusek, Joze Pekolj, Mrs Potocnik, Joze Potocnik, Janezic, Fanc Novina, Joze Golenko.first slovenian club, slovenians in melbourne, slovenian club, regulations of first slovenian club

Slovenians always celebrate Easter and special celebrations were well attended: the church service and the Easter Monday picnicsKeeping the Slovenian traditions alive in AustraliaEaster celebrations invitation to the members of Slovenian Club Melbourne in 1958 with a cute illustrationslovenian easter, slovenian traditions, easter monday picnic

Slovenian record by the Quintet Bled, playing and singing Slovenian music and singing Slovenian songs. The members of the Quintet are: the leader Ivan Petelin, Branko Kojc, Graeme Bounday, Alojz jakša and Stan KregarRecord cover decorated with the image of Lake Bled island church, photo of the band and Slovenian national flower, the carnationrecord, qunitet bled

Slovenian refugee on an outing to explore Latina, ItalySlovenian refugee passing time by exploringBlack and white photo of Lojze (Alojz) Markic in Latina Italy in front of the parish churchslovenian refugee, slovenian association melbourne

The lake surrounds Bled Island (Blejski otok). The island has several buildings, the main one being the pilgrimage church dedicated to the Assumption of Mary (Cerkev Marijinega vnebovzetja), built in its current form near the end of the 17th century, and decorated with remains of Gothic frescos from around 1470 in the presbyterium and rich Baroque equipment. The church has a 52 m (171 ft) tower and there is a Baroque stairway dating from 1655 with 99 stone steps leading up to the building. The church is frequently visited and weddings are held there regularly. Traditionally it is considered good luck for the groom to carry his bride up the steps on the day of their wedding before ringing the bell and making a wish inside the church. The traditional transportation to Bled Island is a wooden boat known as a pletna. The word pletna is a borrowing from Bavarian German Plätten 'flat-bottomed boat'. Some sources claim the pletna was used in Lake Bled as early as 1150 AD, but most historians date the first boats to 1590 AD. Similar in shape to Italian gondolas, a pletna seats 20 passengers. Modern boats are still made by hand and are recognizable by their colorful awnings. Pletna oarsman employ the stehrudder technique to propel and navigate boats across the lake using two oars. The role of the oarsman dates back to 1740, when Empress Maria Theresa granted 22 local families exclusive rights to ferry religious pilgrims across Lake Bled to worship on Bled Island. The profession is still restricted. Many modern oarsman descend directly from the original 22 families. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_BledDigital photographlake bled, church, stairway, steps, slovenia, stone, tradition