In the very early days, Hopetoun and Beulah was served by a priest from Warracknabeal on occassions. In 1908 the new church in Hopetoun was blessed before its completion and Mass and confirmation was held. Rainbow was transferred from the parish of Nhill to Hopetoun. The new parish comprised of Hopetoun, Beulah, Woomerlang, Lascelles, Watchupga and Rainbow. The new “bunglow type” presbytery was built and opened on the 8^th May 1926. It cost approximately $8,000 dollars. There were usually two priests in residence for much of the time. The presbytery was sold in 2002 after it had served the priests for 71 years. The new brick church was built and opened in 1966 with the small limestone church too small for the number attending.

In 1951, Bishop O’Collins of Ballarat, instructed Fr Philbin, the parish priest of Hopetoun to build a convent and school. After many fund raising activities and working bees the school and convent were opened on the 19^th Dec 1954. The two sisters of St Joseph started teaching on Feb 1^st 1955 with 59 students in prep to grade 8 which later swelled to 73 that year. What a great job those nuns did teaching so many students, in so many grades in two classrooms, as well as doing their own house-work, cleaning the school, visited the hospital and homes of the sick as well as teaching music to a number of students. Words cannot adequately describe the effort, the imput, the generosity and all the sisters provided for the Catholic Community of Hopetoun and community.

The Catholic school, located next to the church, is staffed by lay teachers with about 40 plus students and is a very active part of the Catholic community.

The Catholic Ladies Guild was very active after it was formed in 1953. It catered for numerous occassions, ran fetes, stalls etc and donated money to the school and later the church after the the Parents and Friends was formed in 1981 to do the school fund raising. Lay led assemblys, have been a regular part of the Hopetoun Community for many years as the number of priests decreased and the number of parishes increased. Today, Hopetoun has a well burbished church, with heating, cooling and carpet and shares 2 priests for the nine mass centres..