The Mt Buller Alpine Chapel was built in the summer of 1992-93.

Prior to its construction, the Catholic weekend mass on Mt Buller was held at OLOS (Our Lady of the Snow) Ski Lodge.

A priest would visit each weekend of the snow season to offer mass and the local community would pile into the lounge/dining room and transform it into Chapel like area for it to take place.

Cow Camp Plaza in the heart of the Mt Buller village had just opened and snow making for Mt Buller was on the radar.

It was changing times, and the village was starting to take shape.

The Grollo family was running the lift company and Rino Grollo opened a conversation with then Resort General Manager, Sandy Jeffcoat, about a multi-denominational church for the resort.

Sandy had the vision to make Mt Buller a village community, more than just a ski resort.

And he had great support from community leaders such as Hans Grimus, John Perks and Laurie Blampied.

As it happened, through planning over the years, a block over-looking the central village area had been assigned and was already referred to as ‘Church Hill’.

Nat Bonacci provided the engineering and design of the building.

It was Rino Grollo who activated the Alpini Association of Australia (an organisation of Italian ex-servicemen led by Gus Tomada) to provide all the labour for the beautiful rock work that formed part of the construction.

As work progressed it was decided a bell tower was needed and the Crema and Barro families donated the concrete structures to build the tower and Hans Grimus and Bob Fleming and their Families donated the impressive bell.

And when it was opened, several hundred of the Alpinis in their feathered hats and colourful uniforms brought their families, their friends and their music to the mountain to celebrate the occasion.

It was on the 1st of May 1993, that the chapel was completed and its consecration and first mass was held in front of a massive crowd of more than 2000 people, led by the then Arch Bishop of Melbourne the Most Reverend Dr Frank Little.

Essentially, the Chapel had been paid for by the time it was opened.

The Mt Buller community saw a need.

Enter Father Tony Kerin.

Father Tony had first visited Mt Buller in 1986.

He came with friends, stayed at Polski and endured three of the foggiest, white-out days one could image.

Welcome to Mt Buller!

Later in 1986 Father Tony moved to Rome, Italy to study.

He loved golf but it was very expensive in Rome, so he took up skiing in his spare time.

It was far cheaper (believe it or not).

He would take an overnight bus from Rome and visit amazing ski destinations such as Livigno (which will host many events for the 2026 winter Olympic Games).

In 1988 Father Tony returned from Rome and was again based in Melbourne.

His love of snow sports continued, and he regularly skied all the Victorian resorts.

When the Mt Buller Alpine Chapel was built in 1993, the Vicar General began the search for priests with an interest in snow.

Father Tony quickly responded and while he worked Monday to Friday in the Church Legal Office, he would attend to duties at Mt Buller on the weekends.

This lasted until 2003 when Archbishop Pell assigned Father Tony to a parish in Melbourne.

In 2024, Father Tony became the Vicar General, CEO of the Diocese.

He still regularly visits Mt Buller for recreational purposes as it’s a place he loves.

Father Tony feels acknowledging milestones such as ‘100 years of skiing on Mt Buller’ and ’75 years of Ski Patrol’ are important community celebrations.

And through the journey, pioneers have become contemporaries.

The Mt Buller Alpine Chapel has hosted many weddings, funerals and always offered a place of calmness for resort employees wanting and or needing solitude.

The annual 'Blessing of the Snow' is always held on the first Sunday of the ski season and the following week a 'memorial' service is held to remember those Mt Buller folk who passed away since the start of the previous season.