I play for the vigil Mass once a month at St Mary Star of the Sea, West Melbourne. The building is one of Melbourne's largest Catholic churches, and until recently, one of the dullest. When I first knew this church, the interior was painted in a colour that can be politely described as "mustard," with detailing in a low-grade white paint. It was really quite awful. Here are a couple of picture that gives you an impression of the effect.
The parish was entrusted to the care of a small community of Opus Dei priests a few years ago. It is said that this order was chosen to balance out the offerings of the comparatively liberal parish down the road, which is under the care of another order. I often find it puzzling that what Anglicans would refer to as squabbles over churchmanship play a role in the Catholic parish system, given that much of the liturgical expression is meant to be prescribed by the Missal.
The first thing the new priest at St Mary's did was initiate a grand restoration scheme, leading to this:
[This is the same chapel as the "before" photo above, believe it or not...]
The parish has come to life over the last few years, and I'd really encourage you to have a look at their website to discover more.
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