In 1961 the present site of five acres was purchased and the building of the first church and the current small hall commenced. The project was completed in June 1962 and seated 250 people.

1st Parish Priest - Rev. Joseph O'Keefe

The parish of Avondale Heights was established in January 1963 and Fr. Joe O'Keefe was appointed the first parish priest of St Martin de Porres. The presbytery was built in late 1963 and provided accommodation for the parish priest, the priest in residence and the housekeeper. Fr. O'Keefe approached the Sisters of the Resurrection in Essendon for assistance to open a parish school. The school started in 1965 and consisted of a prep. classroom, a small classroom, a storeroom and a small canteen. Two new classrooms were built each alternate year to cater for the progression of students into higher grades. The first marriage was celebrated on 29th February 1964, the first baptism took place on 3rd March 1964 and the first confirmation was held on 1st November 1970. In January 1973 Fr. O' Keefe was appointed parish priest of Belmont, Geelong.

2nd Parish Priest - Rev. Ronald Merrick

Fr. Ron Merrick was appointed the second parish priest in January 1973. The parish grounds were enhanced by the purchase of five building blocks in front of the school facing Military Road. The original church was extended in 1974. Bricks replaced the cement sheeting and the church now had seating capacity for 360. The extension included a porch and a crying room. The first lay Principal of St Martin de Porres' School was appointed in 1978. The foundations had been laid to enable subsequent parish priests to set about a programme of further building and development. In 1981 Fr. Merrick was appointed parish priest of Williamstown.

3rd Parish Priest - Rev. William J. McCarthy

In 1981 Fr. William McCarthy was appointed the third parish priest. The planned programmme of parish development continued with the refurbishment of the church's sanctuary and pews and the renovation of the small hall. The school was extended with the construction of an administration block and additional classrooms and toilets. The area in front of the school was paved and the property fenced. The presbytery was refurbished, and a meeting room added which has been used extensively by various parish groups. Fr. McCarthy prudently saved excess funds with the intention to build a church to cater for the developing needs of the Avondale Heights community. in 1985 the building of the new church commenced. The new church was built on the old car park with permanent seating for 450 which can be increased to in excess of 700 for Christmas, Easter and other special celebrations. The church was dedicated by the Most Rev. T.F. Little D.D ., K.B.E ., Archbishop of Melbourne on 15 November 1987. The added bonus for the parish was that the old church became the new and much larger parish hall and gave the school permanent use of the smaller hall. In 1991 Fr. McCarthy was appointed Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral where he continued his expertise by coordination the restoration of the cathedral.

4th Parish Priest - Rev. Brendan Hayes

In 1991 Fr. Brendan Hayes joined our community as the fourth parish priest. The programme of building and development continued at the school with the construction of protective coverinf over the school yard, adding a new library and classrooms, improving access and providing better storage facilities. The adventure playground and oval were also upgraded. The association with the Sisters of the Resurrection continued until the end of 1992 with the departure of Sister Krystyna. The Augustinian Sisters, who had established a convent in the parish, commenced teaching in the school in 1994. They also became very active within the parish. The pipe organ was purchased for the church and it was blessed and dedicated on the 29th April 2001. New tiles in the centre aisle, in front of the altar and in the foyer further enhanced the appearance of the Church and the presbytery had another much needed refurbishment. The main hall was renovated to include a stage and kitchen facilities as well as having the entrances moved to provide better access. An area was created to enable Out of School Hours Care to be established. Tables and chairs were purchased to encourage greater use of the hall for many and varied social functions. In February 2003 Fr. Hayes was appointed parish priest of Healesville.

5th Parish Priest - Rev. Tony Kerin

In 2003 Fr. Tony Kerin was appointed the fifth parish priest. He took up his appointment on 11th March 2003. The programme of building and development continued with the replacement of the carpet in the church, tiling of the sanctuary and side aisles and padding of the kneelers. The Parish Hall was re-stumped, the roof insulated and replaced with Colorbond sheeting, the kitchen refurbished and indoor toilets added. The hall was dedicated as O'Keefe Hall in remembrance of our first parish priest Fr. Joe O'Keefe. An outdoor covered terraced area linking the Parish Hall to the Church was built and dedicated as Merrick Terrace in remembrance of our 2nd parish priest Fr. Ron Merrick. The parish celebrated it Golden Jubilee in 2013. A new presbytery was constructed to replace the 50 year old presbytery/parish office which had become impractical to maintain. When it rained outside it also rained inside!! In 2014 the school constructed a new administration block at the southern end of the school. This enabaled the parish to utilize the old administration office as the Parish Pastoral Centre. This seperation of the office and presbytery provided the parish priest with a private residence. Unfortunately Fr. Tony was appointed to a new parish before he could move into the new presbytery. In March 2014 Fr. Kerin was appointed parish priest of Box Hill.

6th Parish Priest - Rev. Nhan Le

In 2014 Fr. Nhan Le joined our community as the sixth parish priest and he is the current parish priest. He took up his appointment on 1st May 2014 and moved into the new presbytery in October. The programme of building and development continues with the ongoing maintenance of the parish assets which are used extensively by the parish community. The grounds have been upgraded with the construction of the Marian Community Garden on the north side of the church.

The programme of hosting Seminarians continues under Fr. Nhan's guidance with the parish welcoming live-in Seminarians to learn about and participate in, parish life and community interaction. The majority of the Seminarians come from overseas via the Divine Word Missionaries, Box Hill. Following their ordination these new young priests take up their calling in overseas and remote missions.

Since the commencement of the parish there have been many Priests in Residence and Assistant Priests participating within the parish. These priests assisted the parish priest but also had their own responsibilities in providing services and guidence in other areas of the Melbourne Archdiocese. The parish is grateful to these clergy for their involvement and dedication.