A bust of Cardinal Aloysius Stepinac was given to the Cathedral by the Victorian Croatian community to remind visitors of the heroism and faithfulness of Cardinal Stepinac, who as an Archbishop during World War II, helped people to escape Nazi persecution. After WWII the Communists held a mock trial and found Stepinac guilty of collaborating with the Nazis in WWII, sentencing him to 16 years hard labour. Despite his imprisonment in 1953, Pope Pius XII made Stepinac a Cardinal to defy the Communist government of Yugoslavia. He died in 1960 while still under house arrest and was proclaimed Blessed by Pope John Paul II in 1998.

The bust also acknowledges the contribution of the Croatian community to the life and culture of Melbourne. Sculpted by Mladen Mikulin, it and was formally unveiled on Saturday 10 February, 2001.