Investigation into Geelong church fire

A fire that razed a 140-year-old Victorian Catholic church will be investigated to determine if it is suspicious.

Police say the circumstances surrounding a fire at St John The Evangelist Catholic Church in Bannockburn, near Geelong, are currently unclear.

Firefighters found the historic weatherboard building fully alight when they arrived on Wednesday morning.

The church was completely destroyed and investigators were on their way to determine the cause, a Country Fire Authority spokeswoman said.

There were four Catholic churches set on fire around Victoria in April, all connected to notorious paedophile priests including Kevin O'Donnell and Ronald Dennis Pickering.