A Catholic Church official has apologised after a priest told parishioners that had murdered Melbourne woman Jill Meagher's faith been stronger, she would have been "home in bed" and not walking down a street on the night she was brutally raped and killed.

The controversial homily was reportedly delivered during an end-of-term service at St Christopher's Primary School in Airport West on Friday when the priest held up a newspaper article with an image of Ms Meagher's killer, Adrian Bayley.

Jill Meagher.

Radio station 3AW reported that the priest made the comments to an audience of about 100 people, saying that if Ms Meagher had been "more faith-filled", she "would have been home in bed" and "not walking down Sydney Road at 3am".

Bayley raped and killed Ms Meagher in a Brunswick laneway in September 2012. He was sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 35 years.