Ballarat Bishop Peter Connors gave the directive last week, saying weekday or weekend masses could be cancelled when the Country Fire Authority issued a catastrophic fire danger warning.

The Ballarat diocese, which covers the south-west, is believed to be the first in the state to approve the cancellation of services in Code Red circumstances.

Bishop Connors told parishioners it would be better for them to remain on their properties and to limit movement on roads during the danger period.

"It doesn't apply to every parish and it will be up to the individual priest. Some parishes are very much at risk this year," Bishop Connors said yesterday.

He named Apollo Bay, Casterton, Coleraine, Hamilton, Edenhope, Creswick and Daylesford as major danger spots due to their topography, which includes nearby bushland.

Bishop Connors said his decision followed a directive from the State Government to close schools in high risk areas on Code Red days and was common sense for many parishioners.

Under church doctrine, all Catholics are directed to attend mass every Sunday.

But Bishop Connors said many people no longer followed the rule closely, with surveys showing only 13 per cent of Catholics in the diocese now attended services on a weekly basis.

Ten schools and children's services in the south-west are on the list of 728 facilities throughout Victoria that will close on days rated as being of catastrophic fire danger.

The list includes many located in areas identified by fire authorities as being at high risk this fire season, as well as others deemed to be at high risk due to geographic and environmental factors.

Education Minister Bronwyn Pike said the register would allow for the pre-emptive closure of schools on a Code Red day.

"There are more than one million children, teachers and staff in government and non-government schools and children's services throughout Victoria and we are taking strong action to do everything we can to protect their safety in the event of a fire," she said.