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Arrival of the First Fleet
Catholic convicts arrive in Australia, but Anglicanism is the dominant religion. -
First Catholic Mass in Australia
Fr. James Dixon conducts the first officially sanctioned Catholic Mass. -
Arrival of First Official Catholic Priests
Fr. John Therry and Fr. Philip Conolly arrive to establish Catholic ministry. The first Catholic school was founded by Fr. Therry in Parramatta. -
First Catholic School Established
Fr. John Therry establishes the first Catholic school in Parramatta. -
First Catholic Bishop Appointed
John Bede Polding becomes the first Catholic Bishop of Australia. -
State Funding for Religious Schools Ends (Victoria)
Catholic schools lose government funding, relying on church support. -
Education Act Passed (NSW)
Free, compulsory, and secular education becomes law, cutting government funding for Catholic schools. -
Goulburn Catholic School Strike
Catholic schools protest lack of funding, leading to major education reforms. -
Federal Government Restores Catholic School Funding
Government support returns, securing the future of Catholic education. -
Transition to Lay Teachers
Decline in religious vocations leads to more lay teachers in Catholic schools. -
Catholic Schools Continue to Thrive
Over 1,750 Catholic schools educate more than 760,000 students in Australia.