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30% of the convicts were catholic most of them were Irish on the first fleet. Governor Phillip's orders were for all convicts to attend the church every Sunday. if they didn't attend Sunday church they would get lashes. Some convicts even burned down the Anglican church. https://mrswilliamspodroom.weebly.com/religion-early-church.html
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the Catholics argued to Arthur Philip about starting up a new catholic church but Governor Philip was worried about it because he thought they were going to attracted more Anglican convicts to the catholic church community.
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the first two priests were convict's that got transported in the late 1790s they were caught up in a Irish rebellion and weren't allowed to celebrate mass.
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when the colony allowed a first mass there were police everywhere to make sure they did not rule. there was no other mass celebrated until 16 years later
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the first free priest was called father O'Flynn he was not a convict but he'd been sent to Australia by the pope then one year later he was expelled from Australia.
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the first official catholic priests in Australia arrived in 1820 there names were father Connolly and father Therry.
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the first priest to arrive in Brisbane is father Polding.