Digital Timeline

By cupiid
  • First Fleet Arrival

    First Fleet Arrival

    The First Fleet of 11 ships left Portsmouth in 1787 with more than 1480 men, women and children onboard. After a voyage of three months the First Fleet arrived at Botany Bay on 24 January 1788.
  • First Official Mass

    First Official Mass

    The first official public Mass is held under strict Government supervision and is clebrated by prison priest, Fr Dixon
  • First Official Priests

    First Official Priests

    Fr John Therry and Fr Phillip Conolly, Australia's first official priests, arrive in Sydney.
  • First Catholic Church

    First Catholic Church

    Father Connolly builds the first Catholic church in Tasmania. The foundation stone of St Mary's Chapel is laid and blessed.
  • First Catholic School

    First Catholic School

    Fr Therry founds the the first Catholic school on Hunter Street, Parramatta.
  • First Census

    First Census

    Australia's first census is held and reveals 25,248 are Protestants and 11,236 Catholics.
  • St Mary's Chapel First Mass

    St Mary's Chapel First Mass

    Fr Therry celebrates the first mass in St Mary's chapel.
  • First Vicar General

    First Vicar General

    Fr William Ullathorne arrives in Sydney as the colony's first Vicar General.
  • First Vicar Apostolic

    First Vicar Apostolic

    Benedictine priest, John Polding is consecrated and appointed Vicar Apostolic with jurisdiction over the Commonwealth of Australia.
  • Sydney Arch Bishop

    Sydney Arch Bishop

    John Polding becomes Arch Bishop of Sydney and Metropolitan of Australia.

  • First Catholic Mission

    Polding launches the first Catholic Mission to Aborigines on Stadbroke Island, Queensland.
  • Adelaide Bishop

    Adelaide Bishop

    Archbishop Polding consecrates Fr Francis Murphy as Bishop of Adelaide in the first episcopal conscration to take place in Australia.
  • Mary Mackillop and Fr Julian Tenison Woods Start the Sisters of St Joseph

    Mary Mackillop and Fr Julian Tenison Woods Start the Sisters of St Joseph

    The Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart are a religious order of women, originally founded in South Australia in 1866, by Sister Mary MacKillop. They ran a number of children's homes in New South Wales as well as Catholic schools, throughout New South Wales.
  • Mary Mackillop Excommunicated

    Mary Mackillop Excommunicated

    Mackillop discovered children were being abused by a priest and went public. She was then excommunicated by the church for alleged insubordination.

  • First St Vincent de Paul Society

    First St Vincent de Paul society established in Sydney.
  • Death Of Mary Mackillop

    Death Of Mary Mackillop

    At the age of 60, Mary MacKillop suffered a stroke and became paralysed on her right-hand side. She was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Mary MacKillop died age 67, on August 8th, 1909. She is buried in Gore Hill Cemetery.
  • Mary Mackillop Beatified

    Mary Mackillop Beatified

    Mary was beatified on 19 January 1995 at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, in a Mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II.