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First Catholics arrive in Australia
Catholic Church “officially” began in Australia on 26th Jan 1788 when the first Catholics arrived as convicts on the First Fleet. -
Period: to
Early Australian Catholic Church
Timespan of the early Australian Catholic Church -
Catholics try to get a Catholic priest.
Five lay Catholics petition Governor Phillip to appoint a Catholic priest in 1792. The early governors refused requests for Catholic clergy to minister publicly to Catholic convicts and free settlers due to suspicion of and antagonism towards the Irish.
This included the refusal for three transported convict priests to perform public ministry to Catholics. All Catholic convicts were expected to attend the Anglican church services and if the refused, they were flogged. -
800 Catholics in Australia.
800 Catholics were living in NSW. 25% of all convicts were Irish.
Still no Catholic priests available. -
3 Catholic priests arrive.
First priests- Frs Dixon and Harold, were transported after the Irish Rebellion of 1798. They both arrived in January 1800.
Harold was transferred to Norfolk island where he taught school and ministered privately. -
Mass celebrated for the first time.
Fr Dixon was allowed to say Mass and he celebrated the first known public Mass in 1803 in Sydney. -
Permission to celebrate Mass removed.
Permission was withdrawn in 1804 to celebrate Mass for fear it was encouraging rebellion against the authorities, including the Castle Hill rebellion in 1804, north of Parramatta, Sydney. There was an attempt by 300 Irish convicts to seize power from the British colonial authority. Fr Harold continued to minister privately to Catholics, however. -
Governor Bligh allows Catholic schools.
Governor Bligh allows Catholic schools to open in 1806. -
Protestants versus Catholics.
Rev Samuel Marsden, Anglican Chaplain, in 1806-7 consider those who were Catholic to be rebellious against the authorities. His solution was to repress Catholicism and it would die out in NSW. Many Irish Catholics remained bitter against the Protestants as Protestant ministers were appointed as magistrates. They were anti-Catholic and dispensed punishment in accordance with English law. -
3 Catholic priests return to Ireland.
Between 1798 and 1808 three priests were transported to NSW: Frs Dixon, Harold and O’Neill. By 1808 all had returned to Ireland with pardons. -
Fr Jeremiah O'Flynn arrives.
Fr Jeremiah O’Flynn arrives in 1817, appointed by Rome, but without English permission. He began ministry to Catholics and celebrating Mass and the sacraments for 6 months. Governor Macquarie challenged and then arrested and expelled the “illegal” and impractical Fr O’Flynn from the colony in 1818. -
Arrival of Frs Connelly and Therry Catholic chaplains
In 1820 a formal petition for was given for appointment of Catholic clergy (priests.) In England, a more tolerant spirit towards Catholics had grown and it was considered that to give Australia catholic priests would quieten the catholic population and keep peace and harmony. In 1820 the first official Catholic chaplains arrived: Frs Philip Connolly and John Joseph Therry. The new Chaplains began a careful pursuit of the goodwill, or at least acceptance, of a non-Catholic society. -
Catholic children forced to follow Church of England ceremonies at school.
By 1820 Catholics were still reluctant to send their children to school because they were staffed by Protestants who forced catholic children to follow the ceremonies of the “Established church”- the Church of England. -
First Catholic chapel begins to be built in Australia
The foundation stone of the first St Mary's Chapel in Sydney is laid by Govenor Macquarie and blessed by Fr Therry. Fr Connolly left for Tasmania in 1821 and opens St Mary's church in Hobart in 1821-22 and says the first Mass there. -
Fr Therry is replaced by Fr Power.
Between 1820 and 1830 Fr Therry travelled 250 km every Sunday to conduct Masses across Sydney. In 1825 Governor Darling arrives declaring he had no desire to see any more Catholic clergy in NSW and the Anglican Archdeacon Scott led the pressure to dismiss Fr Therry. Fr Therry was prevented from attendance to convicts or soldiers who sought his ministry. Fr Daniel Power replaces Fr Therry as chaplain. Rivalry between the two resulted in division in the Sydney congregation. -
Emancipation act and Fr McEnroe appointed as second chaplain.
In 1829 the Emancipation Act in Britain emancipated (frees) Catholics, allowing them to hold government appointments in British parliament. This resulted in the arrival in the colonies of prominent Catholic laymen, including Roger Therry and John Plunkett as prominent legal officials. Fr John McEnroe was appointed as a second chaplain in 1832 and arrived with Plunkett. -
Fr Dowling replaces Fr Power.
Fr Christopher Dowling replaces Fr Power on his death in 1830. There was bitter rivalry between him and Therry, especially over the St Mary’s project. -
Fr Ullathorne appointed as Vicar-General.
Fr William Ullathorne, an English Benedictine priest, was appointed Vicar-General in 1833. He tried to build better relationships in the colony. Ullathorne became aware of the degenerate state of the church in Tasmania under a broken Fr Connolly, who was engaged in bitter disputes with a strong Catholic laity. Many Catholics had fallen away from the faith. Of the 16.000-18,000 Catholics in Sydney in 1832, less than a half ever saw a priest. -
Bishop Polding appointed as first Catholic bishop in Australia.
In 1835 an English Benedictine, John Bede Polding, was appointed first Catholic bishop of 8 priests and 20,000 Catholics of NSW. His attitude was to try to break down the Irish connection with Australian Catholics, emphasising that Catholics were Australians, regardless of origin. He was especially concerned for the Indigenous Australians and how their culture was being destroyed by white settlers. St Mary's chapel in Sydney is updated to a cathedral. -
Equality for all religions.
1836 Governor Bourke proclaims the Church Act, giving equality to all religious denominations. -
Caroline Chisholm arrives.
1838 Caroline Chisholm arrives in Australia and helps the cause of women and emigrants to Australia. -
Six Sisters of Charity arrive in Australia.
1838 The first religious arrive in Australia - 6 Sisters of Charity. Adult social work was their focus, especially among poor women. -
Catholic Church grows in Australia.
In 1839 there were 21 898 Catholics in Australia out of a population of 101 904. One bishop, 24 priests, 28 teachers, 11 Catholic schools. -
Australian Catholic Church spreads to more states.
During the 1840s, the Catholic Church continues to grow throughout Australia, including Victoria, SA, WA and the NT where missions for the aboriginal people were set up. Christian Brothers and other orders of Sisters arrive.