The Church in Australia: Key Elements for use at levels 4-6 with the New Religion Curriculum
YEAR 4: c 1788 CE -1850 CE:
First Contacts
Timeline (Eras)
1788-1850
SIGNIFICANT INDIVIDUALS AND
GROUPS
(i) The Era of the
Laity
 Catholic Church “officially” began in Australia
on 26th Jan 1788 when the first Catholics arrived
as convicts on the first fleet.
 These first Catholics- English, Scottish and Irish
convicts were here by force and did not want to
be here. Some practised their faith, some did
not.
 Catholicism existed as a religion of men and
women “degraded, deserted and physically
imprisoned”.
 The Catholicism that had come with the Irish to
Australia was a Catholicism of poverty and
peasantry, violent, crude and ignorant with a
priesthood largely sharing its passions and
prejudices. The mass of Catholics in Australia
were nominal, though may sought to return to
the faith at their deathbeds.
 1796: 800 Catholics in NSW. 25% of all convicts
were Irish.
 Regular shipping captains noted the only sign of
religion in NSW were the Irish praying.
 First priests- Frs Dixon and Harold, were
transported after the Irish Rebellion of 1798.
They both arrived in January 1800.
SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS AND
EVENTS
IMPACTS ON SOCIETY AND
IDENTITY AS AUSTRALIANS
 The Portuguese had maps of the East Coast of
Australia from the Mendoza expedition of 1522. Fr.
Matteo Ricci (1552 - 1610) while working in the
court of the Chinese Emperor in 1602, drew up a
map of the world. This included a map of Australia
that can be identified as the northern section of
this continent coming down the east coast as far as
the town of St. Lawrence and the Sarina Range in
Queensland. A copy of this map was sent to the
Pope and is still in the Vatican archives.
 Fernandez de Quiros, a Spanish Catholic, named
our country "Australia del Espiritu Santo" (The
Southern Land of the Holy Spirit) in 1606. He had
actually discovered the New Hebrides.
 Fr. Victorio Riccio, a Dominican priest from Manila
in the Philippines, on 4th June 1676 wrote to the
Cardinals at Propaganda Fide (now called the
Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples) in
Rome. He suggested that the newly discovered
"Southern Land" be made a Prefecture Apostolic to
take in Australia, New Guinea and Antarctica, so
that the peoples could be converted. The Cardinals
discussed his request and approved it on 15th July
1681, but Fr. Riccio was dead.
 As a Penal colony, any mission
to NSW had to have the
permission of British authorities
and the governor.
 1792 five lay Catholics petition
Governor Phillip to appoint a
Catholic priest
 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.
 Convicted priest Fr Dixon’s first
Mass in 1803 was celebrated
under strict regulations drafted
by Governor King and with
police surveillance. Permission
was withdrawn the following
year for fear it was encouraging
 Harold was transferred to Norfolk island where
he taught school and ministered privately. and
 Fr Dixon celebrated the first known public
Mass in 1803 in Sydney. After permission to
publicly minister to Catholics was withdrawn in
1799, he and Fr Harold continued to minister
privately to Catholics. There was not another
public mass in NSW for another 16 years.
 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.
 Catholic layman Michael Hayes continually
harangued his brother Richard, a Franciscan in
Rome, about the religious destitution of
Australian Catholics.
 Some early Catholic free settlers included:
James Meehan, Michael Hayes; the Davis
family; Roger Therry.
 1806 Formal Catholic Education begins
 1817 Fr Jeremiah O’Flynn arrives- appointed by
Rome, but without English permission. He
began ministry to Catholics and celebrating
Mass and the sacraments for 6 months until
expelled in 1818.
 O’Flynn left the Blessed Sacrament at the
home of a Sydney stonemason James
Dempsey, who held Sunday services until
1820.
 1820 Formal petition for appointment of
Catholic clergy
 In 1820 the first official Catholic chaplains
arrived: Frs Philip Connolly and John Joseph
Therry.
 Fr Connolly left for Tasmania in 1821.
 First Mass in Tasmania in a store owned by a
catholic
 First Catholic church in Australia was opened
 As an English settlement, the old, bitter religious
and political animosity between Catholic and
Protestant Christians transferred from Europe to
Australia.
 Chaplain to the fleet was an Anglican priest- Rev
Richard Johnston.
 Fr Thomas Walsh asked to come as chaplain to the
estimated 300 Catholic convicts and marines, but
his application to Lord Sydney, Secretary of State
in London, went unanswered.
 25th Jan 1788, Abbe Monges, chaplain to the La
Peruse expedition, celebrates Mass in Sydney- for
the French expedition.
 Feb 17th 1788: Death of chaplain and botanist with
La Peruse expedition. Pere Le Receveur, OFM was
the second white man buried in Australia.
 All convicts required to attend Sunday services.
 1792 Fr Ambrose Pierson OSB and Fr Louis
Ventenat, French priest-explorers, land in Van
Diemen’s Land to explore the Huon River and
discover the Derwent River.
 1793 A Spanish priest arrives as chaplain to an
expedition to Sydney. Notes there is no place of
worship in Sydney.
 Catholics who refused to attend the Anglican
services were flogged.
 Irish (Catholic) convicts were both political and
social prisoners and so hatred and suspicion
between the Catholic convicts and their Anglican
gaolers laid a foundation of Catholic/Protestant
sectarianism which remained strong until the
1960’s and still exists in some form today.
 There were two essential elements of civilisation in
the colony: Protestant religion and British political
and social institutions. The Irish were considered
barbarians.
 By the year 1803, a total of 2086 Irish convicts,
nearly all of whom were Catholic, had been
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sedition, including the Castle
Hill rebellion in 1804 led by an
Irishman William Johnston.
1806 Governor Bligh allows
Catholic schools to open.
In Britain, Lord Bathurst,
Secretary of State for Colonies,
was willing to accept a wellrecommended Catholic
clergyman for the colonies, but
O’Flynn did not appear to meet
his requirements.
Governor Macquarie challenged
and then arrested and expelled
the “illegal” and impractical Fr
O’Flynn from the colony in
1818.
Macquarie was no lover of
Catholics, especially of priests,
but he suspected any religious
who might act to disturb the
peace and harmony of the
colonies.
Macquarie’s actions added to
growing severe criticism of the
authoritarian regime of NSW
government. In England, a more
tolerant spirit had grown and it
was considered that to give
Australia catholic priests would
quieten the catholic population.
The new Chaplains began a
careful pursuit of the goodwill,
or at least acceptance, of a nonCatholic society.
The governor prohibited any
attempts at making converts
and access to orphans- who
in Harrington St Hobart in 1821-2 by Fr
Connolly.
 By 1828 there were 8000 Catholics in the
colony: 3000 convicts, 5000 free settlers, all but
500 of whom were emancipated convicts. A
number of these were relatively prosperous.
 Between 1820 and 1830 Fr Therry dominated
the small world of Australian Catholicism
 Therry would travel 250 km every Sunday to
conduct Masses in Sydney, Liverpool and
Parramatta.
 1825 Therry dismissed as chaplain and his salary
stopped.
 Fr Daniel Power replaces Fr Therry as chaplain.
Rivalry between the two resulted in division in
the Sydney congregation.
 Fr Christopher Dowling replaces Fr Power on his
death in 1830. Bitter rivalry between him and
Therry, especially over the St Mary’s project.
 The 1829 Emancipation Act resulted in the arrival
in the colonies of prominent Catholic laymen,
including Roger Therry and John Plunkett as
prominent legal officials.
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transported to Botany Bay. Estimates are that
about four-fifths of these were ordinary criminals
and most of the remainder 'social rebels', those
convicted of crimes of violence against property
and landlords. Only a very small number could be
regarded as genuine political rebels: about 600 in
the entire history of transportation, and hardly any
after 1803.
Rev Samuel Marsden, Anglican Chaplain, in 1806-7
identified Catholicism with rebellion. His solution
was to repress Catholicism and it would die out in
NSW.
Protestant ministers were appointed as
magistrates and were invariably anti-Catholic,
dispensing punishment in accordance with English
law. This led to the intertwining of Irish
nationalism and faith and itself helped keep
Catholicism alive, though bitter and hateful of the
Protestant establishment.
1815-1831: Anglican domination of schooling
1820 First Jewish worship service
1820 First celebration of Russian Orthodox Easter
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.
The new Chaplains began a careful pursuit of the
goodwill, or at least acceptance, of a non-Catholic
society.
Some Protestants supported the appeal to build
the first Catholic chapel and a protestant, JT
Campbell, was treasurer of the fund for many
years.
From 1825 onwards, it seemed to Catholics that
Anglicanism was to secure a privileged and
oppressive place in the colony.
Anglican church officially funded by colonial land
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were strictly an Anglican
preserve.
Macquarie saw the laying of the
foundation stone of St Mary’s
chapel as a means of
strengthening the loyalty of
Catholics to the British crown.
1825 Governor Darling arrives,
declaring he had no desire to
see any more Catholic clergy in
NSW.
After his dismissal as chaplain,
Fr Therry was prevented from
attendance to convicts or
soldiers who sought his
ministry. The medical
Superintendent of Sydney
hospital would not allow him
access to dying Catholics.
1829 Emancipation Act in
Britain emancipated Catholics,
allowing them to hold
government appointments.
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1830’s
(ii) 1833:
The Era of the Clergy
begins
 Fr John McEnroe was appointed as a second
chaplain in 1832 and arrived with Plunkett.
 Fr William Ullathorne, an English Benedictine
priest, was appointed Vicar-General in 1833.
 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.
 Churches still not built: masses held in
magistrates courts.
 In 1835 an English Benedictine, John Bede
Polding, was appointed first Catholic bishop of
8 priests and 20,000 Catholics of NSW.
 1836: first ordination in Australia- a Benedictine
 1838 Caroline Chisholm arrives in Australia and
champions the cause of women and emigrants.
 1838 The first religious arrive in Australia- 6
Sisters of Charity. Adult social work was their
focus, especially among poor women.
 The religious profession of Sister Xavier
Williams, on 9 April 1839 at Parramatta was a
“first” and made a great sensation among
Catholics and others. Other young women
asked to join the Sisters. The distinctive dress of
the Sisters made them conspicuous and drew
on them at times the hostility or bigotry. The
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grants. Archdeacon Scott arrives to secure the
official establishment of the Anglican religion.
Archdeacon Scott led the pressure to dismiss Fr
Therry as chaplain in 1825.
Until 1829, some Catholic free settlers unwilling to
publicly worship because of a fear of
discrimination and social rejection
St Mary’s “chapel” foundation stone laid in 1821.
1826 First catholic school in Tasmania
Fr Ullathorne attempted to remove the factions
around Frs Therry and other priests in order to
build better relationships in the colony.
All clergy given a wage; small grants to churches
Bishop Polding’s attitude was to try to break
down the Irish connection with Australian
Catholics, emphasising that Catholics were
Australians, regardless of origin.
Archbishop Polding was especially concerned for
the plight of Indigenous Australians and how their
culture was being destroyed by white settlers.
1838 Myall Creek massacre of Aborigines.
Prominent Catholics strive for justice for
massacred Aboriginal people.
 The arrival of Governor Bourke
in 1831 represented a
significant change in the
attitude of authority towards
Catholics.
 His administration sought a
Catholic ecclesiastical authority
with whom it could deal.
 1836 Governor Bourke
proclaims the Church Act, giving
equality to all religious
denominations.
good they did brought them support.
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 1839: 21, 898 Catholics in Australia out of a
population of 101,904. One bishop, 24 priests,
28 teachers, 11 Catholic schools.
1840’s
 1840 Fr Geohagan became the first priest in
Melbourne.
 1841 Prominent lay people seek appointment
of a Catholic priest to WA
 1841 First priest in SA works as a carpenter to
make a living.
 In 1842 there were 24 catholic priests in NSW.
 Feb 28th 1842 Fr Geoghegan baptises Maria
Ellen (later St Mary of the Cross) MacKillop in
Melbourne.
 Religious Orders of priests began to arrive:
Passionists and Christian Brothers (1843);
Augustinians (1838); Jesuits (1848).
 1842 Polding becomes Archbishop
 1842 – establishment of Catholic Diocese of
Hobart Town and Diocese of Adelaide
 1843-47 Christian Brothers arrive, but leave
again after a dispute with the Archbishop who
tries to “Benedictinise” them.
 1848 Benedictine nuns arrive.
 1851 18,000 Catholics in Victoria.
 1845 – establishment of Diocese of Perth with
a focus on evangelising the Aboriginal people
and establishment of missions
 1846 8 Sisters of Mercy arrive in Freemantle,
led by Sr Ursula Frayne.
 1846 – first priests sent to ‘Northern Territory’
; establishment of mission for Aboriginal
people (Port Essington)
 1847 – establishment of mission for Aboriginal
people at New Norcia
 1847 – establishment of Dioceses of
 1843 A group of fanatical Wesleyans interrupt
Mass in Geelong, Vic.
 A movement began in NSW to make education
“Free, Secular and Compulsory”, which was to
challenge the Church’s attitude towards education
and the schools it was setting up.
 Attitudes towards the arrival of Religious in
Australia reflected a change in Catholic/Protestant
relations, with many Protestants welcoming and
even providing for them as they arrived in towns
to set up schools and teach cultural pursuits such
as the piano.
 Missions to Indigenous communities began with
the Passionists on Stradbroke Island.(1843)
 1845 – Parliamentary Committee on Aborigines
attended by Bishop Polding; Polding condemned
the ill-treatment of Aboriginal people
Melbourne, Maitland and Essington.
 1848 - establishment of Diocese of Victoria
(Northern Territory)
 1848 only 306 Catholics in the impoverished
Diocese of Perth.
Skills
Sequence some key people and events (secular and religious) of early colonial Australia (c.1788 CE – c.1850 CE) and recognise their significance in bringing about
change.
Develop historical narratives about some key events and people’s experiences in the early Church in Australia (c.1788 CE –c.1850 CE) using appropriate historical
terms.
Identify different points of view towards Aboriginal people in early colonial Australia (e.g. squatters, missionaries, free settlers, convicts, clergy).
Summary:
First Catholics were lay and mainly Irish convicts
Events and developments centred around Catholics being different from the rest of society,
First Priests came without permission
even free settlers. Most Catholic/official interactions were marked by:
Few people were able to access Catholic rituals and
Suspicion/Fear; Bigotry and hatred; Sectarianism; Competition
sacraments
From official points of view, decisions by colonial governors up to 1830 were marked by
The vast majority were catholic by name, not
Suspicion and bigotry; Fear of rebellion and qualified support at best for Catholic clergy.
practice
Irish Catholics were judged as to whether they fitted “civilised” British society
The first official clergy were few and vastly
overworked.
Some clashed and subverted each other
The Irish clergy were not always co-operative with
the English Benedictine Archbishop
The formal structures of the Church began in the
1830’s with the arrival of priests, brothers and
nuns.
Toleration grew with changes in Britain- e.g Catholic Emancipation Act
Catholic clergy were supported by the state
The presence of religious was seen as a civilising influence
Education was critical for Catholics, but it also brought tension with state education
The Church officially sought protection of the rights of Aboriginal people, but this was largely
ignored by the people
Catholics were gradually being accepted into all tiers of society.
Year 5: c 1850CE -1900 CE:
Year Level Focus: Christianity in the Australian Colonies
1850’s
(i) Polding’s
“Benedictine
Dream” and his
Irish Nightmares
(ii) An increasingly
“Australian”
church by the end
of the century
 The period 1850- 1900 was a time of
significant growth and consolidation for the
institutional Catholic Church and a period
where the Catholic laity faced the dual and
sometimes conflicting challenges of being
loyal members of a more structured,
hierarchical Church and being accepted as
“ordinary” members of Australian society.
 Archbishop Polding continued his quest to
model the Church in the Australian colonies
on Benedictine values and principles. In
1849, Dr Joseph Serra, a Spanish
Benedictine, was consecrated Bishop of Port
Victoria (Darwin) and Vicar Apostolic of the
Northern Territory, but a month later was
appointed coadjutor to Bishop Brady in
Perth. Dr Salvado, another Benedictine, was
ordained bishop of Port Victoria.
 1850: Foundation stone laid for St Patrick’s
church (later cathedral) Melbourne.
 1850 Government grants for a catholic
“temperance hall” in Hobart.
 1850 Polding embarks on wide ranging tours
of NSW; Goold sets out on a missionary
journey up the Murray.
 1851 Fr McEnroe petitions Rome to
“Hibernicise” the church in Australia, due to
the conflict between Irish clergy and
Benedictine bishops.
 1853: Bishop Willson was one of the Victorian
 The Anglican prelate of Melbourne responded to
the establishment of the Catholic diocese of Port
Phillip in 1849 by attacking the Catholic church
as “apostate and idolatrous”.
 1851 Schism in Perth diocese between Bishop
Brady and Bishop Serra.
 1853 Bishop Salvado arrives in Perth with
Spanish missionary artisans. 26 artisans at
Aboriginal missions at New Norcia and 15 at
Subiaco.
 1853 Lyndhurst, Australia’s first Catholic
secondary college, opens in Sydney with 35
students. Dr Polding, was keen to organise his
Catholic community along Benedictine lines. To
cater for the education of Catholic boys he
established Lyndhurst College in Glebe, a suburb
west of Sydney. From the outset there were
difficulties about obtaining suitable staff from
the English Province of the Order, and there was
the constant worry of finance.
 1857 St John’s College, University of Sydney,
established.
 1857 Polding, Goold and Willson issue a Pastoral
Letter warning Catholic laymen acting as judges
of the Bishops of the Church.
 1857 “Children of Mary” first reception in
Melbourne.
 1857 St Vincent’s Hospital opens in Sydney.
 1857 new parish of New England extends from
Armidale to Qld border and Pacific Ocean.
 1854: Army storms Eureka Stockade.
May Catholics involved. Peter Lalor
hidden by priest and friends. Elected
to Victorian Legislative Assembly in
1855.
 1854 Governor of Victoria urges
Bishop Goold to go to goldfields to
help heal divisions.
 1862 Bishop Willson praised in
Melbourne Press for his advocacy for
the insane in asylums in Victoria
 1860 Bishop Goold issues a Pastoral
Letter against anti-Catholic and
Godless education.
 1863 Abolition of state aid to NSW
clergy.
 1866 Bishop Quinn censured by
Legislative Council of Qld for his
“catastrophic” debts.
 1868 Polding attends a Public
education meeting at Cooma, NSW to
criticise recently passed Public Schools
Act as unfair to Catholics.
 1868 Irish madman O’Farrell shoots at
Duke of Edinburgh. Premier Parkes
claims a Fenian plot. Some catholic
bishops condemn Fenians and assure
loyalty to British Crown.
 1876 Archbishop Vaughan gives a
lecture on the evils of Freemasonry
age’s most colourful and socially progressive
clerics. He was one of the main campaigners
for better conditions for convicts transported
to Australia and it was partly because of his
efforts that transportation to Tasmania was
discontinued in 1853. Ill-treatment in penal
colonies produced significant numbers of
psychologically damaged people and Bishop
Willson became one of the world’s leading
mental health reformers — pioneering a
more humane approach to mental patients.
 1854 ordination of first Australian born
priest Fr John Fitzgerald, in Rome.
 Caroline Chisholm back in Australia to found
Family Colonisation Society and helps settle
11,000 women migrants in Australia.
 1856 Bishop Serra OSB claims Sisters of
Mercy in Perth are stirring discontent
against him among Irish Catholics. Sisters
leave Perth for Melbourne in 1857.
 1857 Sisters of the Good Samaritan founded
to respond to social needs of colonial
Australia.
 “Friendly Brothers” (forerunner of SVDP)
helped run orphanage opened in
Melbourne in 1857.
 1857 Fr McGinty of Ipswich travels to
Grafton, ministering to isolated families on
the way.
 1859 James Quinn consecrated first Bishop
of Brisbane in Dublin. Arrives in Brisbane
1860 with five priests, one brother and
seven Sisters of Mercy including Mother
Vincent Whitty.
with anti-Catholic repercussions.
 1858 Polding visits Moreton Bay district in Qld.
People of all denominations attend his
 1878 Opening of Xavier College, Kew
confirmations at St Stephens.
by Jesuits interpreted as an aspect of
the “war” between Catholics and the
 Polding lays foundation of new church in Ipswich.
secular government education
 1859 Catholic William Archer appointed Registrar
system.
General of Victoria.
 1888 Lord Carrington, Governor of
NSW presides at a meeting of 12
bishops and 7 colonial governors to
celebrate centenary of Australia and
promote the completion of St Mary’s
cathedral.
 1898 Cardinal Moran addresses the
Bathurst Convention on Federation.
Alleges anti-Catholic bias in Australia.
1860’s
 1864 Fr Therry, pioneering priest, dies.
 Fr Joseph Ah Lee, only Chinese priest in
Australia in 19th Century, arrives in
Melbourne.
 1866: First presentation Sisters (9) arrive in
Hobart.
 1867: Mother Mary of the Cross and Fr
Julian Tenison Woods found Sisters of St
Joseph of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in
Adelaide.
 Sir John O’Shanassy three times Premier of
Victoria receives Papal knighthood in 1867.
 1868 Four Christian Brothers, led by Br
Ambrose Treacy, arrive in Melbourne.
 1863 Polding attempts to meet and minister to
Ben Hall and other bushrangers.
 1863 All Hallows school Brisbane opened. St
Stephen’s Cathedral foundation stone laid,
Brisbane.
 1865: 6 catholic churches in Qld. 1000 children
being taught by religious sisters and laity at
Brisbane and Ipswich.
 1865: St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney, destroyed by
fire.
 1867: Catholic and Presbyterian leaders hold an
ecumenical discussion in Melbourne to secure
separate Catholic schools for Victoria.
 1867 Formation of Catholic Association of NSW
to protect Catholic Education.
 1869 Provincial Council of Australian Church
deplores the evils of “mixed schools”.
 8 bishops sign Joint Pastoral Letter reflecting
Polding’s concern for the education of Australian
Aborigines and their rights to tribal lands.
 1869 Australian bishops attend opening of First
Vatican Council in Rome.
1870’s
 1871 Three prominent Melbourne laymen
receive Papal Knighthoods.
 1874 Fr Julian Tenison Woods founds Sisters
of Perpetual Adoration in Brisbane
 1875 : Loreto Sisters arrive in Ballarat,
Melbourne and Brisbane
 1877 Death of Archbishop Polding in
Sydney. 100,000 attend funeral.
 1870: Brisbane diocese reports 30,000 Catholics,
served by 40 priests and 30 nuns.
 1875 Christian Brothers come to Brisbane.
 1873 Sisters of Mercy build convents in
Rockhampton and Toowoomba.
 1878: Sisters of Mercy arrive in Townsville.
1880’s
 1881: Bishop James Quinn of Brisbane dies.
 1882 Rockhampton Diocese established in Qld.
1890’s
 1882 Ursuline Sisters and Sacre Coeur
Religious arrive in Australia
 1884 Patrician Brothers, Little Sisters of the
Poor; Poor Clares and Vincentian Fathers
arrive in Australia.
 1885 Missionaries of the Sacred Heart and
Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart
arrive in Australia.
 1885 Archbishop Moran created first
Australian cardinal in Rome
 1885 Carmelite Nuns, Little Company of
Mary sisters arrive in Australia.
 1889 St Patrick’s Seminary opened.
 1886: Brigidine Sisters arrive in Australia
 1889 Golden Jubilee of profession of
Mother Xavier Williams, (Sister of Charity)
first religious sister professed in Australia.
Dies in 1892.
 Christian brothers open St Joseph’s Gregory
Terrace (1880) Maryborough (1888), Nudgee
(1890), Ipswich (1892), Brisbane (1893),
Townsville (1895).
 1889: Missionaries of the Sacred Heart found
Annals magazine to publicise mission work.
 1892 Mother Vincent Whitty, who brought
Sisters of Mercy to Qld, dies.
 1897 First Australian born bishop: Patrick
Vincent Dwyer consecrated.
 1893: Aboriginal Mission at New Norcia faces
collapse.
Skills
Sequence some key people and events (religious and secular) in the Australian colonies (c.1850 CE – c.1900 CE) and recognise their significance in bringing about
change.
Develop historical narratives and descriptions about some key events and people’s experiences in the Church in the Australian colonies (c.1850 CE – c.1900 CE) using
source materials and appropriate historical terms and concepts.
Locate information about the contribution or significance of Catholics (laity, clergy, religious) to the shaping of particular communities, including Indigenous
communities (c.1850 CE – c.1900 CE).
Summary
 Tension between Irish clergy and
 Catholic life centres around establishment of
 Catholics find a “normal” place in
Polding’s Benedictine clergy
parishes, schools, institutions
society. Positions in business,
government, education, health.
 First cardinal (Moran)
 Access to Catholic life still very difficult for
 Key Religious emerge: Mary MacKillop;
people outside metropolitan areas.
 In some ways, sectarianism abates,
Ellen Whitty;
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Key Lay Catholics: Caroline Chisholm
Rapid growth in numbers of religious
running schools, institutions, missions
Few priests facing huge pastoral
challenges- distance, lack of education,
access to sacraments
By century’s end, a growing Australian
religious and clergy seek distinction
from an Irish Church.
but at other times, it is re-ignited.
 Bishops decrees make life harder for Catholics
to integrate into “ordinary” Australian societyon schooling, mixed marriages
 Some statements by bishops revive old
sectarian wounds
 Bishops’ hard line on separate
Catholic Education a major cause of
sectarian sentiment.
 Freemasonry a point of sectarian
tension.
Yr 6: c 1900 CE –Present
Year Level focus: The Catholic Church in a developing Australian nation
1900-1920
(i) Federation and
an Australian
Church
 1905: James Duhig Bishop of Rockhampton
 1906: De La Salle brothers arrive in Australia
 1907: Archbishop Daniel Murphy dies. Youngest
bishop in world when ordained a bishop in 1846;
oldest bishop in world when died.
 1908: Newman Society for tertiary Students begins in
Melbourne.
 1909 Mother Mary of the Cross dies in Sydney.
 1909: Sacred Heart Teachers College, Ballarat.
 1911: Death of Cardinal Moran. Dedicated more than
500 churches and 7 cathedrals. 200,000 walk in
funeral procession.
 1912 James Duhig appointed coadjutor bishop of
Brisbane
 1912: Dr Daniel Mannix consecrated coadjutor bishop
of Melbourne
 1913 Fr Edward McGrath founds Our Lady’s Nurses
for the Poor to care for the sick in their own homes.
 1914: Manly Union is founded at silver anniversary of
St Patrick’s College manly to promote the growth of
an Australian Priesthood and episcopate.
 1914: Catholic Women’s League starts in Adelaide.
Led by Lady Galway, wife of governor and Betty
Leaworthy, a notable convert to Catholicism.
 1914: First Apostolic Delegate appointed to Australia
 1916 Catholic Women’s Guild established in
Melbourne. For professional women calling for
change. 4,500 members by 1920.
 1917: Archbishop Dunne of Brisbane dies.
 1917 Anglican archbishop takes part in funeral
procession of Archbishop Carr of Melbourne.
 1901: Pallotine Fathers establish a mission
to Australian aborigines in Kimberly region
of WA
 1902: First Corpus Christi procession,
Manly College
 1904: Catholic Truth Society founded to
inform people about Catholicism.
 1906: Fr Francis Xavier Gsell MSC begins
work in Darwin, especially among
Aboriginal communities. Becomes famous
as the Bishop with “150 wives” where he
rescues hundreds of little girls from forced
marriages to old men.
 1906 MSC’s establish an Aboriginal
Mission in Darwin
 1907: Benedictines establish Aboriginal
Mission in Kimberleys, WA.
 1908 Christian Brothers open a novitiate in
Strathfield, NSW
 1909: Sisters of mercy Novitiate, Bathurst
NSW.
 1914: first of nearly 50 St Patrick’s day
processions in Melbourne patronised by Dr
Mannix.
 1917 Mannix advocates the cause of an
independent, free Ireland to a crowd of
100,000
 1918 Mannix censured by Rome for the
dangerous friction cause by his speeches.
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 1911: Catholic Federation begins
in Melbourne to help the cause
for justice for catholic parents
with children in Catholic schools.
Much political involvement by
priests and laity.
 1914 Archbishop Mannix
preaches on Christian unity as a
return of all Christians to Rome.
 1916: First major press attack on
Archbishop Mannix for his anticonscription stance.
 1917 Angry crowd at St Patrick’s
day function in Sydney shouts
down Archbishop Kelly’s pro-war
views.
 1917 Mannix draws accusations
of disloyalty to Australia when
Sinn Fein banners are used in St
Patrick’s day procession.
1920’s
1930’s
 1917 Robert Menzies describes Dr Mannix as a “great
national menace”.
 1918 Jesuits open Newman College, Melbourne as a
focus for intellectual and social apostolate for catholic
graduates.
 1918 Theresian club, made up of working girls,
formed to strengthen the faith of children of lapsed
Catholic families.
 1919 Knights of the Southern Cross founded by
Patrick Minahan, member of Parliament, to counter
Masonic influence and anti- catholic bias in the
workplace.
 1920 Catholic women in the National Guild of
Women pressured by Church authorities to resign
from it.
 1921 Holy Name Society founded by Dominicans in
Adelaide. Encouraged men to publicly witness to the
faith and receive communion monthly.
 1928 Dr Leslie rumble, MSC begins radio talks about
the Eucharist on commercial radio.
 1929: James Scullin becomes first Catholic Prime
Minister of Australia. Many Catholics in the ALP.
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1930 Grey Sisters begin work in Melbourne. New
initiatives in apostolate and lifestyle of Religious
Sisters.
1931 Campion Society founded in Melbourne as
basis for Catholic Action. Appealed to the zeal of
young professional men, including Bob Santamaria.
1931: Archbishop Kelly founds Sydney congregation
of Sisters of the Blessed virgin Mary for domestic
care of seminaries and work among Australian
Aborigines.
 1924 Catholic Library established in
Melbourne. Becomes centre of intellectual
life for Catholics in Victoria.
 Catholic Evidence Guild founded by Frank
Sheed in Sydney for lay speakers to speak
on street corners, the Domain and
Newtown Bridge.
 1926 Sancta Sophia college for women
opened at University of Sydney.
 1928 Eucharistic Congress, Randwick
Racecourse, Sydney, attended by 150,000.
Half a million line streets for Blessed
Sacrament from Manly.
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1931: Fr J Meany establishes first
Catholic radio station, 2SM in Sydney.
SM was named after his church, St
Mark’s.
1931: Catholic Missions begins
publication in Australia.
1933: Handbook of Catholic Action
published by MSC’s.
1936: First issue of Catholic Worker in
Melbourne to promote Catholic Social
 1920 14 VC winners lead St
Patrick’s day procession in
Melbourne to disprove charges of
disloyalty.
 1920 PM Hughes describes
Mannix as an “enemy alien”.
 Mannix “arrested” at sea and
refused entry to Ireland by British.
 1923: Mannix salutes Australian
flag in a park in Launceston.
Described by Hobart press as
“beyond redemption”.
 1927 Apostolic delegate represent
church at Opening of Canberra by
the Duke of York
 1937: Anglican Bishops of
Australia claim the Catholic school
system is “ a grievous offence
against the unity of the state”.
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1931: Fr Ernest Worms begins work among
aborigines in Broome, WA.
1931: Amy Richardson, Catholic nurse, recruits other
nurses to start a medical mission in the Solomon
Islands.
Fr Leslie rumble, MSC starts “radio replies” on 2SM
and syndicated to Catholic newspapers.
1936: Apostolate for lay women “The Grail”
established in Australia
1937: First Australian-born Archbishop of Sydney:
Norman Gilroy.
1938 Holy Name society reports it has 52,000
members in 400 parishes.
1939 Death of Joseph Lyons, Catholic Prime
Minister.
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Teaching.
1939: The Grail movement of catholic
women begins six month residential
courses for women.
1939 Catholic Rural Movement begins
“Rural Life” to bring Catholic Social
Principles to bear on decentralisation
and the move back to the land.
1939 Anti-war Peace meeting in
Adelaide.
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1940’s
 1942: “The Movement” established by 20 unionists in
Melbourne as a secret society to oppose Communism
in Unions.
 1943: Catholic Bushwalking club founded in Sydney.
 1945: Aquinas Academy established in Sydney for
Adult catholic education.
 1945/6: Archbishop Gilroy named a cardinal.
 1940: Australian Catholic bishops split over
their social justice statement prepared by
BA Santamaria.
 1940: German Pallotine priests in
Kimberleys jailed as “enemy aliens”.
Released after personal intervention of PM
Menzies.
 1941: Diocese of Cairns established.
 1944 Australian Catholic bishops appeal to
all belligerents in WWII to avoid damage to
Rome.
 1945: Bishops give 10,000 pounds a year
to BA Santamaria’s “Movement”.
1950’s
 1954 Only Australian order of Priests formed:
Confraternity of Christ the Priest in Ayr, Qld.
 1957:A model Christian rural community begins to
operate at San Isidore near Wagga NSW.
 1958 Pauline Association of Lay Missionaries (PALMS)
formed by Cardinal Gilroy to promote lay apostolate
through courses.
 1951 Pius XII relaxes the fast for Eucharist
from midnight. Evening Masses allowed.
 1952 Catholic Migration Commission
established to attract catholic migrants
and help them settle in. 45,000 assisted.
 1953 One Melbourne parish had 16
different national groups.
1952 Attempt by Tasmanian Labour
Govt to give state aid to non-state
schools thwarted by Upper House.
1953 Concern by some chaplains of
Catholic Action that it should be seen
to be separate from “the Movement”
and its political action.
 1958 First Byzantine Rite Ukrainian Exarch appointed.
 1959 Catholic Enquiry Centre set up in Sydney. Leads
to many conversions.
 1954 Moves in Melbourne to establish a
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
 1954 Mission to Aborigines set up by
Daughters of Charity in Moree NSW.
 1956: Mass celebrated for first time for
Catholic athletes at Melbourne Olympics.
 1958: Australian Columban fathers set up
a mission in slums of Peru.
1954 Leader of ALP Dr Evatt attacks
Catholic Social Studies Movement
and BA Santamaria. Leads to a split in
the ALP and division within Catholic
hierarchy.
1955 Sale of The Catholic Worker
forbidden at Melbourne’s Cathedral.
1955 Catholic Bishops’ Pastoral Letter
on The Menace of Communism
supports Industrial groups fighting
Communism. Catholics free to vote
according to conscience but could to
support parties which supported
Communism.
1955 Dr Mannix states that the
division in the Episcopacy over
Catholic Social Studies Movement
cannot be bridged.
1955 Opinion polls show 51% of
population in favour of state aid to
non-government schools.
 1956: Catholic bishops divided
over reformation of “The
Movement”.
 1957 Tasmanian grants to nonstate schools over-ridden by the
Upper House.
 1957 Rome decrees the political
decisions of the Movement must
be brought under the control of
the hierarchy. Claims this is
infringement of legitimate right of
laity to form political groups. The
Movement replaced by the
National Civic Council.
 1958 Mannix intervenes in
Federal election saying a vote for
Labour is a vote for Communists.
 1959 Archbishop Duhig becomes
first Australian Catholic prelate to
be knighted by British monarch.
1960’s
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1961 Catholic theologians publish world renowned
books on theology and philosophy
1963: Death of Archbishop Mannix aged 100.
1963 Robert Menzies promises Federal Govt aid for
non-state schools.
1965 Archbishop Duhig dies after 60 years a bishop.
Known as James the Builder.
1966: An Australian, Rosemary Goldie, appointed by
Paul VI to Roman Curia.
1967 Fr Brosnan celebrates mass for Ronald Ryan,
last man hanged in Australia.
1969: First Australian married priest of the Latin
Rite ordained in Hobart. Fr Peter Rushton, former
Anglican priest.
 1960 Living Parish Hymnbook first
published. 1 million copies sold in ten
years.
 Dialogue Masses( in Latin) instituted in
Tasmania.
 1962 Most of Australia’s bishops attend
the opening of Vatican II in Rome.
 1964 Australian Catholic Relief begins as a
lay led movement for aid to third world.
 1964 Evening Masses permitted and
fasting reduced from three hours to one
for reception of Holy Communion.
 1966: St Paul’s seminary for late vocations
opens in Sydney
 1966: Project Compassion launched as the
Lenten Appeal.
 1967 Pastoral Councils set up in Sydney
and Hobart to advise Archbishops of
pastoral matters. Laity involved.
 1967: First Tasmanian Liturgy Conference
draws cream of Australia’s scripture and
theology experts.
 1967: Australian Council of Churches sets
up a joint working group to explore
theological ways to overcome disunity.
 1967: 34 Australians attend the third
World Congress of the Lay Apostolate in
Rome.
 1967 Survey finds 66% of Catholics in
NSW, Vic and Tas attend Mass every week.
 1967: First “Ecumenical” church in
Australia at Snug, Tasmania. Owned by
Archdiocese of Hobart, but any
denomination allowed to use it.
 1960 Dr Rumble reaffirms the
right of Catholics to vote for
labour Party with a clear
conscience.
 1961 Archbishop Simmonds
claims Australian Catholics are
bitterly divided and the Church
split from top to bottom over
politics rather than doctrine.
 1962: Goulbourn school “strike”
begins. Turning point for State Aid
in Australia.
 1963 National press pays tributes
to Dr Mannix as a powerful and
patriarchal figure in Australian
Church and nation.
 1966 Gough Whitlam criticises his
party’s opposition to state aid for
non-government schools.
 1966 Cardinal Gilroy attends
enthronement of Anglican
Archbishop of Sydney.
 1967: State Aid Bill passes both
houses of Tasmanian Parliament.
 1967: ABC Four Corners program
on “the challenge to authority in
the Catholic Church in Australia”.
 1969: Australian bishops call on
Govt to allow civilian service as an
alternative to compulsory military
service
 1968 Permission for mass in the
vernacular.
 1968 Dec issue of the Annals has a special
issue on the changing church which stirs
controversy.
 1969: 43,000 catholic migrants come to
Australia in 1969 from Britain, Italy, Malta,
Spain and Slavic countries.
1970’s
 1970 Pope Paul Vi first papal visit to Australia
 1971 Archbishop Young preaches at St David’s
Anglican Cathedral (Hobart): an Australian first
 1971: Fr Hans Kung invited to Australia by Australian
Council of Churches.
 1975 Fr Patrick Dodson first Aboriginal priest.
 1978 Solo Parents Support group established
 Disciples of Jesus Covenant Community founded in
Sydney to evangelise Youth
 1970: Bishops call on Catholics to give 1%
of weekly income to Project Compassion.
 1970:University chaplains express concern
at erosion of faith of Catholics at
University
 1970 Loss of interest in Holy Name Society
 1970 Catholic priests in some cities join
Vietnam Moratorium and incur
disapproval of hierarchy.
 1970: Bishops devise new rules for mixed
marriages.
 1971: New “Come Alive” catechetical aids
published in Melbourne.
 1971: seminary training reforms accepted
by bishops
 1973 International Eucharistic Congress.
Ecumenical service attended by 100,000
people.
 1973: 3 million Catholics in Australia; 3000
churches, 2000 clergy, 1400 religious
priests, 2200 religious brothers and 13,000
religious sisters.
 1973: Maronite Diocese created in
Australia.
 1974: Catholic Charismatic Renewal
national conference in Melbourne. 2000
attend.
 1977 Catholics and Lutherans respect each
other’s baptisms.
1971: crisis in government funding in
Tasmania leads to confrontation
between church and government.
1973: High Court writ issued
challenging validity of state aid to
schools
 Ecumenical Action for World Development
formed from 213 parishes of nine
denominations in Brisbane.
 1977 Bishops publicly support Aust
Commission for Justice and Peace, under
attack from conservative elements.
1980’s
 1981: Presentations Sisters redefine their roles in
Church.
 1981: Shirley Smith: “MumShirl” publishes her
autobiography on her life as an aboriginal Christian
 Antioch movement for formation of young people
comes to Australia
 1983: Fr Raymond Brown, noted international biblical
scholar tours Australia. Some conservatives report
him to Rome.
 1983: Sr Veronica Brady a member of ABC Board.
 1984 Jean Vanier, founder of L’Arche, visits Australia
 Sr Mary Doyle first religious Sister appointed full time
pastoral care of a priest-less parish in Tasmania.
 1984 Columban priest Fr Brian Gore charged with
murder in Philippines. Aust Govt intervenes for his
release.
 1985 Dom Helda Camara visits Australia
 Sr Janet Mead of Adelaide gains worldwide attention
for her sung version of the Lord’s Prayer
 1986 Pope JPII arrives in Alice Springs to give a stirring
address to Aborigines.
 1987: Archbishop Tutu from South Africa visits
Australia to condemn apartheid as blasphemous,
totally unchristian, irreligious and a heresy.
 1987 Shroud of Turin tours Australia
 1988 Vatican allows Pieta to be displayed at World
Expo 88 in Brisbane
 1988 Death of Archbishop Sir Guilford Young of
Hobart. Visionary for reform and justice in the church.
 Archbishop Clancy fourth Australian Cardinal
 1980: Catholics participate fully in World
Council of Churches International
conference in Melbourne
 1980 Bishops strongly condemn abortion.
1 in 6 pregnancies ended in abortion.
 1980: Catholic Committee on Refugees
supports arrival of South East Asian
Refugees
 1981: One World Week with focus on
Development begins.
 1981: Social Justice Sunday observed by
Catholics, Anglicans and Uniting parishes
 1981: 332 refugee families from SE Asia
welcomed in Sydney.
 1981: Catholic mass attendance fallen
from 55% in 1966 to 37%
 1983 Shortage of priests becomes an issue
for the church.
 1983: Catholic Schools in Australia number
nearly 1800, education over 500,000
students.
 1983: catholic seminaries in Sydney join
other Christian churches to form Sydney
College of Divinity. Similar College of
Theology established in Brisbane.
 1985 Restoration of the RCIA program at
Easter sees 1500 become Catholics.
 1985 CCJP again under fire from
conservatives over its paper “Work for a
Just Peace”.
 1985 CCJP and ACC issue a paper on Peace
1987 Church ethicists and bishops
attack government legislation on
prostitution, abortion, AIDS and IVF.
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1990’s
 1990: Brisbane Scripture Fr Bill O’Shea reported to
Rome for some of his responses to questions by
Catholics over contraception.
 1991 Bishop Belo of Dili, East Timor visits Australia to
call on Australian Government to assist East Timor rid
itself of Indonesian occupation.
 1991 Fr Chris Riley seeks volunteers to assist Sydney’s
growing street kid problem
 1991 Fr Bob Maguire of Melbourne does similar work
for street kids and the homeless
 1991 Sr Irene McCormack RSJ murdered in Peru by
rebels.
 ABC broadcasts Brides of Christ purporting to be a
portrayal of Australian Catholic life in the 70’s.
 Death of Francis Rush, Archbishop of Brisbane
 1991; John Bathersby announced as Archbishop of
Brisbane.
 1992: Radio 2Sm is sold, ending the Church’s
involvement for 60 years.
 1992: Mother Mary MacKillop declared “Venerable”,
for the International Year of Peace.
ACTS announces its closure
1985 19% of Australian children in catholic
schools.
1986: CCJP abolished by bishops, to be
replaced by a new body
1987: Synod of Bishops to include laity for
first time
1987 AIDS crisis a crisis for church also
1988 Leaders of Australian Churches issue
a joint statement on Indigenous
Reconciliation
1988: Bishops inquiry into distribution of
wealth in Australia
1989 Catholic Coalition for Justice and
Peace criticises NSW Govt decision to
abolish Aboriginal Land Councils
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 1990: Vatican to send 20 observers to WCC
Assembly in Canberra
 1990 Priests assembly urges Vatican to
change rules on celibacy of priests and
priests who have married.
 1990 Melbourne catholic newspaper, The
Advocate, ceases publication
 1990 more Catholics in Aust than
Anglicans.
 1991 Formation of Australian Catholic
University
 1991: Notre Dame Australia, a Catholic
University, opened in Fremantle, WA.
 1991: Sydney archdiocese faces severe
shortage of priests. Lay people to be
trained for leadership.
 1991 Anglican bishop of Canberra
Goulburn calls for full membership of the
catholic Church in the WCC.
 1991: Bishops call for action on Timor after
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a stage in the process of canonisation.
1991 Opus Dei members go to Rome to celebrate the
beatification of their founder Josemaria Escriva.
1991: Jean Vanier (L’Arche) visits Australia again.
1991: James Foley becomes Bishop of Cairns
1991: Fr Laurence Freeman, Director of the
Worldwide Community for Christian Meditation, visits
Australia to lead sessions on Christian meditation.
1992: The Leaving of Liverpool TV drama series calls
attention to the abuse of child migrants
1992: High Court's Mabo decision on native title
influenced by Catholic natural law theory
1995: Mary McKillop declared Blessed
1995: Closure of St Patrick's Seminary, Manly.
1996: Bishops establish "Towards Healing" process to
deal with complaints of abuse of minors by clergy
1996: William Deane appointed Governor-General;
1996: George Pell succeeds Frank Little as Archbishop
of Melbourne.
1998: Catholic spokesmen agree to thawing and
destruction of thousands of frozen embryos left over
from IVF.
1999: Threat of Australian military action significant in
the formation of Asia's second Christian nation, East
Timor.
2000: Spires of St Mary's Cathedral completed, with
generous State government assistance.
2001: George Pell appointed Archbishop of Sydney.
2004: Mel Gibson's movie The Passion of the Christ
released.
2006: University of Notre Dame Sydney campus
established;
2006: Campion College liberal arts college in Western
Sydney takes in first students;
2007: Bishop Geoffrey Robinson's Confronting Power
and Sex in the Catholic Church published.
2008: World Youth Day held in Sydney, with visit of
Pope Benedict XVI.
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massacre.
1991: 155 Australian parishes take on
Passionist Family Group Movement for
supporting families in parishes.
1992: Interfaith Dialogue is to be
promoted by a new body: The Australian
Council of Christians and Jews.
1991: Bishop Jim Cuskelly, Brisbane,
elected first president of Queensland
Churches Together.
1991: Christians in every capital city march
to “Reclaim Easter”.
1991: Inclusive language to be used in
Liturgies in Adelaide Diocese
1991: Townsville Diocese faces its future of
a huge diocese with few priests with a
Pastoral and Planning Commission.
1991: Deaneries return to dioceses as a
way of structuring which responds to
Priest shortages.
1991: Bishops release a statement, in
collaboration with ATSI Catholic Council,
for the International Year of Indigenous
People.
1993 Archbishop Carroll of Canberra calls
on people to commit themselves to a “new
partnership” with Indigenous people of
Australia.
Bishops set up a refugee Office to address
Human Rights for Asylum seekers.
First Australian Edition of the new
catechism of the Catholic Church
published.
 2010: Mary Mackillop canonised, the first Australian
to be canonised.
Skills
Sequence some key people and events (religious and secular) that contributed to the development of Australia as a nation (c.1900 CE to present).
Locate information about the contribution or significance of Catholics to the shaping of the Church in Australia (c.1900 CE to present).
Develop historical narratives and descriptions about some key events and people’s experiences in the Church in Australia after Federation using source materials and
appropriate historical terms and concepts.
Identify and describe some examples of significant change and continuity in Australian Catholic identity and relationships with the wider society (c. 1900 CE to present).
Summary:
The Movement
Conscription
Key Figures:
Australian Catholic Truth Society
Communism
Archbishops Mannix and Duhig
Holy Name Society
Labour Party
Cardinal Gilroy
Knights of the Southern Cross
State Aid for Non-Government
Dr Leslie Rumble
Catholic Enquiry Centre
schools
FR Pat Dodson
Australian Bishops Committee for Justice
Abortion
Sr Veronica Brady
Peace and Reconciliation
Contraception
Sr Irene McCormack
Catholic Social Action
Pornography
Fr Brian Gore
Australian Catholic Universities
Reconciliation
Fr Bob McGuire
Ecumenism
AIDS
Fr Chris Riley
IVF
Archbishop Sir Guilford Young
Laity:
BA Santamaria
James Scullin
Joseph Lyons