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History of the Roman Catholic Church in the Colony of New South Wales - 1800 to 1836
Establishment of the Hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church in NSW
Sir Richard Bourke succeeded Governor Darling in 1831. The
Catholic Relief Act 1829 had been passed in the Parliament of the United
Kingdom. In the Colony, new opportunities for Catholic progress were presenting
themselves.
The Legislative Council [NSW], on 6 February 1832, endorsed a
request for the appointment of two Roman Catholic Chaplains and funding for
Catholic schooling.
EXTRACT FROM THE VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL –
DATED ON 6/2/1832
‘Resolved: That His Excellency the governor be requested to present to the
right honourable the Secretary of State for the Colonies the propriety of
appointing two additional Roman Catholic Chaplains, and of allowing a further
sum for the promotion of education amongst the Roman Catholics of this Colony,
and the willingness of the Council to appropriate such sum for these purposes,
as shall be deemed proper by His Majesty’s Government’.
[Historical Records of Australia, Series 1, Volume 16, p 589 Enclosure No 3].
Reverend John McEncroe was appointed official Roman Catholic Chaplain in
February 1832.
• Appointment of Reverend John McEncroe as Roman Catholic Chaplain
EXTRACT FROM DESPATCH OF VISCOUNT GODERICH TO GOVERNOR BOURKE – DATED ON
21/2/1832
‘I have nominated the Rev. J. McEncroe to the vacancy in question. Rev
McEncroe has proceeded to the Colony in the Southworth Convict Ship, and as he
is not aware of my having selected him for this appointment, you will, on the
receipt of this despatch, apprize him of it, intimating to him at the same time
that I have felt great satisfaction in being enabled to comply with the strong
application which I had received in his favour from the Rev. Murray.
Rev. McEncroe will of course be placed in respect to
salary upon the same footing as Rev. Dowling, to whom you were directed to issue
£150 per annum’.
[Historical Records of Australia, Series 1, Volume 16, pp 524-525].
EXTRACT FROM SECOND DESPATCH OF VISCOUNT GODERICH TO GOVERNOR DARLING –
DATED ON 21/2/1832
‘The difficulty of finding a proper person to officiate there, who could
successfully contend against Rev. Therry, has hitherto prevented His Majesty’s
Government from carrying into effect the object adverted to in Sir George
Murray’s Despatch of 15 November 1830, but from the character which has been
given to me of Rev. McEncroe by the Rev. Dr. Murray, the Roman Catholic
Archbishop of Dublin, and by M. Plunkett, the Solicitor General of New South
Wales, I am induced to hope that Rev. McEncroe’s influence over the Roman
Catholic population will be as great as that possessed by Rev. Therry, whilst it
will be used in a manner less obnoxious to the Clergy of the Established Church
than that to which the latter person had applied it.
You will perceive that I have not fixed Rev McEncroe’s
seniority with reference to Rev. Dowling, and I have deemed it the more
necessary to abstain from doing this, as it is not improbable that the present
establishment of Roman Catholic Priests may be enlarged, and it would, in that
case, be desirable, before I placed at its head one of the Roman Catholic
Clergymen now employed in New South Wales, that I should learn from you whether
they possess sufficient weight and authority with their flock to justify such a
selection, and which of them would be best qualified for the purpose’.
[Historical Records of Australia, Series 1, Volume 16, p 525].
In March 1832, the Catholic population petitioned Governor Bourke for an
increase in the number of Chaplains to serve them, and in particular the
re-instatement of Reverend Therry.
On this latter issue, the British authorities were to remain
unmoved for several more years.
In September 1932, the Benedictine Monk, Dr William Ullathorne was appointed
Vicar-General of New South Wales. He arrived in the Colony on 18 February 1833.
• Petition seeking an increase in the number of Chaplains
EXTRACT FROM DESPATCH FROM GOVERNOR BOURKE TO VISCOUNT GODERICH – DATED ON
23/8/1832
‘I have the honour to transmit the copy of a Memorial signed by upwards of
2,000 persons, subscribers to the Roman Catholic Chapel now building in Sydney,
amongst whom appear the names of several distinguished by station and character,
praying for an increase to the number of Roman Catholic Chaplains, provided for
the Colony and paid out of its funds, and that the Rev. J. J. Therry, who
formerly held the office of Roman Catholic Chaplain, may be again appointed to
the same situation.
Your Lordship is aware that the [NSW] Legislative Council,
by a resolution passed in February last, recommended that two additional
Chaplains should be provided, and I am disposed to think that the Council has
made an estimate rather below than above the wants of the Roman Catholic
population. By the recent appointment of Rev. J. M’Encroe, there are now two
Roman Catholic Chaplains in the Colony. The accession of Rev. J. J. Therry would
raise the number to that for which the Council is pledged to provide the
necessary funds’.
[Historical Records of Australia, Series 1, Volume 16, p 718].
• Appointment of Reverend William Ullathorne as Vicar-General
EXTRACT FROM DESPATCH FROM VISCOUNT GODERICH TO GOVERNOR BOURKE – DATED ON
7/9/1832
‘In consequence of the strong representation, which has been made to me by
the Rev. Dr. Morris (who is proceeding to the Mauritius as Vicar Apostolic) in
favour of Rev. William Ullathorne, I have deemed it expedient.... to appoint at
once, the Clergyman above named to the Roman Catholic Establishment at New South
Wales.
Rev. Ullathorne will proceed to the Colony in the
character of ‘Vicar General’ upon a salary of £200 per annum, and I trust that
the control, which he will possess over the other Clergy of his church, by
virtue of the powers with which that title invests him, will be productive of
all the benefit which is anticipated’.
[Historical Records of Australia, Series 1, Volume 16, p 722].
• Nomination of Reverend John McEncroe as Senior Chaplain
EXTRACT FROM DESPATCH OF GOVERNOR BOURKE TO VISCOUNT GODERICH – DATED ON
18/9/1832
‘I have the honour to observe that, though my acquaintance with the Rev.
McEncroe has been too short to enable me to pronounce upon his merits with any
great confidence, yet I have no hesitation in saying that I think him better
qualified to hold the first place than the Rev. Dowling. The latter is, I
believe, an excellent Clergyman, but his health is indifferent and he has
neither animal spirits nor address sufficient to withstand the impetuosity of
Rev. Therry with whom he has had many differences originating as I believe in
the latter having kept possession of part of the Chapel House at Sydney to the
inconvenience of Rev. Dowling. I have placed Rev. McEncroe at Sydney and kept
Rev. Dowling at Windsor, whither he had removed for the benefit of his health.
Rev. McEncroe and Rev. Therry are at present living in the
same house apparently upon very good terms. The latter officiates frequently,
and is much employed in collecting subscriptions for and superintending the
building of the Chapel and Chapel House in Hyde Park. It is said that his
influence is on the wane, though the Memorial praying for his reappointment
renders this opinion doubtful’,
[Historical Records of Australia, Series 1, Volume 16, pp 743-44].
Fr. John Therry
(Source:
St. Patrick's Carlow College History)
• Refusal to re-instate Reverend Therry as a Chaplain
EXTRACT FROM DESPATCH FROM VISCOUNT GODERICH TO GOVERNOR BOURKE – DATED ON
26/3/1833
‘I have received your despatch [dated 26/3/1832].....enclosing the copy of a
Memorial which had been presented to you by the subscribers to the Roman
Catholic Chapel now building in Sydney, praying that the Rev. J. J. Therry may
be reinstated in the Chaplaincy from which he was removed by Earl Bathurst.
I am sorry that the correspondence in this Office,
respecting Rev. Therry, is of such a character as perfectly to satisfy me that
he is not a fit person to receive the bounty of his Majesty’s Government, and
that the conduct of Mr. Therry at that time left the Secretary of State no other
alternative than to withdraw the Stipend which he enjoyed.
Under the circumstances, I can hold out no prospect of Rev. Therry being again
allowed to receive a Stipend from the Government, and I trust, if he should
think fit to continue his residence in the Colony, that the superior authority
possessed by the Rev. Ullathorne, in his capacity of ‘Vicar General’ will
effectually restrain him from hereafter indulging in that line of conduct, which
had called forth the animadversion of His Majesty’s Government.
The appointment of Rev. Ullathorne, as well as of Rev.
M’Encroe, will have completed the number of Roman Catholic Chaplains recommended
by the [NSW] Legislative Council to be maintained by the Government, and I hope
that the exertions of these gentlemen and of Mr. Darling will prove adequate to
supply the religious wants of the Roman Catholic community in New South Wales’.
[Historical Records of Australia, Series 1, Volume 17, pp 59-60].
• Subsidies for the erection of Catholic Chapels
EXTRACT FROM A DESPATCH FROM GOVERNOR BOURKE TO RIGHT HON. E. G. STANLEY – DATED
ON 30/9/1833
‘The Roman Catholics possess one large and handsome Church in Sydney not yet
completed. In aid of its construction, donations amounting in all to about
£1,200 have been at different times granted by this Government. The sum of
£400,.... has been appropriated by the [NSW Legislative] Council, to be paid in
the next year in aid of a similar sum to be raised by private subscriptions, for
erecting Roman Catholic Chapels at Maitland and Campbelltown. A Chapel was begun
at the latter place as well as at Parramatta some years ago, but neither have
been completed from want of funds’.
[Historical Records of Australia, Series 1, Volume 17, p 226].
• Petition by Reverend Therry to be re-instated as Chaplain
EXTRACT FROM A DESPATCH OF GOVERNOR BOURKE TO RIGHT HON. E. G. STANLEY – DATED
ON 30/4/1834
‘At the request of the Rev. J. J. Therry, a Roman Catholic Clergyman
residing in this Colony, concerning whom some prior correspondence has taken
place with His Majesty’s Government, I have the honour to transmit herewith two
printed copies of a Petition addressed by him to the [NSW] Legislative Council
and presented on the second of July last....
I have since spoken on the subject with the Vicar General,
Rev. Ullathorne, on whose discretion and judgement I place great reliance, and
he has suggested to me that in his opinion it would be advantageous again to
employ Rev. Therry as a Catholic Chaplain of the Colony. Rev. Ullathorne appears
to have studied Rev. Therry’s character, and, though well acquainted with its
defects, he seems to have obtained such control over him as would effectually
prevent his giving any further trouble to government, whilst his reappointment
would certainly be a gratifying arrangement to very many of his religious
persuasions’.
[Historical Records of Australia, Series 1, Volume 17, pp 412-13].
• Further refusal of the request for re-instatement.
EXTRACT OF DESPATCH FROM EARL OF ABERDEEN TO GOVERNOR BOURKE – DATED ON
22/12/1834
‘The hostility, which this Clergyman [Joseph Therry] manifested towards the
Protestant Faith, and the acrimonious character of the language used by him on
various occasions towards its Ministers, were the principal grounds upon which
the salary formerly received by him from the colonial Government was withdrawn,
and, if his subsequent conduct towards the clergy of the Established Church in
New South Wales and more particularly towards the Archdeacon as the Head of that
Body has been such as to remove all further objection to his reinstatement to
the Office of Roman Catholic Chaplain. Rev. Therry should look to His Majesty’s
Government and not the interference of the [NSW] Legislative Council for such an
act of indulgence.
In consequence of the further provision, which has been
made by the [NSW] Legislative Council for the maintenance of the Catholic
clergy, four additional Priests will shortly proceed to the Colony, one of whom
will be invested with Episcopal Authority with the view of giving to the Roman
Catholic population the benefit of certain Rites of the Roman Catholic Church,
which it is understood to be the peculiar province of a Vicar Apostolic or a
Bishop to perform.
It is not, therefore, my intention to come to any final
decision in respect to Mr. Therry’s re-admission as one of the Established Body
of Roman Catholic Chaplains, until after the arrival in the Colony of his
Ecclesiastical Superior, and until a report shall have been received from
him.....’.
[Historical Records of Australia, Series 1, Volume 17, pp 610-11].
In June 1834, the English Benedictine, John Bede Polding was consecrated Bishop
and Vicar Apostolic of New Holland [Australia]. On 20 February 1835 his official
appointment as Catholic Chaplain to New South Wales with Episcopal authority
(Bishop) was announced. He arrived on 13 September 1835 and was installed in St
Mary’s Cathedral on 29 September during the celebration of the first High Mass
in Australia.
Bishop John Bede PoldingD.D, O.S.B,
First Archbishop of Sydney.
(Source:
Catholic Church in Australia)
• Appointment of Bishop John Bede Polding
EXTRACT OF DESPATCH OF EARL OF ABERDEEN TO SIR RICHARD BOURKE – DATED ON
20/2/1835
‘The following Priests have been selected, and will shortly take their
departure for the Colony: Rev. Dr. Polding, Rev. Cotham, Rev. Corcoran, Rev.
Sumner. They will .... be entitled to receive, from the date of their arrival a
stipend of £150 per annum.
There is one point connected with the position of the first named Clergyman, to
which I beg to call to your attention. Dr. Polding, when first selected, was
intended only to officiate as a Chaplain, but it was subsequently considered
advisable by the Church to which he belongs that, with the view of giving to him
greater influence over the Clergy in the Colony, he should be permitted to
exercise Episcopal authority, the sanction of the government was given to the
arrangement.
The powers and authority thus proposed to be vested in Dr. Polding are superior to those conferred upon Rev. Ullathorne as Vicar General,
whilst the salary of the latter is higher than that assigned to the former.....
It appears desirable to avoid the possibility of any unpleasant feelings
existing between them. I, therefore propose that Rev. Ullathorne should be
removed to Van Diemen’s Land upon the same rate of pay as he now receives, when,
if you should deem it advisable, Dr. Polding’s salary might be augmented to £200
per annum.....
Dr. Polding will be accompanied by three students, Messrs.
Gregory, Spencer and Kenny, who are in course of preparation for Holy Orders,
but who are intended to act for the present as Catechists’.
[Historical Records of Australia, Series 1, Volume 17, pp 682-683].
On 29 July 1836, Governor Bourke’s Church Act 1836 granting
religious freedom was passed. This provided for government subsidies for
clerical salaries and for new church construction. Originally intended for the
Anglican, Catholic and Presbyterian denominations, Bourke later extended the
provision of the Act to other denominations including Jewish, Wesleyan and
Baptist communities.
In November 1836, Reverend Therry was re-instated as a Roman
Catholic Chaplain after a favourable endorsement from Bishop Polding.
• Re-appointment of Reverend Therry.
EXTRACT FROM DESPATCH FROM SIR RICHARD BOURKE TO LORD GLENELG – DATED ON
21/11/1836
‘With regard to the particular case of Rev. Therry, Dr. Polding seems to
entertain no doubt of the sufficiency of his authority over the Priesthood, and
of Mr. Therry’s acquiescence under it, and he further speaks in high terms of
the meritorious conduct of that Clergyman for some time past. I have therefore
been induced to restore him to the list of Roman Catholic Chaplains, paid by the
Colony.’
[Historical Records of Australia, Series 1, Volume 18, pp 591-92].
Links
John
Bede Polding (1794 - 1877)
John
Joseph Therry (1790 - 1864)
John
McEncroe (1794 - 1868)
William
Bernard Ullathorne (1806 - 1889)
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