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History of the Roman Catholic Church in the Colony of New South Wales - 1800 to 1836
Introduction
With the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788 and the foundation of a British
convict settlement, the Church of England became the Established Church in the
Colony of New South Wales.
In 1800 James Harold, a Roman Catholic Priest arrived in the Colony as a
convict. He was quickly followed by two more Roman Catholic Priests, James Dixon
and Peter O’Neil, who were also convicts. The unexpected arrival of these three
Priests was not welcomed by the colonial administrators as they were all seen as
Irish rebels who would incite the large numbers of Irish convicts to rebellion
in the Colony.
The presence of Catholic priests in the Colony with their strong affiliation to the large Irish colonial population, led Governor Philip King to issue a Proclamation in 1803. This set out a number of requirements respecting the toleration of Roman Catholic Worship in the Colony under the pastoral care of Reverend Dixon. The life of this Proclamation was short lived however as it was revoked in 1804 following the unsuccessful Vinegar Hill rebellion.
Vinegar Hill rebellion
(Source: Hills Directory: Battle of Vinegar Hill [Vinegar Hill rebellion])
The colonial authorities believed that Reverend Dixon was a
supporter of the rebellion.
Reverend Dixon left the Colony in 1808 and there was no Roman Catholic priest in
the Colony until the arrival Jeremiah O’Flynn in 1817.
Unfortunately, while O’Flynn was the first free Roman Catholic Priest to arrive in the Colony, he had received no official approval from the English authorities to come to the Colony. His arrival posed a major problem to Governor Macquarie who believed that he was instrumental in unsettling the Irish catholic community. He was not authorised to conduct catholic worship in the Colony, although he was strongly suspected of doing so. Governor Macquarie commenced actions that eventually led to his deportation of O’Flynn from the Colony in 1818.
Convict priest, Father James Dixon, celebrates an illegal
Mass
in the kitchen of a colonial house
(Source:
Australian Catholic Historical Society)
It was not until 1820 that the institutional Roman Catholic Church was established in the Colony. This occurred with the arrival of the Reverends Philip Connolly and John Joseph Therry who were the first Roman Catholic priests sanctioned by the British Government.
Reverend Connolly celebrated his first mass in Australia in
Pitt Street, Sydney on 7 May 1820. Reverend Therry celebrated mass there the
next day.
Reverend Connolly left Sydney and went to Hobart during March 1821, leaving Reverend Therry alone in Sydney to serve the need of thousands of Catholics. The foundation-stone of the Catholic Chapel at Hyde Park, Sydney was laid by Governor Macquarie on 29 October 1821.
While Reverend Therry gained a great following to the Catholic community, he became a major irritant to both Governors Brisbane and Darling over his efforts to fund and build the Catholic Chapel.
His hostilities towards clergymen of the Church of England in
the Colony, in part, led to the English Government ordering that his salary be
discontinued during 1826. It was hoped that Reverend Therry would then return to
England, however he refused. Between 1830 and 1832, Reverend Therry was the only
Roman Catholic priest in the Colony, although he was not officially sanctioned
by the English Government and received no government salary.
In 1832, Reverend John McEncroe was appointed official Chaplain of the Catholics in the Colony.
The Benedictine, Dr. William Ullathorne was appointed as the Vicar General of New South Wales in 1833. He was followed by the arrival of Bishop John Bede Polding in 1835.
Reverend Therry was officially reappointed as a Roman Catholic Chaplain by the English Government in 1836, following support given by Bishop Polding. Reverend Therry died in the Colony on 25 May 1864 in Sydney.
(Source:
St. Joachim's Catholic Church, Lidcombe)
Under the following headings, excerpts from various Despatches
from Series 1 of the Historical Records of Australia [published by the Library
Committee of the Commonwealth Parliament] are reproduced (with minor editorial
amendments by History Services NSW).
These primary sources not only provide information into the administrative matters of handling the presence of the first Catholic priests in the Colony, but also give a valuable insight into the birth of the Roman Catholic Church in Australia and throw light on the attitudes to religious freedom in the Colony.
Links
Australian Catholic Historical Society
Australian Dictionary of Biography: James Harold, (1744 - 1830)
Australian Dictionary of Biography: James Dixon (1758 - 1840)
Australian Dictionary of Biography: Peter O'Neil (1757 - 1846)
Hills Directory: Battle of Vinegar Hill [Vinegar Hill rebellion]
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Kevin McGuinness
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