Timeline of The Catholic Church in Australia

**THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN AUSTRALIA** **1606** Spanish naval captain Pedro Fernandez de Quiros calls Vanuatu "La Australia del Spiritu Santo" - Southland of the Holy Spirit **1616** Dutch sea captain Dirk Hartog landed on western coast of Australia **1627** Peter Nuyts sails along eastern shore of the Great Australian Bight **1642** Abel Tasman discovers what is now called Tasmania, but which he called Van Diemen's Land. **1688** The English pirate William Dampier spends nine weeks on the north-west coast of Australia **1697** William de Vlamingh lands on Western Australian coast **1770** Captain Cook explores Australia's east coast **1778** Arrival of First Fleet at Sydney Cove Possibly first Mass was said on Australian soil during this year by Fr. Receveur **1802** Foundation of Christian Brothers by Edmund Ignatius Rice, Ireland **1803** First public Mass said by Fr. Dixon **1808** Rum Rebellion in New South Wales **1813** Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson cross the Blue Mountains **1817** Arrival of Fr. Jeremiah O'Flynn "Prefect-Apostolic of New Holland" **1818** Fr. O'Flynn deported after the British Colonial Office opposes his appointment **1820** Frs. Therry and Conolly, the first official priests arrive **1821** Construction of first Catholic church at Richmond, Tasmania **1823** New South Wales Judicature Act establishes the Legislative Council of NSW **1825** Tasmania established as a separate colony from NSW **1829** Foundation of the Swan River colony **1833** Fr. Ullathorne arrives in Sydney as Vicar-General **1835** Bede Polding becomes Australia's first Catholic bishop **1836** Fr. Ullathorne publishes book criticising harsh treatment of convicts Proclamation of the colony of South Australia **1838** Arrival of Caroline Chisholm in Australia 1839 Arrival of Fr. Patrick Geoghegan in Melbourne **1840** Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand **1841** New Zealand becomes a British colony **1842** Beginning of Representative Government in Australia Appointment of Robert Wilson as first Archbishop of Hobart **1845-70** Period of Maori Wars in New Zealand John Brady appointed Bishop of Perth Archbishop Polding complains of injustice to Aborigines at NSW Parliamentary Committee Meeting **1846** Dom Salvado begins New Norcia Abbey in WA **1847** James Alepius Goold becomes first Catholic bishop of Melbourne **1848** The Catholic Church in Australia is divided into provinces and dioceses **1850** Establishment of the University of Sydney **1851** Beginning of the Gold Rush Victoria becomes a separate colony from New South Wales Fr. Patrick Dunne celebrates Mass on the goldfields of Ballarat **1852** Abolition of transportation of convicts to Eastern Australia **1853-76** Period of transition to self-government for New Zealand **1852** Fr. Henry Backhaus begins to say Mass in a tent on the goldfields of Bendigo **1853** Establishment of the University of Melbourne **1854** Eureka Stockade, Ballarat Establishment of the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Australia **1855** 8 hour a day policy accepted for workers **1857** St. Vincent's Hospital opens in Sydney **1859** Queensland declared to be a separate colony James Quinn appointed as Bishop of Brisbane **1861** Mercy Sisters arrive in Queensland First Melbourne Cup Race Beginning of Gold Rush in New Zealand **1865** St. Mary's Cathedral, Sydney destroyed by fire **1866** Mary McKillop and Fr. Julian Tenison Woods found Sisters of St. Joseph Daniel Murphy appointed second Archbishop of Hobart **1868** Christian Brothers arrive in Melbourne Re-building of St. Mary's Cathedral in Sydney begins **1869** Bishops' Pastoral Statement complains of injustice to Aborigines **1871** Completion of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Ballarat Timothy O' Mahoney appointed first bishop of Armidale **1872-85** Colonial governments end state-aid to Church schools Marist Brothers open their own school at the Rocks, Sydney **1874** University of Adelaide established Diocese of Sandhurst established and Rev. Martin Crane O.S.A. appointed as Bishop Diocese of Ballarat established and Rev. Michael O'Connor appointed as Bishop **1877** Roger Vaughan O.S.B becomes Archbishop of Sydney **1878** Arrival of the Jesuits in Sydney **1879** Marist Brothers found St. Joseph's, Hunters Hill Fr. E. Torreggiani O.F.M. appointed second bishop of Armidale **1880** Death of Ned Kelly **1881** First permanent St. Vincent de Paul Society established in Australia **1882** Fr. Streele S.J. named Apostolic Administrator of what is now the Diocese of Darwin **1882-1906** Period of Jesuit missions in the Northern Territory **1884** Queensland declared a protectorate over British New Guinea (now Papua) Patrick Francis Moran appointed Archbishop of Sydney **1885** Archbishop Moran made Cardinal **1889** Opening of St. Patrick's Seminary, Manly **1890** University of Tasmania established **1891** Foundation of the Australian Labor Party in Barcaldine, Queensland **1891-93** Economic Depression follows 1888 drought **1892** Gold discovered at Kalgoorlie **1893** St. Vincent's Hospital Melbourne opened, run by Sisters of Charity **1895** Banjo Paterson writes the words to "Waltzing Matilda" **1897** French Missionaries of the Sacred Heart arrive in Australia Consecration of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne **1901** Federation of Australian States **1906** Beginning of Missionaries of the Sacred Heart missions in the Northern Territory **1907** New Zealand declared a dominion of the British Empire **1909** Death of Mary McKillop Foundation of the University of Queensland **1911** Foundation of the University of Western Australia **1913** Arrival of Archbishop Daniel Mannix in Melbourne **1914** Beginning of First World War **1915** Australian and New Zealand troops land at Gallipoli (Turkey) **1916** Defeat of First Conscription Referendum Establishment of the Catholic Women's League **1917** Defeat of Second Conscription Referendum James Duhig becomes Archbishop of Brisbane **1918** Newman College Melbourne University opened **1922** Foundation of the Knights of the Southern Cross **1923** Archbishop Mannix founds Corpus Christi College **1924** Establishment of the Central Catholic Library in Melbourne **1928** International Eucharistic Congress, Sydney **1930** Phar Lap wins the Melbourne Cup **1931** Formation of the Campion Society at Melbourne University First attack on Nazism in the Melbourne Catholic newspaper The Advocate **1932** Sydney Harbour Bridge completed **1934** National Eucharistic Congress, Melbourne **1936** Monsignor Francois-Xavier Gsell of Darwin awarded the Order of the British Empire **1938** Monsignor Francois-Xavier Gsell appointed as Bishop of Darwin **1939** Beginning of World War II Robert Menzies becomes Prime Minister of Australia St. Patrick's Cathedral Melbourne completed **1940** Norman Thomas Gilroy becomes Archbishop of Sydney **1941** "Rats of Tobruk" seize control of Syria Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour **1942** Japanese invasion of New Guinea, over 100 Catholics martyred during Japanese occupation for continuing to catechise. **1944** Formation of the "Movement" by Bob Santamaria James McAuley and Harold Stewart publish the 'Ern Malley" poems Formation of the Liberal Party by Sir Robert Menzies **1945** Ben Chifley, Australian Prime Minister End of World War II Beginning of arrival of European immigrants **1946** Archbishop Gilroy becomes first Australian Cardinal **1948/9** Communists in trade union movement cause industrial unrest **1950** Prime Minister Menzies attempts to ban Communist Party but move declared unconstitutional by the High Court Bishop Gsell of Darwin awarded the Cross of the L‚gion d'Honneur by the French government **1951** Referendum to ban the Communist Party of Australia defeated **1954** The "Petrov Affair" **1955** Labor Party Split **1956** Olympic Games, Melbourne **1957** Formation of the Democratic Labor Party **1958** Arrival of Ivan Prasko, first Bishop for Ukrainian Catholics **1960** Melbourne doctors John and Evelyn Billings pioneer Natural Family Planning research **1962** Resumption of State Aid to Catholic schools **1963** Death of Archbishop Mannix **1964** James McAuley publishes "Captain Quiros" **1965** Australian troops sent to Vietnam **1966** Menzies retires as Prime Minister **1967** Archbishop James Robert Knox appointed Archbishop of Melbourne **1970** Paul VI visits Australia, consecrates first Papuan-born Bishop **1972** Liberalisation of anti-abortion legislation **1973** Paul VI establishes Maronite diocese in Australia International Eucharistic Congress Melbourne **1974** Appointment of Dr Thomas Francis Little Archbishop of Melbourne **1975** Whitlam Labor government passes "no-fault" divorce legislation Whitlam Labor government dismissed by Governor General Sir John Kerr **1986** John Paul II visits Australia **1987** John Paul II establishes a Melkite diocese in Australia **1991** Foundation of the Australian Catholic University **1992** Foundation of St. John Vianney Seminary, Wagga Wagga **1995** John Paul II visits Australia for Beatification of Mary McKillop John Paul II visits Papua New Guinea for Beatification of Peter Turot, martyr during the Japanese occupation **1996** Appointment of Dr. George Pell as Archbishop of Melbourne St Francis Cathedral Adelaide completed **1997** Euthanasia legislation of Northern Territory defeated by Andrews Bill **1998** Death of Bob Santamaria **1999** Major General Peter Cosgrove leads deployment of Australian troops to East Timor Senator Brian Harradine brokers Native Title Agreement **2000** Opening of Corpus Christi seminary, Carlton Opening of Catholic Theological College, East Melbourne by Cardinal Francis George of Chicago St Mary’s Cathedral Sydney completed © Tracey Rowland 2000