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Period: to
Catholic Church in Australia
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Fr John Therry and Fr Philip Conolly
, Australia's first official priests, arrive in Sydney. Fr Therry opens the first Catholic school in Parramatta and lobbies Governor Macquarie for land on which to build the settlement's first Catholic church. This was significant as it was a starting point for all catholic schools and churches in Australia, -
Foundation of Cathedral laid
The foundation stone of the first St Mary's Chapel is laid by Governor Lachlan Macquarie and blessed by Fr Therry. The site of the chapel is near the convict barracks, on the edge of the town. It will be a stone building in a naive gothic style. -
Cathedral Extensions
Work on extensions to the Cathedral commences, to designs by A W N Pugin, the celebrated English architect and promoter of a more correct gothic style. -
Fire destroys Cathedral
The first St Mary’s Cathedral is ruined by fire on the evening of June 29. -
Construction nearly complete
Construction of the nave is completed, and Archbishop Kelly opens the almost-complete Cathedral on September 2nd. (The total cost of construction amounted to approximately 700,000 over a period of 60 years.) -
Mary Mackillop Canonised
Blessed Mary MacKillop is canonised in Rome and given the title of St Mary of the Cross. Cardinal Pell unveils a statue of St Mary of the Cross at the Hyde Park entrance of St Mary's Cathedral.
