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The first Catholics to reside in Australia arrived with the First Fleet in 1788. By the year 1803, a total of 2086 Irish convicts, nearly all of whom were Catholic, had been transported to Botany Bay. https://www.catholicaustralia.com.au/church-in-australia/history -
It was not until 1800 that the first priests arrived in the colony -- as convicts! One of these is James Dixon. https://www.catholicaustralia.com.au/church-in-australia/history -
First public Mass said by Fr. Dixon Conditional emancipation and permission to say Mass for the Catholics of Sydney, Liverpool and Parramatta on successive Sundays, a practice that continued from 1803 until March 1804. https://www.catholicaustralia.com.au/church-in-australia/history
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Fathers John Joseph Therry and Philip Connolly (first official priests), chaplains appointed by the Government in London, arrived in 1820. https://www.catholicaustralia.com.au/church-in-australia/history -
Construction of first Catholic church at Richmond, Tasmania https://www.kwl.com.au/blog/theology/timeline-of-the-catholic-church-in-australia/ -
By 1833, there were about ten Catholic schools in the country. From this time until the end of the 1860s, Catholic schools received some government assistance under a variety of schemes, but campaigns for 'free, secular and compulsory' education had begun in the 1850s and it became increasingly clear that Catholic schools would not be able to rely on government aid for much longer. https://www.catholicaustralia.com.au/church-in-australia/history
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The first Catholic bishop in Australia was John Bede Polding. "The world and its business unsurp that place in our hearts which God alone should occupy..." - John Bede Polding https://www.catholicaustralia.com.au/church-in-australia/history -
James Alepius Goold becomes first Catholic bishop of Melbourne https://www.kwl.com.au/blog/theology/timeline-of-the-catholic-church-in-australia/ -
There were already a few religious orders in Australia: as well as the Sisters of Charity, there were also, among others, the Good Samaritan Sisters, founded by Polding in 1857 https://www.catholicaustralia.com.au/church-in-australia/history -
Queensland declared to be a separate colony
James Quinn appointed as Bishop of Brisbane https://www.kwl.com.au/blog/theology/timeline-of-the-catholic-church-in-australia/ -
St. Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney destroyed by fire https://www.kwl.com.au/blog/theology/timeline-of-the-catholic-church-in-australia/ -
The Sisters of St Joseph, founded in 1866 by Fr Julian Tenison Woods and Mary MacKillop, now recognised as Australia's first saint. https://www.catholicaustralia.com.au/church-in-australia/history -
By 1880, there were a total of 815 sisters from all orders teaching in schools; by 1910 the number exceeded 5000. https://www.catholicaustralia.com.au/church-in-australia/history
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Arrival of Archbishop Daniel Mannix in Melbourne https://www.kwl.com.au/blog/theology/timeline-of-the-catholic-church-in-australia/ -
Archbishop Gilroy becomes first Australian Cardinal https://www.kwl.com.au/blog/theology/timeline-of-the-catholic-church-in-australia/ -
The 1950s were a boom time for Australian Catholics. Numbers grew rapidly, increasing the proportion of Catholics in the Australian population. Many parishes were established in the new suburbs of the major cities and the number of priests, sisters and brothers continued to expand. https://www.catholicaustralia.com.au/church-in-australia/history