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The first catholic school
Mary and Michael Burge establishing the first catholic school. It was entirely funded by money collected by the local catholic settlers, and was situated not far from where St Stephan's Cathedral stands today. -
the first catholic church
In 1850, the first permanent catholic church 'St Stephens' was established. -
Sisters of Mercy made the way to Brisbane
Bishop James Quinn, 5 priests and 6 Irish Sisters of Mercy made the way to Brisbane aboard the Yarrara. Bishop Quinn was surprised by the poverty and was committed to raising the economic and social status of Catholics through education. All Hallows was the first catholic secondary school established as a result. -
The St James School for boys was established
The St James School for boys was established. This was staffed mainly by lay teachers who trained before and after school. -
A time of growth
This was a time of growth. There was a push to keep church and state separate. Laws were passed to provide free compulsory education to children and to remove state funding for all religious schools. Catholic education flourished and by the end of the decade there were 32 catholic schools. -
Sir Mary of the Cross and the sisters of St Joseph arrived in Brisbane
Sir Mary of the Cross and the sisters of St Joseph arrived in Brisbane and began teaching. The next few years saw much transformation such as the newly formed Federation of the Australind States, the new Archdiocese of Brisbane, a new Archbishop Robert Done, and technological advances such as electricity. -
Archbishop Robert Dunn Died
Archbishop Robert Dunn died in 1919. Following Dunns death, Archbishop James Chui, a visionary with entrepreneurial spirit could see the growing need for catholic schooling. He invested in large tracts of land around Brisbane and by 1930 he had established 298 new schools. -
The period of the great depression
The period of the great depression was in 1929. The end of World War II saw Australia suffer the challenges of wide spread poverty and unemployment. Catholic education was affected by lack of teachers, growing class sizes and economic challenges but Catholic Education persevered through these hard times.Schools waived their fees to help struggling families and surprisingly no school were closed. -
Father Bernard O'Shea was appointed as diocesan inspector
Father Bernard O'Shea was appointed as diocesan inspector and in 1948 as diocesan director of Catholic Education. He would become instrumental in the transformation of the Catholic Education in Brisbane. Catholic Education continued to struggle with the demands of its mission throughout the post-war boom. The numbers within the religious orders began to decline. However, new schools continued to open throughout this period. -
Major changes occurred worldwide in school funding
Major changes occurred worldwide in school funding. After Goulburn's school strike in 1960 where 1000 student enrolled in the local school,funding via state aid to non state schools was reconsidered by political parties and within 12 months the federal government provided grants to Catholic Schools. -
Macaulay college opened
Macaulay college opened and included lay teachers as catholic education became more reliant on lay leadership. By the end of this decade 43,000 student were enrolled in catholic education.
Archbishop Francis Rush was appointed in 1973. -
schooling till year 10 was introduced compulsary
Despite the advancements over the years, catholic schools continued to struggle with increasing costs as compulsory schooling to year 10 was introduced. However, more schools continued to open. The booming 80's saw many of the existing establishments built such as the Catholic Education Office at Dutton Park. -
the Howard Government introduced The SES funding model
The SES funding model was introduced by the Howard Government which increased funding to catholic education. -
The Rudd government's promise of one to one technology
The Rudd government's promise of one to one technology saw an increase in resources, and the economic stimulus in 2008 saw catholic education grow further.
