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30% of the 756 convicts on the First Fleet were Catholic. They were NOT allowed to have a Catholic Church. Governor Phillip ordered ALL convicts to go to Anglican Church services every Sunday. If the convicts refused to go, they would get flogged. Some convicts burnt down the first Anglican Church.
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The Catholic convicts wrote a letter to Governor Phillip if they could have a catholic priest and church, but he said refused! He thought that they would get up to mischief and get out of hand.
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Since there were no Catholic Churches or Priests, catholic convicts decided to meet up and secretly pray to God or baptize their children or babies.
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The firsts priests, Fr James Dixon and two others were arrested as a part of the Irish Rebellion and were transported to NSW as convicts. They were forbidden to celebrate mass.
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When the first mass was allowed to be celebrated, police watched EVERY. SINGLE. PERSON. to make sure that Fr James Dixon or the catholic convicts didn't persuade the Anglicans to become Catholic. After the first mass was celebrated, a second one was not allowed to be held for the next 16 years
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The first ever free priest was sent over by the Pope. His name was Father O' Flynn and he was not a convict. He was banished form New South Wales in 1818.
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Father Connolly and Father Therry were the first CATHOLIC priests to arrive in Australia. They were accepted and were allowed to stay
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By the 1820's most of the catholics were convicts or no longer convicts which is where they have finished their sentence or escaped from the colony
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In the 1830's, NSW had around 20,000 catholic convicts so they really needed a Bishop!
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Fairness was granted for all religions ( Anglican, Catholic etc. ) in NSW, so all religions were allowed to be celebrated.
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When the colony of NSW was apart of the colony of Australia, John Bede Polding ( the first Roman Catholic Priest ) was the Archbishop ( higher rank than a bishop ) of Sydney, Australia!
