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1845 - First Catholic School Was Established
Lay couple Mary and Michael Bourke, established the first Catholic school funded completely by money collected from local Catholic settlers. The school was established where the current Myer Centre is and was also not far from where the St Stephen's Cathedral is located on Elizabeth and Albert Street. With 56 students enrolled, the school had slab walls and a bark roof. At the time, there were fewer than 1000 settlers and a quarter of them were Roman Catholic. -
1850 - First Permanent Church
The first permanent church was St Stephen's, located in Central Brisbane. The first mass was celebrated by Fr James Hanly on 12 May 1850 when there were only 60 Catholic families in town. At that stage, the church didn't even have a roof. St Stephen's was the first Catholic Church to be built in Queensland. It was one of the finest buildings in town as it had a bell tower which stood on top of the walls made from stone which was quarried from the banks of the Brisbane River at Goodna. -
1859 - Cathedral of the Diocese
Brisbane became a Diocese in 1859 after New South Wales and Queensland became two separate states. Subsequently, St Stephen's Chapel became a Cathedral of the first Catholic Bishop of Brisbane, James Quinn. St Stephen's is now known as Pugin Chapel as it was the first Catholic church to be built in Queensland. After becoming a Cathedral, St Stephen's was due for renovation. Archbishop Quinn laid a new fountain stone for the Cathedral. -
1861 - All Hallows
Bishop James Quinn, five priests and six Irish Sisters of Mercy came to Brisbane aboard the Yarra Era. Surprised by the poverty of the mostly Irish population, Bishop Quinn committed to raising the economic and social status of Catholics through education. Mother Vincent Whitty and the Sisters of Mercy established the first Catholic secondary school, All Hallows, and provided quality religious education. -
1868 - St James School
The St James School for Boys was established and staffed entirely by lay teachers. It was a unique school with both religious and lay student teachers receiving their training before and after school. They also worked as class apprentices during the day. The Sisters of Mercy and most lay men entering the teaching profession undertook their teacher training at St James School. -
1870 - Catholic Law Changes
After the divide between the Irish Catholic and the English Protestants came a push to keep church and states separate. Laws were passed to provide free, compulsory and secular education for children and to remove state funding for all religious schools. Regardless of the political atmosphere, there were 35 new Catholic schools which were fully funded by their communities. Mary Mackillop and the Sisters of St Joseph arrived in Brisbane around this time and within months, they began teaching. -
1900s - Changes In the Century
There were many changes in the new century including a new Federation, a new Archdiocese of Brisbane and a new Archbishop, Robert Dunne. There were also lots of other technological and social advancements such as electricity and women's voting rights. The horrors and troubles of World War I had a big impact on Catholic Education. The dispute between Protestants and Catholics increased momentum during the conscription debate. Throughout this time, Catholic schools continued to be self-funded. -
1919 - 1930 - Archbishop James Duhig
After Archbishop Dunne's death, Archbishop James Duhig, who was a visionary with an entrepreneurial spirit, saw the need for Catholic education. Duhig and his Archdiocese took on an extensive building program including churches, hospitals and schools, erecting more than 400 buildings. He bought large areas of land around Brisbane and established 28 new Catholic schools. Serving for 48 years, until his death in 1965, Duhig was the longest serving Archbishop of Brisbane. -
1945 - Catholic Struggles
The time from the Great Depression to the end of World War II, saw Australia suffer from the challenges of poverty and unemployment. Catholic education was affected by lack of teachers, growing class sizes and economic challenges. Some schools even relinquished fees to help struggling families. 19 new schools were opened despite the difficult situation. Ongoing funding, growing class sizes, infrastructure and quality of religious education were concerns for the Archbishops at the time. -
1948 - Diocesan Roles
Bernard O'Shea was appointed as Diocesan Inspector in 1943, a title which was renamed in 1948 to Diocesan Director of Catholic Education. He was a vital part in the beginning of Catholic Education in Brisbane as he became the inaugural director of the Brisbane Catholic Education Office. During this time, the class sizes also began to decrease so there was an increasement in the enrolment of lay teachers. -
1962 - Goulburn School Strike
After the Goulburn School Strike, there were major changes in school funding. On July 16 1962, 600 of Goulburn’s students were enrolled in local public schools because the State Government’s lack of funding resulted in a lack of toilets in the Catholic school. The six week strike caught attention nationwide. The strike caused so much commotion that they not only got their toilet block but made a huge impact on Catholic funding today, resulting in Catholic schools receiving government funding. -
1972 - Equal Pay
Whitlam's Government Polices resulted in equal pay between the Catholic and State school teachers. Catholic teachers also started to receive a fortnightly pay. Despite the funding changes, Catholic schools struggled with rising costs as compulsory education until Year 10 was introduced. -
1973 - First Australian Born Archbishop
Born in Townsville, Francis Rush became the first Australian born Archbishop. On February 8 1961, at the age of 44, Francis Rush was ordained Bishop of Rockhampton. Then, Rush was appointed the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Brisbane on 5 March 1973, replacing the retiring Patrick Mary O'Donnell. He was a priest for 62 years and a bishop for 40 years. Rush's funeral was held in St Stephen's Cathedral and nearly 1000 people filled the Church to pay their respects. -
1990s - Catholic Funding
In 1990, Brisbane Archdiocesan schools became funded by a combination of State and Commonwealth contribution (funding) as well as fees from parents and money raised through other means (fundraising events). -
2007 - Advanced Technology
After Kevin Rudd's promise in 2007 for schools to have one-to-one technology, Catholic schools now have modern facilities and access to individual laptops. Schools are now using iPads and laptops and are using applications to teach interactive lessons. Catholic schools have even found a Bible App for children to gain a better understanding. Catholic schools had no choice but to adopt technology in its fullness as even the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, has his own Twitter account. -
2017 - Catholic Education Today
Today Catholic schools are devoted to providing the highest level of Catholic education and to ensure that there is a share of Government funding for all schools. Brisbane Catholic Education is committed to teaching more than 70,000 students enrolled in the 139 schools and colleges from Prep to Year 12.
