The History of the Catholic Church in Queensland

By Gene17

  • 1845: First Catholic School Established

    1845: First Catholic School Established
    In 1845 Lay couple Mary and Michael Burke Established the first catholic school funded entirely from the money that they collected from their local community of catholic settlers.

  • 1850: Settlement First Permanent Church

    1850: Settlement First Permanent Church
    the first ever church in Queensland is the St. Steven Church which became a diocese church.

  • 1859: St Steven Church proclaimed as a Diocese

    1859: St Steven Church proclaimed as a Diocese
    The St Steven Church was proclaimed as a cathedral of the diocese after formally from NSW to become the known colony of Queensland.

  • 1861: James Quinn Arrived

    1861: James Quinn Arrived
    In 1861 Bishop James Quinn made his way to Brisbane aboard the Yarra Era.

  • 1868: St James School was established

    1868: St James School was established
    The St James Catholic school was established in 1868. The school was entirely staffed by lay teachers.

  • 1870's: Catholic Education Survived

    1870's: Catholic Education Survived
    By the end of the decade there were 35 catholic school established and was fully funded by their own communities. The catholic education didn't just survived but flourished.

  • 1870's: The time of Growth

    1870's: The time of Growth
    The Irish Catholic and English Protestants were divided. It came to a push to keep the Church and State separate Laws.

  • 1870's: Mary Mackillop arrives in Brisbane

    1870's: Mary Mackillop arrives in Brisbane
    It was around this time that St. Mackillop an d the Sister of St. Joseph arrived in Brisbane.

  • 1919: The Death of the Archbishop

    1919: The Death of the Archbishop
    In 1919 the death of the Archbishop heralded. He was replaced by Archbishop James Chui.

  • 1929: The Great Depression

    1929: The Great Depression
    The period from the Great Depression in 1929 to the end of WW2 saw Australian suffer the challenges of widespread poverty and unemployment. The catholic schools had to lower their fees to help struggling families who needed education for their children.

  • 1948: The Transformation

    1948: The Transformation
    In 1948 a Diocesan Director became an instrument through leading the transformation of catholic education through the whole of Queensland.

  • 1960's: Major Changes

    1960's: Major Changes
    In the 1960's there were a lot of major changes occurred nationwide in school funding after Goulburn School strike in 1962

  • 1973: Macauley College

    1973: Macauley College
    St Macauley College would open its door to include lay teachers as catholic schools has become more reliant on laid leadership and staff.