Father O’Neil left in 1803, after he cleared his unjustly accused name. Father Harold was pardoned in 1810 and he left for the US. Father Dixon, however, had won the approval of the government. Governor King considered allowing Dixon to conduct a school, as Dixon was an educated man, but he thought that he would put improper ideas in his pupils heads. However, there was evidence of Irish plots and conspiracies, and also the expectation of an uprising, so Dixon was given conditional emancipation and permission to exercise his priestly ministry among the Irishmen. Mass was celebrated publicly in Sydney on May 15, 1803, and as well as mass, Dixon married couples and baptized children. Dixon’s Masses had many government regulations attached to them. Catholics could only attend Mass in their place of residence, and they were to report anything untoward. Military would be present at Mass to keep order. Some people didn’t approve of these Catholic Masses. Rev. Marsden believed that Catholics were all likely to rebel and try to overthrow the governor.
Protestants feared that if Catholics gained control, they would not be allowed to practice their religion. They barely tolerated the Catholics, but some felt that letting them have priests would stop them becoming even more violent and ignorant than they already thought they were. Governor King was very pleased with his Irish toleration experiment, and gave Dixon an official salary of 60 pounds a year.
This experiment was not to last long. 300 Irish convicts rebelled at Castle Hill, in March, 1804. King was certain that Dixon’s Mass had been used as cover for Irish meetings. He withdrew his salary and permission to hold Mass. King wrote to Hobart : ‘…and [I] have also been necessitated to withold the salary from the Romish priest Dixon, for very improper conduct, and to prevent the seditious meetings that took place in consequence of the indulgence and protection he received.’ For the next five years, Dixon lived privately, supported by both Catholics and Protestants, and married and baptized all who came to him. He left in 1808, leaving the colony without any priests.
In 1817, Father Jeremiah O’Flynn arrived in the colony, by appointment of the Pope. He claimed that his papers giving permission from the British government would be on the next ship, but they never arrived. Governor Macquarie was always suspicious of the priest, who ignored orders not to say Mass until authorization arrived. In 1818, O’Flynn was captured and put on a ship to England. Macquarie wrote to Bathurst : ‘…I felt there was no other means left for me to get rid of this meddling, ignorant, dangerous character than by securing his person, if possible … [he] is at this time confined to the Jail, where I mean he shall remain until the ship shall be under weigh, at which time he will be embarked for England.’ Catholic Priests first arrived officially in 1820.
Fathers Conolly and Therry were sent to Australia by British authorities. Conolly moved on to Hobart, because the two priests couldn’t get along. Therry remained in Sydney and became very popular with the local Catholics because he was hard working and devoted to his duties. With the support of money from the Governor, he began work on St. Mary’s chapel in 1821, and was completed 12 years later. Therry was suspended in 1826 by Governor Darling due to a ‘printer’s error’ in a newspaper, which inadvertently insulted Anglican ministers. He went off the government payroll, although he was willing to work without pay. Replacements were called in, Fathers Power, Dowling and McEncroe. Therry couldn’t get along with Power or Dowling, but he co-operated with McEncroe. McEncroe was also more acceptable to the colonial powers signaling a more hospitable atmosphere for local Catholics.
In 1829, the Catholic Emancipation Act was passed in England, removing much of the persecution of Catholics there. This was a sign that Catholics were becoming more accepted in the English society. In 1833 the Australian Church needed a person of authority, and William Bernard Ullathorne arrived as Vicar-General to be that person. He was an English Benedictine, which suited the local authorities who preferred to avoid Irish priests. Soon there was the need for a Bishop, and the man who was chosen for the job was John Bede Polding, who was also an English Benedictine. In 1835 there were twenty thousand Catholics around Australia, looked after by eight priests.
The early Catholic priests in Australia did their best to provide for the pastoral needs of the colonies Catholics, despite their idiosyncrasies and the initial lack of acceptance and prejudice that they endured from the English government.
Bibliography
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Breward, Ian. (1988) Australia : “The Most Godless Place Under Heaven”?. South Australia. Lutheran Publishing House.
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Campion, Edmund. (1987) Australian Catholics. Victoria. Penguin Books Australia Ltd.
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Dryer, B. and England, G. (1988) Catholics in Australia : Our Story. Victoria. Collins Dove.
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Gillman, Ian (1992) RE215 Lecture Notes Brisbane. UQ.
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Early Church, The (1988) Leichardt. Catholic Audiovisual Centre.
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McClish, Bruce. (1999) The Australian Church Story. Australia. Harper Collins Publishers.
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Woolmington, Jean ed (1976) Religion in Early Australia. Sydney. Cassel.
