Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 23:40, 7 December 2019

This article's factual accuracy may be compromised due to out-of-date information. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (June 2017)

Part of a series on the
Catholic Church by country
Africa Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Comoros Democratic Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Eswatini Ethiopia Gabon Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Ivory Coast Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Rwanda São Tomé and Príncipe Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia Somaliland South Africa South Sudan Sudan Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe
Asia Afghanistan Bangladesh Bhutan Brunei Cambodia China East Timor Hong Kong India Indonesia Japan Kazakhstan Korea North Korea South Korea Kyrgyzstan Laos Macau Malaysia Maldives Mongolia Myanmar Nepal Pakistan Philippines Singapore Sri Lanka Taiwan Tajikistan Thailand Turkmenistan Uzbekistan Vietnam
Middle East Armenia Azerbaijan Bahrain Cyprus Georgia Abkhazia Iran Iraq Israel Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Palestine Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia Syria Turkey United Arab Emirates Yemen
Europe Albania Andorra Austria Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Czechia Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kosovo Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands North Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Ukraine United Kingdom England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales
North America Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States
Oceania Australia Fiji Kiribati Marshall Islands Micronesia Nauru New Zealand Palau Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Islands Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu
South America Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador Guyana Paraguay Peru Suriname Uruguay Venezuela
Catholicism portal
v t e

The Catholic Church in Australia is part of the worldwide Catholic Church under the spiritual and administrative leadership of the Holy See. From origins as a suppressed, mainly Irish minority in early colonial times, the church has grown to be the largest Christian denomination in Australia, with a culturally diverse membership of around 5,439,268 people, representing about 23% of the overall population of Australia according to the 2016 census.

The church is the largest non-government provider of welfare and education services in Australia. Catholic Social Services Australia aids some 450,000 people annually, while the St Vincent de Paul Society's 40,000 members form the largest volunteer welfare network in the country. In 2016, the church had some 760,000 students in more than 1,700 schools.

The church in Australia has five provinces: Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. It has 35 dioceses, comprising geographic areas as well as the military diocese and dioceses for the Chaldean, Maronite, Melkite and Ukrainian rites. The national assembly of bishops is the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC), headed by Brisbane's Archbishop Mark Coleridge. There are a further 175 Catholic religious orders operating in Australia, affiliated under Catholic Religious Australia, headed by Sr Monica Cavanagh RSJ. One Australian has been recognised as a saint by the Catholic Church: Mary MacKillop, who co-founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart ("Josephite") religious institute in the 19th century.

Demographics

Since the 1980s, Catholicism has been largest Christian denomination in Australia constituting around one quarter of the overall population becoming slightly larger than the Anglican and Uniting churches combined. Up until the 2016 census, adherents had been recorded as growing both numerically and as a percentage of the population, however the 2016 census found a fall in both overall numbers and the percentage of Catholics as a proportion of Australia: with 5,291,839 Australian Catholics (around 22.6% of the population) in 2016 down from 5,439,257 in the 2011 census (25.3% of the population).

Until the 1986 census, Australia's most populous Christian church was the Anglican Church of Australia. Since then Catholics have outnumbered Anglicans by an increasing margin. The change is partly explained by changes in immigration patterns. Before the Second World War, the majority of immigrants to Australia came from the United Kingdom and most Catholic immigrants came from Ireland. After the war, Australia's immigration diversified and more than 6.5 million migrants arrived in the following 60 years, including more than a million Catholics from Italy, Malta, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Croatia and Hungary.

At the 2016 Census, the ancestries that Australian Catholics most identified with were English (1.49 million), Australian (1.12 million), Irish (577,000), Italian (567,000) and Filipino (181,000).

Despite a growing population of Catholics, weekly Mass attendance has declined from an estimated 74% in the mid-'50s to around 14% in 2006.

There are seven archdioceses and 32 dioceses, with an estimated 3,000 priests and 9,000 men and women in institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic life, including six dioceses which cover the whole country: one each for those who belong to the Chaldean, Maronite, Melkite, Syro-Malabar and Ukrainian rites and one for those serving in the Australian Defence Forces. There is also a personal ordinariate for former Anglicans which has a similar status to a diocese.

History

Arrival and suppression

Since time immemorial, indigenous people in Australia had performed the rites and rituals of the animist religions of the Dreamtime. Europeans had assumed the existence of a great southern land mass since ancient times. Among the first Catholics known to have sighted Australia were the crew of a Spanish expedition of 1605–6. In 1606, the expedition's leader, Pedro Fernandez de Quiros landed in the New Hebrides, believing it to be the fabled southern continent. He named the land Austrialis del Espiritu Santo Southern Land of the Holy Spirit. Later that year, his deputy Luís Vaz de Torres sailed through the Torres Strait between Australia and New Guinea.

The permanent presence of Catholicism in Australia came rather with the arrival of the First Fleet of British convict ships at Sydney in 1788. One-tenth of all the convicts who came to Australia on the First Fleet were Catholic, and at least half of them were born in Ireland. A small proportion of British marines were also Catholic.

Just as the British were setting up the new colony, French captain Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse arrived off Botany Bay with two ships. La Pérouse was 6 weeks in Port Jackson, where the French, besides other things, held Catholic Masses. The crew conducted the first Catholic burial, that of Father Louis Receveur, a Franciscan friar who died while the ships were at anchor at Botany Bay.

Some of the Irish convicts had been transported to Australia for political crimes or social rebellion in Ireland, so the authorities were suspicious of Catholicism for the first three decades of settlement.

Catholic convicts were compelled to attend Church of England services and their children and orphans were raised by the authorities as Anglicans. The first Catholic priests arrived in Australia as convicts in 1800 – James Harold, James Dixon and Peter O'Neill, who had been convicted for "complicity" in the Irish 1798 Rebellion. Fr Dixon was conditionally emancipated and permitted to celebrate Mass. On 15 May 1803, in vestments made from curtains and with a chalice made of tin, he conducted the first Catholic Mass in "New South Wales". The Irish-led Castle Hill Rebellion of 1804 alarmed the British authorities and Dixon's permission to celebrate Mass was revoked. Fr Jeremiah O' Flinn, an Irish Cistercian monk, was appointed as Prefect Apostolic of New Holland and set out from Britain for the colony, uninvited. Watched by authorities, Flynn secretly performed priestly duties before being arrested and deported to London. Reaction to the affair in Britain led to two further priests being allowed to travel to the colony in 1820 – John Joseph Therry and Philip Connolly. The foundation stone for the first St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney, was laid on 29 October 1821 by Governor Lachlan Macquarie.

The absence of a Catholic mission in Australia before 1818 reflected the legal disabilities of Catholics in Britain and the difficult position of Ireland within the British Empire. The government therefore endorsed the English Benedictine monks to lead the early church in the colony. The Reverend William Bernard Ullathorne (1806–1889) was instrumental in influencing Pope Gregory XVI to establish the hierarchy in Australia. Ullathorne was in Australia from 1833–1836 as vicar-general to Bishop William Morris (1794–1872), whose jurisdiction extended over the Australian missions.

Emancipation and growth

The Church of England was disestablished in the colony of New South Wales by the Church Act of 1836, which also provided equal funding of Protestant and Catholic churches. Drafted by the Catholic attorney-general John Plunkett, the Act established legal equality for Anglicans, Catholics and Presbyterians and was later extended to Methodists. Nevertheless, social attitudes were slow to change. A laywoman, Caroline Chisholm (1808–1877), faced discouragements and anti-Catholic feeling when she sought to establish a migrant women's shelter, and worked for women's welfare in the colonies in the 1840s, though her humanitarian efforts later won her fame in England and great influence in achieving support for families in the colony.

The church's most prominent early leader was John Bede Polding, a Benedictine monk who was Sydney's first bishop (and then archbishop) from 1835 to 1877. Polding requested a community of nuns be sent to the colony and five Irish Sisters of Charity arrived in 1838. While tensions arose between the English Benedictine hierarchy and the Irish, Ignatian-tradition religious institute from the start, the sisters set about pastoral care in a women's prison and began visiting hospitals and schools and establishing employment for convict women. In 1847, two sisters transferred to Hobart and established a school. The sisters went on to establish hospitals in four of the eastern states, beginning with St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, in 1857 as a free hospital for all people, but especially for the poor.

At Polding's request, the Christian Brothers arrived in Sydney in 1843 to assist in schools. Again jurisdictional tensions arose and the brothers returned to Ireland. In 1857, Polding founded an Australian religious institute in the Benedictine tradition – the Sisters of the Good Samaritan – to work in education and social work. While Polding was in office, construction began on the ambitious Gothic Revival designs for St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne, and the final St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney.

Establishing themselves first at Sevenhill, in the newly established colony of South Australia in 1848, the Jesuits were the first religious order of priests to enter and establish houses in South Australia, Victoria, Queensland and the Northern Territory – Austrian Jesuits established themselves in the south and north and Irish in the east. The goldrush saw an increase in the population and prosperity of the colonies and called for an increase in the number of episcopal sees. When gold was discovered in late 1851, there were an estimated 9,000 Catholics in the Colony of Victoria, increasing to 100,000 by the time the Jesuits arrived 14 years later. While the Austrian priests traversed the Outback on horseback to found missions and schools, the Irish priests arrived in the east in 1860 and had by 1880 established the major schools of Xavier College in Melbourne and in Sydney St Aloysius' College and Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview – which each survive to the present.

In 1885, Patrick Francis Moran became Australia's first cardinal. St Patrick's College, Manly, intended to provide priests for all the colonies, was opened in 1889. Moran believed that Catholics' political and civil rights were threatened in Australia and, in 1896, saw deliberate discrimination in a situation where "no office of first, or even second, rate importance is held by a Catholic".

The Catholic Church also became involved in mission work among the Aboriginal people of Australia during the 19th century as Europeans came to control much of the continent. According to Aboriginal anthropologist Kathleen Butler-McIlwraith, there were many occasions when the Catholic Church attempted to advocate for Aboriginal rights, but the missionaries were also "functionaries of the Protection and Assimilation policies" of the government and so "directly contributed to the current disadvantage experienced by Indigenous Australians". The missionaries themselves argued that they protected children from dysfunctional aspects of indigenous culture.

With the withdrawal of state aid for church schools around 1880, the Catholic Church, unlike other Australian churches, put great energy and resources into creating a comprehensive alternative system of education. It was largely staffed by sisters, brothers and priests of religious institutes, such as the Christian Brothers (who had returned to Australia in 1868); the Sisters of Mercy (who had arrived in Perth in 1846); Marist Brothers, who came from France in 1872; and the Sisters of St Joseph, founded in Australia by Mary MacKillop and Fr Julian Tenison Woods in 1867. MacKillop travelled throughout Australasia and established schools, convents and charitable institutions but came into conflict with those bishops who preferred diocesan control of the institute rather than central control from Adelaide by the Josephite religious institute. MacKillop administered the Josephites as a national religious institute at a time when Australia was divided among individually governed colonies. She is today the most revered of Australian Catholics, beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1995 and canonised by Benedict XVI in 2010. Catholic schools flourished in Australia and by 1900 there were 115 Christian Brothers teaching in Australia. By 1910 there were 5000 religious sisters teaching in schools.

Post Australian Federation

The Australian Constitution of 1901 guaranteed Freedom of Religion and the separation of church and state throughout Australia. Australia's first Catholic cardinal, Patrick Francis Moran (1830–1911), had been a proponent of Australian Federation but in 1901 he refused to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Commonwealth of Australia because precedence was given to the Church of England. He was criticised in The Bulletin for speaking against racist immigration laws and he alarmed Catholic conservatives by supporting Trade Unionism and the newly formed Australian Labor Party.

The Catholic Church was rooted in the working class Irish communities. Moran, the Archbishop of Sydney from 1884 to 1911, believed that Catholicism would flourish with the emergence of the new nation through Federation in 1901, provided that his people rejected "contamination" from foreign influences such as anarchism, socialism, modernism and secularism. Moran distinguished between European socialism as an atheistic movement and those Australians calling themselves "socialists"; he approved of the objectives of the latter while feeling that the European model was not a real danger in Australia. Moran's outlook reflected his wholehearted acceptance of Australian democracy and his belief in the country as different and freer than the old societies from which its people had come. Moran thus welcomed the Labor Party and the Catholic Church stood with it in opposing conscription in the referenda of 1916 and 1917. The hierarchy had close ties to Rome, which encouraged the bishops to support the British Empire and emphasize Marian piety.

Another Irish cleric, Archbishop Daniel Mannix (1864–1963) of Melbourne, was a controversial voice against conscription during World War I and against British Empire policy in Ireland. He was also a fervent critic of contraception. In 1920, the Royal Navy prevented him landing in his Irish homeland. Yet despite early 20th century sectarian feeling, Australia elected its first Catholic prime minister, James Scullin, of the Australian Labor Party in 1929 – decades before the Protestant majority of the United States would elect John F. Kennedy as its first Catholic president. His successor, Joseph Lyons, a devout Irish Catholic, split from Labor to form the fiscally conservative United Australia Party – predecessor to the modern Liberal Party of Australia. His wife, Dame Enid Lyons, a Catholic convert, became the first female member of the Australian House of Representatives and later first female member of cabinet in the Menzies Government. With the place of Catholics in the British Empire still complicated by the recent Irish War of Independence and centuries of imperial rivalry with Catholic European nations, as prime minister, Lyons travelled to London in 1935 for the Silver Jubilee celebrations of King George V and faced anti-Catholic demonstrations in Edinburgh, then visited his ancestral homeland of Ireland and also had an audience with the Pope in Rome.

Ethnicity

Until about 1950, the Catholic Church in Australia was overwhelmingly Irish in its ethos. Most Catholics were descendants of Irish immigrants and the church was mostly led by Irish-born priests and bishops. From 1950 the ethnic composition of the church began to change, with the assimilation of Irish Australians and the arrival of Eastern European Displaced Persons from 1948 and more than one million Catholics from countries such as Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Germany, Croatia and Hungary, and later Filipinos, Vietnamese, Lebanese and Poles around the 1980s. There are now also strong Chinese, Korean and Latin American Catholic communities.

For a long time, Irish-Australians had a close political association with the Labor Party. The changing ethnic composition of Australian Catholicism and shifting political allegiances of Australian Catholics saw Catholic layman B.A. Santamaria, the son of Italian immigrants, lead a movement of working class Catholics against Communism in Australia and the formation of his Democratic Labor Party (DLP) in 1955. The DLP was formed over concerns of Communist influence over the trade unions and Labor Party. The movement was not approved by the Vatican, but it siphoned a proportion of the Catholic vote away from the Labor Party, contributing to the success of the newly formed Liberal Party of Robert Menzies, which held power from 1949 to 1972, which, in return for DLP preferences, secured state aid for Catholic schools in Australia in 1963. Along with a sharp decline in sectarianism in post-1960s Australia, sectarian loyalty to political parties has diminished and Catholics have been well represented within the conservative Liberal and National parties.

Brendan Nelson became the first Catholic to lead the Liberal Party in 2007. Former prime minister Tony Abbott is a former seminarian who won the party leadership after defeating two other Catholic candidates for the post. In 2008, Tim Fischer, a Catholic and former deputy prime minister in the Howard Government, was nominated by the Labor prime minister, Kevin Rudd, as the first resident Australian ambassador to the Holy See since 1973, when diplomatic relations with the Vatican and Australia were first established.

Post Second Vatican Council

Since the Second Vatican Council of the 1960s, the Australian church has experienced a decline in vocations to the religious life, leading to a priest shortage. On the other hand, Catholic education under lay leadership has expanded, and about 20% of Australian school students attend a Catholic school. While the numbers of nuns serving in Australian health facilities declined, the church maintained a strong presence in health care. The Sisters of Charity continued their mission among the sick, opening Australia's first HIV AIDS ward at St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, in the 1980s. Declining vocations and increasing complexities in the health care technologies and management saw religious institutes like the Sisters of Charity and Sisters of Mercy amalgamating their efforts and divesting themselves of daily management of hospitals.

Following Vatican II, new styles of ministry were tried by Australian religious. Some rose to national prominence. Fr Ted Kennedy began one such ministry in Sydney's inner city Redfern presbytery in 1971 – an area with a large Aboriginal population. Working closely with Catholic Aboriginal laywoman "Mum" Shirl Smith, he developed a theology which held that the poor had special insights into the meaning of Christianity, worked as an advocate for Aboriginal rights and often challenged the civil and church establishment on questions of conscience. In 1989, Jesuit lawyer Fr Frank Brennan AO founded Uniya, a centre for social justice and human rights research, advocacy, education and networking. Uniya focused much of its attention on the plight of refugees, asylum seekers, and Indigenous reconciliation. In 1991, Fr Chris Riley formed Youth Off The Streets, a community organisation working for young people who are "chronically homeless, drug dependent and recovering from abuse". Originally a food van in Sydney's King's Cross, it has grown to be one of the largest youth services in Australia, offering crisis accommodation, residential rehabilitation, clinical services and counselling, outreach programs, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, specialist Aboriginal services, education and family support. Melbourne priest Father Bob Maguire began parish work in the 1960s, but became a youth media personality in 2004 with the beginning of a series of collaborations with irreverent satirist John Safran on SBS TV and Triple J radio.

The year 1970 saw the first visit to Australia by a Pope, Paul VI. Pope John Paul II was the next Pope to visit Australia in 1986. At Alice Springs, the Pope made an historic address to indigenous Australians, in which he praised the enduring qualities of Aboriginal culture, lamented the effects of dispossession of and discrimination; called for acknowledgment of Aboriginal land rights and reconciliation in Australia; and said that the church in Australia would not reach its potential until Aboriginal people had made their "contribution to her life and until that contribution has been joyfully received by others".

In 1988, the Archbishop of Sydney, Edward Bede Clancy was created a cardinal and during the Australian Bicentenary celebrations led the religious ceremonies for the opening of Parliament House, Canberra. Pope John Paul II visited Australia for the second time in 1995, to perform the rite of beatification for Mary MacKillop, founder of Australia's Josephite Sisters, before a crowd of 250,000.

From the late 1980s, cases of abuse within the Catholic Church and other child care institutions began to be exposed in Australia. In 1996, the church issued a document, Towards Healing, which it described as seeking to "establish a compassionate and just system for dealing with complaints of abuse". In 2001, an apostolic exhortation from Pope John Paul II condemned incidents of sex abuse in Oceania. Impetus for the Towards Healing protocols was in part led by Bishop Geoffrey Robinson, who would later call for large scale systemic reform of the church globally in his 2007 book Confronting Power and Sex in the Catholic Church: Reclaiming the Spirit of Jesus. The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference did not endorse the book. Pat Power, the Auxiliary Bishop of Canberra & Goulburn, wrote in 2002 that "the current crisis around sexual abuse is the greatest since the Reformation. At stake is the Church's moral authority, its credibility, its ability to interpret the 'signs of the times' and its capacity to confront the ensuing questions." Pope Benedict XVI officially apologised to victims during World Youth Day 2008 in Sydney and celebrated a Mass with four victims of clerical sexual abuse in the chapel of St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney, and listened to their stories.

In 2001, in Rome, Pope John Paul II apologised to Aborigines and other indigenous people in Oceania for past injustices by the church: "Aware of the shameful injustices done to indigenous peoples in Oceania, the Synod Fathers apologised unreservedly for the part played in these by members of the church, especially where children were forcibly separated from their families." Church leaders in Australia called on the Australian government to offer a similar apology.

In 2001, George Pell became the eighth Archbishop of Sydney and, in 2003, became a cardinal. Pell supported Sydney's bid to host World Youth Day 2008. In July 2008, Sydney hosted the massive youth festival led by Pope Benedict XVI. Around 500,000 welcomed the pope to Sydney and 270,000 watched the Stations of the Cross. More than 300,000 pilgrims camped out overnight in preparation for the final Mass, where final attendance was between 300,000 and 400,000 people.

In February 2010, Pope Benedict XVI announced that Mary MacKillop would be recognised as the first Australian saint of the Catholic Church. She was canonised on 17 October 2010 during a public ceremony in St Peter's Square. An estimated 8,000 Australians were present in the Vatican City to witness the ceremony. The Vatican Museum held an exhibition of Aboriginal art to honour the occasion titled "Rituals of Life". The exhibition contained 300 artefacts which were on display for the first time since 1925.

In the late 20th and early 21st century, Catholicism in Australia has been growing numerically, while remaining relatively stable as a proportion of the population and facing a long-term decline in numbers of people following vocations to the religious life. In 2016, the Catholic education sector ran 1,738 schools, accounting for some 20.2% of Australian school students. There were also two Catholic universities – University of Notre Dame Australia and the Australian Catholic University. Catholic Social Services Australia, the church's peak national body for social services, had 52 member organisations providing services to hundreds of thousands of people each year. Catholic Health Australia was the largest non-government provider grouping of health, community, and aged care services.

The church was among the secular and religious institutions examined at the 2013-2017 Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, which reported that abuse cases by Catholic personnel had peaked in the 1970s, with around 4400 cases and alleged cases over the 6 decades prior to the inquiry. In 2017, there were 5.5 million Australian Catholics. Statistics presented to the Royal Commission indicated that children were safer in a Catholic religious institution in Australia during the years studied than in any other religious institution (although state institutions were not studied, so a statistical comparison cannot be made).

Social and political engagement

Introduction

Catholic people and charitable organisations, hospitals and schools have played a prominent role in welfare and education in Australia ever since colonial times when Catholic laywoman Caroline Chisholm helped single, migrant women and rescued homeless girls in Sydney. In his welcoming address to the Catholic World Youth Day 2008 in Sydney, the prime minister, Kevin Rudd, said that Christianity had been a positive influence on Australia: "It was the church that began first schools for the poor, it was the church that began first hospitals for the poor, it was the church that began first refuges for the poor and these great traditions continue for the future".

Welfare

A number of Catholic organisations are providers of social welfare services (including residential aged care and the Job Network) and education in Australia. Australia-wide these include: Centacare, CatholicCare Caritas Australia, Jesuit Refugee Service, St Vincent de Paul Society, Youth Off The Streets. Two religious institutes founded in Australia which engaged in welfare and charity work are the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart and the Sisters of the Good Samaritan. Many international Catholic religious institutes also work in welfare, such as the Little Sisters of the Poor who work in aged care. Catholic Social Services Australia is the peak body for Catholic welfare agencies and has 54 member organisations in metropolitan, regional and remote Australia. Members include diocesan-based Centacare and CatholicCare agencies and those under the stewardship of religious orders.

Health

Catholic Health Australia is the largest non-government provider grouping of health, community and aged care services in Australia. These do not operate for profit and range across the full spectrum of health services, representing about 10% of the health sector and employing 35,000 people.

Religious institutes founded many of Australia's hospitals. Irish Sisters of Charity arrived in Sydney in 1838 and established St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, in 1857 as a free hospital for the poor. The Sisters went on to found hospitals, hospices, research institutes and aged care facilities in Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania. At St Vincent's they trained leading surgeon Victor Chang and opened Australia's first AIDS clinic. In the 21st century, with more and more lay people involved in management, the sisters began collaborating with Sisters of Mercy Hospitals in Melbourne and Sydney. Jointly the group operates four public hospitals, seven private hospitals and 10 aged care facilities.

The English Sisters of the Little Company of Mary arrived in 1885 and have since established public and private hospitals, retirement living and residential aged care, community care and comprehensive palliative care in New South Wales, the ACT, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, Queensland (Cairns) and the Northern Territory.

The Little Sisters of the Poor, who follow the charism of Saint Jeanne Jugan to "offer hospitality to the needy aged", arrived in Melbourne in 1884 and now operate four aged care homes in Australia.

Education

By 1833, there were around ten Catholic schools in the Australian colonies. Today one in five Australian students attend Catholic schools. There are over 1700 Catholic schools in Australia with more than 750,000 students enrolled, employing almost 60,000 teachers. Mary MacKillop was a 19th-century Australian religious sister who founded an educational religious institute, the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart. Other Catholic religious institutes involved in education in Australia have included: Sisters of Mercy, Marist Brothers, Christian Brothers, Loreto Sisters, Benedictine Sisters and Jesuits.

As with other classes of non-government schools in Australia, Catholic schools receive funding from the Commonwealth Government. Church schools range from elite, high cost schools (which generally offer extensive bursary programs for low-income students) to low-fee local schools. Notable schools include the Jesuit colleges of St Aloysius and Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview in Sydney, Saint Ignatius' College, Adelaide and Xavier College in Melbourne; the Marist Brothers St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill, the Christian Brothers' High School, Lewisham, the Society of the Sacred Heart's Rosebay Kincoppal School, the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary's Loreto Kirribilli, the Sisters of Mercy's Monte Sant' Angelo Mercy College, the Christian Brothers' St Edmund's College, Canberra and Aquinas College, Perth – however, the list and range of Catholic primary and secondary schools in Australia is long and diverse and extends throughout metropolitan, regional and remote Australia: see Catholic Schools in Australia

The Australian Catholic University opened in 1991 following the amalgamation of four Catholic tertiary institutions in eastern Australia. These institutions had their origins in the 1800s, when religious institutes became involved in preparing teachers for Catholic schools and nurses for Catholic hospitals. The University of Notre Dame Australia opened in Western Australia in December 1989 and now has over 9000 students on three campuses in Fremantle, Sydney and Broome.

Politics

Church leaders have often involved themselves in political issues in areas they consider relevant to Christian teachings. In early Colonial times, Catholicism was restricted but Church of England clergy worked closely with the governors. Early Catholic missionary William Ullathorne criticised the convict system, publishing a pamphlet, The Horrors of Transportation Briefly Unfolded to the People, in Britain in 1837. Sydney's first archbishop, John Bede Polding, was influential in the preparation of the Australian bishops' pastoral letter on Aborigines in 1869 which advocated for Aboriginal rights and dignity. Australia's first Catholic cardinal, Patrick Francis Moran (1830–1911), was politically active. He was a proponent of Australian Federation; he denounced anti-Chinese legislation as "unchristian" and opposed anti-semitism. He became an advocate for women's suffrage and he stood for election to the Australasian Federal Convention in 1897, but in 1901 he refused to attend the inauguration of the Commonwealth of Australia because precedence was given to the Church of England. He alarmed conservatives by supporting trade unionism and "Australian socialism". Archbishop Daniel Mannix of Melbourne was a controversial voice against conscription during World War I and against British policy in Ireland.

Mum (Shirl) Smith, a celebrated Redfern community worker, assisted by the Sisters of Charity, worked in the courts and organised prison visitations, medical and social assistance for Aborigines. Fr Ted Kennedy of Redfern and Fr Frank Brennan, a Jesuit, have been high-profile Catholic priests engaged in the cause of Aboriginal rights.

The Australian Labor Party had largely been supported by Catholics until layman B. A. Santamaria formed the Democratic Labor Party over concerns of Communist influence over the trade union movement in the 1950s.

In 1999, Cardinal Edward Bede Clancy wrote to the then prime minister, John Howard, urging him to send an armed peacekeeping force to East Timor to end the violence engulfing that country. In 2006, an Australian Greens senator, Kerry Nettle, called on the health minister, Tony Abbott, to refrain from debating the abortion drug RU486 because he was Catholic. Cardinal George Pell has concerned himself publicly with traditional issues of Christian doctrine, such as supporting marriage and opposing abortion, but also raised questions about government policies such as the Work Choices industrial relations reforms and the mandatory detention of asylum seekers.

Australia elected its first Catholic prime minister, James Scullin (Australian Labor Party), in 1929, followed by Joseph Lyons, a former Labour Premier of Tasmania (1923–1928) and then prime minister from 1932 to 1939. The war-time prime minister, John Curtin (Labor), was raised Catholic. Ben Chifley (Labor) also served as prime minister from 1945–1951. In recent times, Labor prime ministers Paul Keating (1991–1996) and Kevin Rudd (2007–2010, 2013) were both raised Catholic (though Rudd now identifies as an Anglican). The three of the last fourLiberal Party Leaders of the Opposition, Brendan Nelson, Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull are all Catholics. Tim Fischer, Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the National Party between 1996 and 1999, is a practising Catholic and served as the Australian Ambassador to the Holy See between 2008 and 2012. Kristina Keneally, who studied theology, and Barry O'Farrell are Catholic former Premiers of New South Wales, under the Labor and Liberal parties, respectively.

Arts and culture

Architecture

See also

Most towns in Australia have at least one Christian church. St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney, follows a conventional English cathedral plan, cruciform in shape, with a tower over the crossing of the nave and transepts and twin towers at the west front with impressive stained glass windows. With a length of 106.7 metres (350 ft) and a general width of 24.4 metres (80 ft), it is Sydney's largest church. Built to a design by William Wardell from a foundation stone laid in 1868, the spires of the cathedral were not finally added until the year 2000. Wardell also worked on the design of St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne – among the finest examples of ecclesiastical architecture in Australia. Wardell's overall design was in Gothic Revival style, paying tribute to the mediaeval cathedrals of Europe. Largely constructed between 1858 and 1897, the nave was Early English in style, while the remainder of the building is in Decorated Gothic.

Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, has long been known as the City of Churches. North of Adelaide 130 kilometres (81 mi) is the Jesuit old stone winery and cellars at Sevenhill, founded by Austrian Jesuits in 1848. A rare Australian example of Spanish missionary style exists at New Norcia, Western Australia, founded by Spanish Benedictine monks in 1846. A number of notable Victorian era chapels and edifices were also constructed at church schools across Australia.

Along with community attitudes to religion, church architecture changed significantly during the 20th century. St Monica's Cathedral in Cairns was designed by architect Ian Ferrier and built in 1967–68 following the form of the original basilica model of the early churches of Rome, adapted to a tropical climate and to reflect the changes to Catholic liturgy mandated at Vatican II. The cathedral was dedicated as a memorial to the Battle of the Coral Sea which was fought east of Cairns in May 1942. The "Peace Window" stained glass was installed on the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. In the later 20th century, distinctly Australian approaches were applied at places such as Jamberoo Benedictine Abbey, where natural materials were chosen to "harmonise with the local environment" and the chapel sanctuary is of glass overlooking rainforest. Similar design principles were applied at Thredbo Ecumenical Chapel built in the Snowy Mountains in 1996.

• St Mary's Cathedral, Perth
• New Norcia, Western Australia
• St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne
• Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview
• St Francis Xavier's Cathedral, Adelaide
• The Cathedral of St Stephen, Brisbane
• St Christopher's Cathedral, Canberra
• Mary MacKillop Chapel, in North Sydney
• St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill Chapel, 1940

Film and television

Australian films on Catholic themes have included:

• Molokai: The Story of Father Damien (1999), directed by Paul Cox and starring David Wenham. The film recounts the life of the Belgian Saint Fr Damien of Molokai who devoted his life to the Kalaupapa Leprosy Settlement on the Hawaiian island of Molokai.
• Mary (1994), written and directed by Kay Pavlou and starring Lucy Bell, a biopic recounting the life and works of Mary MacKillop, Australia's first saint of the Catholic Church.
• The Passion of the Christ (2004) was directed and co-written by Australian trained actor-director Mel Gibson (who was raised a Traditionalist Catholic in Australia).

Television programs on Catholic themes have included:

• Brides of Christ (1991), starring Naomi Watts and guest starring Russell Crowe, was a television miniseries produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Set in a Sydney convent school, it dealt with the struggles of both the nuns and the young students to adapt to the many social changes taking place within the church and the outside world during the 1960s.
• The Abbey (2007), an ABC documentary series filmed in the Jamberoo Benedictine Abbey, followed five women from very different backgrounds and with very different views about spirituality as they lived a 33-day program introduction to monastic living devised and implemented by the nuns.

Coverage of religion is part of the ABC's Charter obligation to reflect the character and diversity of the Australian community. Its religious programs include coverage of Catholic (and other) worship and devotion, explanation, analysis, debate and reports. Catholic Church Television Australia is an office with the Australian Catholic Office for Film & Broadcasting and develops television programs for Aurora Community Television on Foxtel and Austar in Australia.

Literature

The body of literature produced by Australian Catholics is extensive. During colonial times, the Benedictine missionary William Ullathorne (1806–1889) was a notable essayist writing against the Convict Transportation system. Later Cardinal Moran (1830–1911), a noted historian, wrote a History of the Catholic Church in Australasia. More recent Catholic histories of Australia include The Catholic Church and Community in Australia (1977) by Patrick O'Farrell and Australian Catholics (1987) by Edmund Campion.

Notable Catholic poets have included Christopher Brennan (1870–1932); James McAuley (1917–1976); Bruce Dawe (born 1930) and Les Murray (1938–2019). Murray and Dawe are among Australia's foremost contemporary poets, noted for their use of vernacular and everyday Australian themes. Emblematic of the Christian poets could be McCauley's rejection of Modernism in favour of Classical culture:

Christ, you walked on a sea

But you cannot walk in a poem,

Not in our century.

There’s something deeply wrong

Either with us or with you.

Many Australian writers have examined the lives of Christian characters, or have been influenced by Catholic schooling. Australia's best-selling novel of all time, The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough, writes of the temptations encountered by a priest living in the Outback. Many contemporary Australian writers have attended or taught at Catholic schools, including Robert Hughes, Nick Enright, Brian Castro, Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner; Gerard Henderson, Miranda Devine, Kimberley Starr, Melina Marchetta, Melvyn Morrow, Justin Fleming, Gerard Windsor and Anh Do.

Catholic news publications in Australia include: The Catholic Weekly from Sydney; The Catholic Leader, published by the Brisbane Archdiocese; and Eureka Street Magazine which is concerned with public affairs, arts, and theology and is run by the communication division of the Jesuit religious order.

Music

St Mary's Cathedral Choir, Sydney, is the oldest musical institution in Australia, from origins in 1817. Major Catholic-raised recording artists from Johnny O'Keefe to Paul Kelly have recorded Christian spirituals. Paul Kelly's Meet Me in the Middle of the Air is based on Psalm 23. Catholic nun Sister Janet Mead achieved significant mainstream chart success. New South Wales Supreme Court Judge George Palmer was commissioned to compose the setting of the Mass for Sydney's World Youth Day 2008 Papal Mass. The Mass, Benedictus Qui Venit, for large choir, soloists and orchestra, was performed in the presence of Pope Benedict XVI and an audience of 350,000 with singing led by soprano Amelia Farrugia and tenor Andrew Goodwin. "Receive the Power", a song written by Guy Sebastian and Gary Pinto, was chosen as the official anthem for the XXIII World Youth Day (WYD08) held in Sydney in 2008.

Australian Christmas carols like the Three Drovers or Christmas Day by John Wheeler and William G. James place the Christmas story in an Australian context of warm, dry Christmas winds and red dust and are popular at Catholic services. As the festival of Christmas falls during the Australian summer, Australians gather in large numbers for traditional open-air evening carol services and concerts in December, such as Carols by Candlelight in Melbourne and Carols in the Domain in Sydney.

Art

The story of Christian art in Australia began with the arrival of the first British settlers at the end of the 18th century. During the 19th century, Gothic Revival cathedrals were built in the colonial capitals, often containing stained glass art works, as can be seen at St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney, and St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne. Roy de Maistre (1894–1968) was an Australian abstract artist who obtained renown in Britain, converted to Catholicism and painted notable religious works, including a series of Stations of the Cross for Westminster Cathedral in London. Among the most acclaimed of Australian painters of Catholic themes was Arthur Boyd. He painted a Biblical series, and created tapestries of the life of St Francis of Assisi. Influenced by both the European masters and the Heidelberg School of Australian landscape art, he placed the central characters of the Bible within Australian bush scenery, as in his portrait of Adam and Eve, The Expulsion (1948). The artist Leonard French, who designed a stained glass ceiling of the National Gallery of Victoria, has drawn heavily on Christian story and symbolism through his career.

Saints and other venerated Australians

Some of the Australians honoured by the Catholic Church to be saints or whose cause for canonisation is still being investigated include:

Saints

• Mary MacKillop, founder of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
  • Venerated: 13 June 1992
  • Beatified: 19 January 1995
  • Canonised: 17 October 2010

Servants of God

• Caroline Chisholm, a married laywoman of the Archdiocese of Canberra-Goulburn
• Eileen Rosaline O'Connor, a laywoman of the Archdiocese of Sydney and founder of the Society of Our Lady's Nurses for the Poor
• Mary Glowrey (Mary of the Sacred Heart), a professed religious of the Society of Jesus Mary Joseph
• Constance Helen Gladman (Mary Rosina), a professed religious of the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.

Other open causes

• Ellen Whitty, a professed religious of the Sisters of Mercy
• Irene McCormack, a professed religious of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart

Organisation

Within Australia the church hierarchy is made of metropolitan archdioceses and suffragan sees. Each diocese has a bishop, while each archdiocese is served by an archbishop. Australia has two living members of the College of Cardinals: the previous Archbishop of Sydney, George Pell (now in jail for a conviction of sexual abuse), and Edward Idris Cassidy.> The national assembly of bishops is the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC), headed by Mark Coleridge, the Archbishop of Brisbane. There are a further 175 autonomous Catholic religious orders operating in Australia, generally affiliated under Catholic Religious Australia, headed by Sr Monica Cavanagh RSJ.

The church in Australia has five provinces: Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. There are seven archdioceses: Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Canberra and Goulburn, and Hobart. It has thirty-five dioceses, comprising geographic areas as well as the Australian Defence Force and dioceses for the Chaldean, Maronite, Melkite and Ukrainian rites. There is also a personal ordinariate for former Anglicans which has a similar status to a diocese. In 2017, there were an estimated 3,000 priests and 9,000 men and women in institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic life.

Australian Catholic Bishops Conference

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference is the national body of the bishops of Australia. The Conference is headed by Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge. It is served by a secretariat, based in Canberra, under the management of the Reverend Brian Lucas. The conference meets at least annually.

Archdioceses and dioceses

• Archdiocese of Adelaide
  • Diocese of Darwin
  • Diocese of Port Pirie
• Archdiocese of Brisbane
  • Diocese of Cairns
  • Diocese of Rockhampton
  • Diocese of Toowoomba
  • Diocese of Townsville
• Archdiocese of Melbourne
  • Diocese of Ballarat
  • Diocese of Sale
  • Diocese of Sandhurst
• Archdiocese of Perth
  • Diocese of Broome
  • Diocese of Bunbury
  • Diocese of Geraldton
• Archdiocese of Sydney
  • Diocese of Armidale
  • Diocese of Bathurst
  • Diocese of Broken Bay
  • Diocese of Lismore
  • Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle
  • Diocese of Parramatta
  • Diocese of Wagga Wagga
  • Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes
  • Diocese of Wollongong
• Immediately subject to the Holy See:
  • Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn (attached to the Province of Sydney)
  • Archdiocese of Hobart (attached to the Province of Melbourne)
  • Catholic Diocese of the Australian Defence Force (attached to Sydney)
  • Chaldean Eparchy of Saint Thomas the Apostle (attached to Sydney)
  • Maronite Diocese of St Maroun (attached to Sydney)
  • Melkite Eparchy of St Michael, Archangel (attached to Sydney)
  • Ukrainian Eparchy of Ss Peter and Paul (attached to Melbourne)
  • Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross
  • St Thomas the Apostle Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Melbourne

Catholic Religious Australia

Australia's autonomous Catholic religious orders are affiliated under Catholic Religious Australia (CRA), which is the public name of the Australian Conference of Leaders of Religious Institutes (ACLRI). This is the peak body for leaders of the religious institutes and societies of apostolic life resident in Australia. It represents more than 130 congregations of sisters, brothers and priests. It is established by the authority of the Holy See in Rome and is tasked with promoting, supporting and representing religious life in the Australian church and in the wider community and with facilitating co-ordination and co-operation of religious with church bodies and with other authorities including with episcopal conferences and with individual bishops. The organisation is presently lead by Josephite Sister Monica Cavanagh.

See also

• Catholic Church by country
• Catholic sexual abuse scandal in Australia
• Christianity in Australia
• List of Catholic cathedrals in Australia
• List of saints from Oceania
• Religion in Australia
• Catholic Church in Asia
• Catholic Church in Europe
• Catholic Church in North America
• Category:Catholic Church in South America

References

1. "2016 Census: B14 Religious Affiliation by Sex". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original on 17 October 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
2. Greg Sheridan; God is Good for You, Allen & Unwin, 2018, p.25.
3. Greg Sheridan; God is Good for You; Allen & Unwin; 2018, p.25-26
4. "2016 Census: Schools, Australia, 2016". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original on 30 January 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
5. ^ "Schools". 4221.0 – Schools, Australia, 2011. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 21 March 2012. Archived from the original on 20 April 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
6. ^ "Catholic Church in Australia". www.catholic.org.au. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
7. ^ "Structure - Catholic Church in Australia". www.catholic.org.au. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
8. Mary MacKillop officially declared a saint; abc.net.au; 18 Oct 2010
9. "Cultural diversity". 1301.0 – Year Book Australia, 2008. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 7 February 2008. Archived from the original on 13 February 2010. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
10. 2016 Census data reveals “no religion” is rising fast; http://www.abs.gov.au
11. "Religious Affiliation (narrow groups)". Cat. No. 2068.0 – 2006 Census Tables. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 June 2007. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
12. Religion in Australia: 2016 Census Data Summary; http://www.abs.gov.au
13. ^ "Special Feature: Trends in religious affiliation". 4102.0 – Australian Social Trends, 1994. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 May 1994. Archived from the original on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
14. "NCLS releases latest estimates of church attendance" (Press release). National Church Life Survey Research. 28 February 2004. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 1 January 2007.
15. "Mass Attendance in Australia".
16. ^ "The Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross". Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
17. ^ "Military Ordinariate of Australia, Military". The Hierarchy of the Catholic Church. 19 February 2011. Archived from the original on 5 February 2007. Retrieved 6 January 2007.
18. "QuickStats". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original on 2 April 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
19. "Biography – Pedro Fernandez de Quiros – Australian Dictionary of Biography". Adb.online.anu.edu.au. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
20. "South Land to New Holland | National Library of Australia". Nla.gov.au. Archived from the original on 14 September 2006. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
21. "Biography – Luis Vaez de Torres – Australian Dictionary of Biography". Adbonline.anu.edu.au. Archived from the original on 15 August 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
22. See extract from La Perouse's journal published in 1799 as; "A Voyage Around the world", pp. 179–180 in Frank Crowley (1980), Colonial Australia. A Documentary History of Australia 1, 1788–1840. 3–4, Thomas Nelson, Melbourne. ISBN 0-17-005406-3
23. David Hill, 1788: The Brutal Truth of the First Fleet
24. King, Robert J (December 1999). "What brought Lapérouse to Botany Bay?". 85, pt.2. Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society: 140–147. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
25. "Christian Services". 26 April 2013. Archived from the original on 12 July 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
26. "Catholic History of Australia :: Botany Bay Story". Web.archive.org. 6 October 2008. Archived from the original on 6 October 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
27. ^ "The Catholic Community in Australia". Catholic Australia. Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
28. ^ "Catholic Encyclopedia: Australia". Newadvent.org. Archived from the original on 1 December 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
29. H. Perkins (1971). "Father Harold: the story of a convict priest". Journal of the Australian Catholic Historical Society. 3 (3): 1–14.
30. "The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales on July 14, 2001 · Page 9". Archived from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
31. Nairn, Bede. "Biography – John Bede Polding – Australian Dictionary of Biography". Adbonline.anu.edu.au. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
32. "Bourke Church Act - National Museum of Australia". www.nma.gov.au. Archived from the original on 28 March 2018. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
33. Iltis, Judith. "Biography – Caroline Chisholm – Australian Dictionary of Biography". Adbonline.anu.edu.au. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
34. "Internet Archive Wayback Machine". Web.archive.org. 6 July 2011. Archived from the original on 1 October 2009. Retrieved 31 July 2012. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
35. "St Vincent's Hospital, history and tradition, sesquicentenary – sth.stvincents.com.au". Stvincents.com.au. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
36. "Sisters of The Good Samaritans". Goodsams.org.au. Archived from the original on 13 March 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
37. "Internet Archive Wayback Machine". Web.archive.org. 26 July 2011. Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 31 July 2012. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
38. A. E. Cahill (16 August 1911). "Biography – Patrick Francis Moran – Australian Dictionary of Biography". Adbonline.anu.edu.au. Archived from the original on 19 December 2009. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
39. "Internet Archive Wayback Machine". 8 June 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2012. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
40. "Catholic news from the parish, the nation and the world". Therecord.com.au. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
41. J. Franklin (2016). "Catholic missions to aboriginal Australia: an evaluation of their overall effect" (PDF). Journal of the Australian Catholic Historical Society. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 December 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
42. "Internet Archive Wayback Machine". Web.archive.org. 16 July 2011. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2012. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
43. "Internet Archive Wayback Machine". Web.archive.org. 6 July 2011. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2012. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
44. "Internet Archive Wayback Machine". 6 July 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2012. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
45. Thorpe, Osmund. "Biography – Mary Helen MacKillop – Australian Dictionary of Biography". Adbonline.anu.edu.au. Archived from the original on 23 February 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
46. ^ A. E. Cahill (16 August 1911). "Biography – Patrick Francis Moran – Australian Dictionary of Biography". Adb.online.anu.edu.au. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
47. A. E. Cahill, "Catholicism and Socialism: The 1905 Controversy in Australia", Journal of Religious History, June 1960, Vol. 1 Issue 2, p88-101
48. Mark Hearn, "Containing 'Contamination': Cardinal Moran and Fin de Siècle Australian National Identity, 1888–1911", Journal of Religious History, March 2010, Vol. 34 Issue 1, pp 20–35
49. Patrick O'Farrell, The Catholic Church and community: an Australian history (1992)
50. ^ Griffin, James. "Biography – Daniel Mannix – Australian Dictionary of Biography". Adbonline.anu.edu.au. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
51. ^ "Fast facts – James Scullin – Fast facts – Australia's Prime Ministers". Primeministers.naa.gov.au. Archived from the original on 26 June 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
52. "Dictionary of Australian Biography L". Gutenberg.net.au. Archived from the original on 26 July 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
53. Brian Carroll; From Barton to Fraser; Cassell Australia; 1978
54. J. Franklin, Calwell, Catholicism and the origins of multicultural Australia, Proc. of the Australian Catholic Historical Society 2009 Conference, 42–54.
55. "1301.0 – Year Book Australia, 2006". Abs.gov.au. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
56. "Daniel Mannix & BA Santamaria | Shane Maloney". The Monthly. Archived from the original on 13 October 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
57. Editors, "Oz's Abbott", The Tablet, 5 November 2009, 21
58. Maiden, Samantha (21 July 2008). "Tim Fischer announced ambassador to the Holy See". The Australian. Archived from the original on 22 September 2008. Retrieved 1 September 2008.
59. "Ministry to those living with HIV/AIDS" (downloadable Word document). Web Archives. Sisters of Charity Australia. 2010. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
60. "Welcome to St Vincents & Mater Health Sydney". St Vincent's and Mater Health Sydney. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
61. ^ Campion, Edmund (19 May 2005). "Obituary: A father to the poor and dispossessed". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
62. "Father Chris Riley". The Drum. Australia: ABC. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
63. Compton, Leon; Tetlow, Miranda (22 March 2010). "Guestroom – Father Bob Maguire" (streaming audio). ABC News. Darwin, Australia. Archived from the original on 20 January 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
64. "Father Bob Maguire presents Sunday Night Safran". Triple J. Australia: ABC. Archived from the original on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
65. "The Journey of the Catholic Church in Australia". Catholic Enquiry Centre. 2009. Archived from the original on 22 April 2008. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
66. Pope John Paul II (30 November 1986). To the Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders in Blatherskite Park (Speech). Alice Springs, Australia. Archived from the original (transcript) on 15 February 2014. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
67. "Towards Healing". Professional Standards Office. Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. 1996. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
68. Pope John Paul II (22 November 2001). "Ecclesia in Oceania". Apostolic exhortation. Rome: Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Archived from the original on 23 April 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
69. "Religion Report". ABC News. Australia. 2007. Archived from the original on 10 September 2011.
70. Totaro, Paola; Gibson, Joel (21 July 2008). "Pope meets abuse victims". The Sydney Morning Herald. AAP. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014.
71. "Pope's apology renews calls for PM to say sorry". European Network for Indigenous Australian Rights. 24 November 2001. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
72. "World Youth Day 2008". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2008. Archived from the original on 31 August 2011. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
73. "World Youth Day 2008". ABC News. Australia. 2008. Archived from the original on 24 February 2010.
74. Bennett, Adam (21 July 2008). "Randwick's turf survives WYD". The Sydney Morning Herald. AAP. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
75. Perry, Michael (19 July 2008). "Factbox: World Youth Day final Mass facts and figures". Reuters. Sydney. Retrieved 20 July 2008.
76. "World Youth Day 2008". Catholic Online. 20 July 2008. Archived from the original on 31 January 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
77. O'Neill, Sharon (21 July 2008). "World Youth Day a logistical success" (transcript). 7.30 Report. Australia. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
78. "Joy for Saint Mary MacKillop". The Sunday Telegraph. Australia. 19 December 2009. Archived from the original on 24 May 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
79. Alberici, Emma (18 October 2010). "Australians celebrate Mary's canonisation". ABC News. Australia. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
80. Alberici, Emma (15 October 2010). "First Australians celebrate first Australian saint". ABC News. Australia. Archived from the original on 19 October 2010. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
81. "Rudd leads delegation to Vatican". Sky News. Australia. 18 October 2010. Archived from the original on 7 January 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
82. "Census: Schools, Australia, 2016". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original on 27 July 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
83. "About Us — Catholic Social Services Australia". www.cssa.org.au. Archived from the original on 14 March 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
84. "Catholic Health Australia: The Sector". Archived from the original on 10 March 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
85. Royal Commission: ANALYSIS OF CLAIMS OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE MADE WITH RESPECT TO CATHOLIC CHURCH INSTITUTIONS IN AUSTRALIA Archived 31 July 2017 at the Wayback Machine; june 2017
86. "Worst Catholic groups for child sex abuse claims in Australia revealed". ABC News. 6 February 2017. Archived from the original on 14 February 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
87. ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "Proportion of priests and non-ordained religious subject to a claim..." www.documentcloud.org. Archived from the original on 6 February 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
88. Gerard Henderson; Media Watch Dog; 18 October 2019
89. "Chisholm's supporters push for sainthood". The Age. Australia. AAP. 24 October 2007. Archived from the original on 15 January 2016.
90. "Opening Mass underway". The Sydney Morning Herald. AAP. 15 July 2008. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014.
91. "Our member organisations". Archived from the original on 2 October 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
92. D.J. Gleeson (2007). "Some themes in Australian Catholic social welfare history". Journal of the Australian Catholic Historical Society. 28: 7–17.
93. Abraham, Gavin. "Nation must respond to looming dementia crisis". Archived from the original on 5 September 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
94. "Internet Archive Wayback Machine". Web.archive.org. 6 July 2011. Archived from the original on 2 April 2010. Retrieved 31 July 2012. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
95. "St Vincent's Hospital, history and tradition, sesquicentenary – sth.stvincents.com.au". Exwwwsvh.stvincents.com.au. Archived from the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
96. "Welcome: Calvary Care". Little Company of Mary Health Care. Archived from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
97. "Little Sisters of the Poor Oceania". Littlesistersofthepoor.org.au. Archived from the original on 28 April 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
98. L. A. Drake. "Biography – Edward Francis Pigot – Australian Dictionary of Biography". Adb.anu.edu.au. Archived from the original on 1 August 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
99. Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. "Modern Slavery in Supply Chains Reporting Requirement". Archived from the original on 21 March 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
100. "Beginnings | Saint Mary MacKillop". Marymackillop.org.au. Archived from the original on 23 March 2010. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
101. The Purple Economy Archived 17 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine by Max Wallace
102. "Our History – ACU (Australian Catholic University)". ACU. 1 January 1991. Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
103. "Notre Dame University Australia – About". Web.archive.org. 6 July 2011. Archived from the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
104. A. T. Yarwood. "Biography – Samuel Marsden – Australian Dictionary of Biography". Adbonline.anu.edu.au. Archived from the original on 8 April 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
105. T. L. Suttor. "Biography – William Bernard Ullathorne – Australian Dictionary of Biography". Adbonline.anu.edu.au. Archived from the original on 28 June 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
106. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 19 May 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
107. "Aboriginal Involvement with the Church". Cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au. Archived from the original on 22 April 2002. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
108. Jones, Philip. "Biography – David Unaipon – Australian Dictionary of Biography". Adbonline.anu.edu.au. Archived from the original on 30 January 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
109. "Civics | Sir Douglas Nicholls". Curriculum.edu.au. 14 June 2005. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
110. "Father Frank Brennan AO – Chair". 152.91.15.57. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
111. "The voluble and the Word: amen to that". The Sydney Morning Herald. 10 October 2009. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
112. "East Timor: Cardinal says international response needed immediately". Catholic News. 7 September 1999. Archived from the original on 11 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
113. "I'll wear ovaries T-shirt again: Nettle". The Sydney Morning Herald. 10 February 2006. Archived from the original on 15 October 2008.
114. Morris, Linda (11 October 2005). "Churches against changes". The Age. Melbourne. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012.
115. Jones, Tony (28 January 2002). "Labor rethinks detention stance". Lateline. Australia: ABC TV. Archived from the original (transcript) on 31 July 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
116. "Arrivederci Rome. Welcome Home Tim Fischer". Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese. 20 January 2012. Archived from the original on 19 March 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
117. Powell, Russell (15 February 2011). "Keneally vs O'Farrell, almost". Sydney Anglicans. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
118. "The New Leader". Stateline (NSW). Australia: ABC TV. 13 April 2007. Archived from the original (transcript) on 17 August 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
119. McDonald, D. I. "Wardell, William Wilkinson (1823–1899)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
120. "The Cathedral". Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne: Saint Patrick's Cathedral. Catholic Communications Melbourne. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
121. "About Sevenhill". Sevenhill Cellars. Archived from the original on 27 February 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
122. "New Norcia Tourism North West Region Western Australia". Discover West Holidays. 2010. Archived from the original on 14 March 2013. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
123. "he Monastery". New Norcia Benedictine Community. 2011. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
124. "Conservation Appeals". National Trust Queensland. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
125. Using the criteria: a methodology (PDF). Queensland Government: Queensland Heritage Council. 2006. p. 6. ISBN 0-9775641-0-X. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 April 2013. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
126. "The Church". Jamberoo Abbey, Benedictine Nuns. 2007. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
127. "Thredbo Weddings". Thredbo Ecumenical Chapel. Archived from the original on 8 May 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
128. "The Abbey". Australia: ABC TV. 2011. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
129. "Editorial Policies Relating to Religion on ABC". Compass. Australia: ABC TV. 2011. Archived from the original on 17 August 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
130. "Who are we?". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 16 September 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
131. "Prominent Australian Catholics". Catholic Australia. Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
132. "Graeme Davisons Paper" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 July 2011.
133. McAuley, James (1994). "In the Twentieth Century (1969)". Collected Poems. Sydney. pp. 242–243.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
134. Austin, Steve; Sennett, Sean (7 October 2005). "Musician Paul Kelly". ABC Queensland. Australia. Archived from the original (streaming audio) on 21 January 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
135. "Australian Idol Wrote World Youth Day Anthem". Famvin.org. 17 May 2007. Archived from the original on 8 July 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
136. "Christmas season celebrations in Australia". About Australia. Australian Government. 16 July 2009. Archived from the original on 8 April 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
137. Robertson, Bryan (29 April 1999). "Obituary: Arthur Boyd". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 4 June 2016.
138. "Internet Archive Wayback Machine". Web.archive.org. 6 June 2011. Archived from the original on 28 September 2009. Retrieved 31 July 2012. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
139. "George Pell: cardinal found guilty of child sexual assault". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
140. "Welcome". Catholic Church in Australia. Archived from the original on 31 October 2011. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
141. "Australian Catholic Bishops Conference". Catholic Church in Australia. Archived from the original on 16 October 2011. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
142. "Catholic Religious Australia". Catholic Religious Australia. Retrieved 10 March 2019.

Further reading

• O'Farrell, Patrick (1977). The Catholic Church and community in Australia: a history. West Melbourne, Australia: Thomas Nelson. p. 463.
• Campion, Edmund (1987). Australian Catholics. Ringwood, Australia: Penguin. p. 280.
• Franklin, James (2006). Catholic Values and Australian Realities. Bacchus Marsh, Australia: Connor Court Publishing. p. 142. ISBN 0-9758015-4-6.
• Brennan, Frank (12 July 2008). "The Australian Religious Landscape through Catholic Eyes, on the Eve of World Youth Day 2008". Eureka Street. Jesuit Communications Australia.

External links

• Catholic Church in Australia's official website
• Australian Catholic Bishops Conference official website
• Website of Patrick O'Farrell, historian of Catholic Australia
• Australian Catholic Historical Society
• "Catholic Church in Australia". Catholic-Hierarchy.
• Official website of the United Ecumenical Catholic church

v t e Catholic Church in Australia
A list of the Catholic dioceses, chapels, churches, and cathedrals in Australia.
Province of Sydney Metropolitan Archdiocese of Sydney Cathedral Church and Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Mother of God, Help of Christians St Philip Howard, Kingston St Anne's, North Bondi St Anne's, Strathfield South St Brigid's, Millers Point St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Paddington Cardinal Cerretti Chapel Garden Island Naval Chapel Mary Immaculate, Waverley Mary Mackillop Memorial Chapel and Museum Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Randwick St Patrick's, The Rocks St Peter Julian's, Sydney Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle Cathedral of the Sacred Heart Diocese of Armidale Cathedral of Saint Mary and Saint Joseph Diocese of Bathurst Cathedral of Saint Michael and Saint John St Mary's, Mudgee Diocese of Lismore Cathedral of Saint Carthage Diocese of Wagga Wagga Cathedral of Saint Michael Our Lady of Pompeii, Yoogali Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes Cathedral of the Sacred Heart St Ignatius, Bourke Diocese of Wollongong Cathedral of Saint Francis Xavier St John Vianney Co-Cathedral St Francis Xavier's, Berrima St John's, Campbelltown St Michael's, Nowra Diocese of Parramatta Cathedral of Saint Patrick St Matthew, Windsor St Thomas Aquinas, Springwood Diocese of Broken Bay Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary
Province of Melbourne Metropolitan Archdiocese of Melbourne Cathedral Church and Minor Basilica of Saint Patrick Our Lady of Victories Basilica, Camberwell Sacred Heart, St Kilda St Ambrose, Brunswick St Ignatius', Richmond St Mary of the Angels, Geelong St Mary's, Williamstown St Mary Star of the Sea, West Melbourne St Francis', Melbourne Diocese of Sale Cathedral of Saint Mary Diocese of Sandhurst Cathedral of the Sacred Heart Diocese of Ballarat Cathedral of Saint Patrick
Province of Brisbane Metropolitan Archdiocese of Brisbane Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Stephen St Stephen's Chapel Corpus Christi, Nundah Our Lady of Victories, Bowen Hills Marist Brothers College, Rosalie Mary Immaculate Church, Annerley Mount Carmel Convent, Wynnum Mount St Mary's Convent, Toowong St Brigid's, Red Hill Church Convent St Brigid's Church, Rosewood St Francis Xavier, Goodna St Ignatius Loyola, Toowong St Mary's, Ipswich St Mary's, Maryborough St Mary's, South Brisbane St Patrick's, Fortitude Valley St Patrick's, Gympie St Patrick's, Mount Perry Diocese of Toowoomba Cathedral of Saint Patrick Our Lady of the Assumption, Warwick First Church Second Church Convent Presbytery St Patrick's, Rosevale Diocese of Cairns St Monica's War Memorial Cathedral Old Cathedral St Monica's Priory/Bishop's House Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Thursday Island St James', Malanda St Joseph's, Cairns St Mary's by the Sea Church, Port Douglas St Patrick's, Yungaburra Diocese of Rockhampton Cathedral of Saint Joseph Old St Patrick's, Brandon Our Lady Star of the Sea, Gladstone Diocese of Townsville Cathedral of the Sacred Heart St Brigid's, Stuart St Joseph's, North Ward St Mary's, Townsville St Patrick's, North Ward St Patrick's, Ravenswood
Province of Perth Metropolitan Archdiocese of Perth Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Pro-Cathedral of Saint John Aquinas College Chapel New Norcia, Western Australia Redemptorist Monastery, North Perth St Brigid's, Perth St Denis, Joondanna St Mary Star of the Sea, Peppermint Grove St Patrick's Basilica, Fremantle St Patrick's, York St John the Baptist, Toodyay St John the Baptist, Toodyay (1863–1963) St Joseph's, Subiaco Diocese of Broome Cathedral of Our Lady Queen of Peace Diocese of Bunbury Cathedral of Saint Patrick Diocese of Geraldton Cathedral of Saint Francis Xavier
Province of Adelaide Metropolitan Archdiocese of Adelaide Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Francis Xavier St Augustine's, Salisbury St Ignatius' Church, Norwood St Patrick's, Adelaide Diocese of Port Pirie Cathedral of Saint Mark Diocese of Darwin Cathedral of Saint Mary, Star of the Sea Christ the King, Tennant Creek
Immediately subject to the Holy See Archdiocese of Hobart Cathedral of Saint Mary Church of the Apostles, Launceston Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn Cathedral of Saint Christopher St Peter and Paul's, Goulburn Christ the King, Taralga Military Ordinariate of Australia Cathedral of Saint Christopher as Principal Church Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross Principal Parish of St Bede the Venerable
Immediately subject to a patriarch or major archbishop Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Ss Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul Maronite Catholic Eparchy of St Maroun Cathedral of Saint Maroun Melkite Catholic Eparchy of St Michael Cathedral of Saint Michael and All the Angels Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of St Thomas St Thomas the Apostle Chaldean Catholic Church (Seat of the Eparch's Cathedra) Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of St Thomas St Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Church (Seat of the Eparch's Cathedra)
Catholicism portal

• Catholic Church in Australia
• Catholic Church by country
• Catholic Church in Oceania