History - Central Deanery Brisbane

1824 - 1859		From Penal Colony Diocese
1824		The penal colony of Moreton Bay is established.
1842		Brisbane is declared open for free settlement.
		The newly-ordained Fr James Hanly is appointed first parish priest of Brisbane.
1845		The first Catholic school in Brisbane is commenced by two lay people, Mary and Michael Bourke, on the site of the current Myer Centre in Elizabeth Street.
1848		Foundation stone of old St Stephen's church laid.
1850		St Stephen's opened.
1859		Brisbane becomes a diocese. James Quinn named the first Bishop. St Stephen's thus becomes a cathedral.
1860 -1881		Bishop James Quinn
1861		Bishop James Quinn arrives in Brisbane on 10 May.
		Mercy Sister, Mother Mary Vincent Whitty arrives in Australia from Ireland in May.
		All Hallows' School for Girls established by the Sisters of Mercy.
1863		Foundation stone of new St Stephen's cathedral laid on 26 December.
1869		The Congregation of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart arrive in Queensland on at the invitation of Bishop James Quinn on 31 December.
1870		The Josephites begin teaching in St Mary's School, South Brisbane.
1874		New St Stephen's Cathedral opened. Old St Stephen's is now used as a school, first by the Christian Brothers, then by the Sisters of Mercy.
		St Kilian's minor established seminary on current St Laurence's site.
1875		Three Christian Brothers opened their first school in Queensland on 5 July, in the old St Stephen's Church, with 26 boys enrolled.
		The foundation stone of St Jospeh’s, Gregory Terrace, is laid on 18 September
1876		The Christian Brothers take up residence at Gregory Terrace; the building also had a large room used for teaching.
1879		The Christian Brother's school at St Stephen's is closed.
1880		The Josephites leave Queensland after dispute with Bishop Quinn.
1881		James Quinn dies. Robert Dunn made bishop.
1881 - 1917		Bishop Robert Dunne
1882		Old St Brigid's Red Hill church blessed and opened on 30 December
1886		Foundation stone of old Holy Cross Church, Wooloowin, laid on 14 March.
1888		Old Holy Cross Church, Wooloowin, blessed and opened on 11 August.
1887		Boarders residence at Gregory Terrace completed.
		Brisbane becomes Archdiocese; Robert Dunne becomes Archbishop.
1889		St Kilian's destroyed by fire.
1890		Holy Cross School was opened in on the corner of Chalk and Morris Streets, Wooloowin, run by the Sisters of Mercy.
1891		Gregory Terrace boarding school moved to Nudgee.
		Archbishop's residence, Dara, demolished and a new residence built on the site. The original house had served as Archbishop’s residence since the 1860s.
1892		A separate building for St Stephen’s school is erected. (It has since been restored and is now used for the cathedral offices.)
		Foundation stone laid at St Mary's Church, South Brisbane on 23 September
1893		St Mary's Church, South Brisbane, blessed and opened on 2 July.
1906		The first Mater Hospital is opened in a North Quay building called 'Aubigny': a private hospital accommodating 20 beds.
1907		Old Sacred Heart church, Rosalie, blessed and opened on 23 June.
1908		Construction of the Mater Private Hospital on Mater Hill begins.
1910		The Mater Private Hospital is opened.
1911		Mater Public Hospital is opened.
1912		Foundation stone of St Brigid's, Red Hill, laid on 5 May
		James Duhig made coadjudtor
1914		St Brigid's Church, Red Hill, dedicated and opened on 19 August
1915		St Laurence's school opened.
1917		Foundation stone Sacred Heart Church, Rosalie, laid on 17 June
		Robert Dunne dies. James Duhig becomes Archbishop of Brisbane
1918 - 1938		Between the Wars
1918		Sacred Heart Church, Rosalie, blessed and opened on 16 June.
1919		Foundation stone of current Our Lady of Victories Church, Bowen Hills, laid on 24 August. It will be another 8 years before the church is complete, during which the school is built, and used also as the church.
1920		Herston Parish established in July. William McGoldrick PP.
		Old St Joan of Arc Church, Herston, opened in December
1921		Foundation stone of Our Lady of Victories School laid on 18 September. The building is blessed and opened on 13 November and will be used also as the Church until 1927.
		Foundation stone of original St Finbarr’s church & school, Ashgrove, is laid on 14 August.
1922		Transepts and new sanctuary for St Stephen's are opened.
1923		Ashgrove Parish established. Fr Thomas Laylor PP
1924		Presentation sisters convent is established in Herston
		St Joan of Arc school, Herston, opens, under the care of the Presentation Sisters.
1925		Bardon House, built in 1863, is acquired by the Catholic Church.
		St Finbarr’s school, Ashgrove, is established at present Mt St Michael’s site under the care of Sisters of Charity. The convent is established on the same site. On 3 May the Church is blessed and opened: it is also intended to be the school, but the school will not move in for another 2 years.
1926		The old St Mary Magdalene's Church, Bardon, blessed and opened on 7 November.
1927		St Finbarr’s school, Ashgrove, moves to present site.
		Our Lady of Victories Church, Bowen Hills, blessed and opened on 24 April.
		Foundation stone of Holy Spirit Church, New Farm, laid on 5 June.
		Dara demolished to make way for Holy Name Cathedral.
1928		Newmarket parish established. Fr Brian Bolton PP.
		Grantuly College, later to be called Mt St Michael's College, established at Ashgrove under the care of the sisters of Charity.
		Holy Name cathedral foundation stone laid on 16 September. The cathedral is never built.
1929		The foundation stone of the old St Ambrose's Church laid on 7 April. The church opened on 7 July. (It is intended to be used as a school and also temporarily as the church; but it turns out it will never be used as the school, and will remain as the church for over 40 years.)
1930		Holy Spirit Church, New Farm, opens on 1 June.
		Holy Spirit, school, New Farm is established, under the care of the Sisters of Mercy on 7 July. Sr Mary Benigna is the first principal.
1931		Mater Children's Public Hospital opened
1935		Holy Name cathedral crypt completed, and used for worship.
1936		St Ambrose’s school, Newmarket, built and opened, run by Good Samaritan sisters. The convent is established.
		St John's Wood parish established, under the care of the Marist Fathers.
		Foundation stone of St Luke's Church, Buranda, laid on 20 December.
1937		Old St Bernard's Church, Bardon, blessed and opened.
		Holy Spirit school, New Farm, moves to current site.
		The foundation stone of Mater Dei church, St John's Wood, laid on 18 April.
		St Luke's Church, Buranda, blessed and opened on 11 April.
		Mater Dei church, St John's Wood, opened on 18 July .
1939 - 1945		World War II
1939		During World War II, St Laurence's College taken over by the Army
1940		Marist College Ashgrove established. Brother Ignatius first Headmaster.
1941		Grantuly college renamed as Mt St Michael's College.
1946 - 1962
1949		Bishop Patrick Mary O’Donnell made coadjutor.
1951		Mater Dei school, St John's Wood, opened, under the care of the Sisters of Charity.
1952		Dorrington parish established. Fr Sam Hunter first parish priest.
1953		Old St Michael's Church, Dorrington, blessed and opened on 21 June.
1955		Foundation stone of St Finbarr's church laid on 25 September.
1957		New St Finbarr’s church, Ashgrove, opens on 17 March.
1958		Holy Cross School, Wooloowin opened on its present location in Morris Street.
1960		Mater Mothers' public and private hospitals open.
1962 - 1965		Vatican II
1962		Second Vatican Council commences on 11 October.
		Mater Dei, St John's wood, convent opened on 12 December. The convent closed 12 years later and the sisters moved to the Sisters of Charity convent at Ashgrove.
1963		New St Joan of Arc church, Herston opened.
1965		Death of James Duhig; Patrick O’Donnell becomes Archbishop
1966 - 1973		Archbishop Patrick O'Donnell
1968		St Joan of Arc school, Herston, closes.
1970		New Herston presbytery is blessed. It houses the hospital chaplains as well as the parish priest of Herston.
		New building for St Finbarr’s school, Ashgrove, opens.
1972		First Mass in new St Ambrose’s church, Newmarket.
		Society of Christ arrive in Brisbane to take over responsibility for the Bowen Hills parish. Our Lady of Victories church has already been a centre for the Polish community for many years.
		St Peter Chanel School, The Gap, opened on 28 August. Mass celebrated here for 8 years until St Peter Chanel Church opens.
1973		Archbishop Patrick O’Donnell retires. Francis Rush becomes Archbishop.
		New St Ambrose’s, Church, Newmarket is blessed and officially opened.
1974 - 1990		Archbishop Francis Rush
1975		First lay principal at St Ambrose’s school, Newmarket.
		New St Michael's Church, Dorrington is opened on 17 May.
1976		The first lay principal, Holy Cross School, Wooloowin: Mr Pat Carter.
1977		Good shepherd sisters withdraw from St Ambrose's school, Newmarket.
1980		First Mass at St Peter Chanel church, The Gap on 21 December .
1981		Sisters of Charity withdraw from St Finbarr’s school, Ashgrove.
		St Peter Chanel Church, The Gap, blessed on 1 February.
1985		Holy Name cathedral site sold.
1988		Renovations on St Stephen's cathedral begin
1989		Renovated St Stephen's cathedral reopened.
1991 to present		Archbishop John Bathersby
1991		John Bathersby becomes Archbishop.
1993		First lay principal Gregory Terrace.
		New Mater Private Hospital opened.
1994		First lay principal of Mt St Michael's College, Ashgrove, Narelle Mullins.
1998		Mater private children's hospital opened.
		In July, Fr Pat Tynan, administrator of Herston, is appointed administrator of Newmarket also.
		The Sisters of Charity finish their ministry at Mt St Michael’s, but retain ownership of the school.
2000		Church celebrates Year of Great Jubilee. July Fr Clem Hodge appointed PP of Ashgrove in July, and continues as administrator of Herston and Newmarket.
2004		New deaneries established on 11 April. The Central Deanery comprises 15 Parishes.
2005		Fr Anthony Mellor appointed administrator of Ashgrove, Bardon, Herston, Newmarket, Red Hill and Rosalie in January. The six parishes later become known collectively as Jubilee.