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FIRST CATHOLIC SCHOOL
A lay couple Mary and Michael Bourke established the first catholic school funded entirely by money collected from local catholic settlers. It was on the site of the current Myer Centre in Elizabeth Street. -
FIRST PERMANENT CATHOLIC CHURCH
Brisbane had its first permanent church, St Stephen's. It was designed by A W Pugin and built from 1849 to 1850 by Alexander Goold and Andrew Petrie. It is also known as Pugin Chapel. Briabane was still a young town and it was one of the grandest buildings of the time. It is also one of Brisbane's oldest buildings.It still stands today in Brisbane's CBD next to the current Cathedral. -
SAINT STEPHEN'S BECAME A CATHEDRAL
In 1859, with the appointment of Bishop James Quinn, Brisbane became a diocese and the church a cathedral. When the new cathedral was opened in 1874 this church became a school room. -
FIRST CATHOLIC SECONDARY SCHOOL
In 1861 six Sisters of Mercy stepped off a small boat in the Brisbane River to begin a new life in a strange land. They were led by Mother Vincent Whitty who left Ireland in 1860. They established the first catholic secondary school, All Hallows. -
FIRST CATHOLIC PRIEST IN BRISBANE
Bishop James Quinn, 5 priests and a 6 Irish Sisters of Mercy boarded a ship to Brisbane. Bishop Quinn was the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Brisbane. When they arrived they were surprised by the poverty of the mostly Irish population. They committed to raising the economic and social statis of Catholics through education. -
ST JAMES SCHOOL WAS OPENED
The Saint James School for Boys was established, staffed entirely by lay staff. St. James, the oldest Catholic boys school in Queensland, was indeed one of the first three schools established in the colony of Moreton Bay, in 1868. This was a time long before Federation, before the identities of the city of Brisbane or the state of Queensland were developed. -
BISHOP QUINN'S DEATH
Following Bishop Quinn's death, Robert Dunne became the new Bishop of Brisbane who in 1887 became the first Archbishop of the Diocese of Brisbane. -
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ARCHBISHOP DUNNE'S DEATH
After Archbishop Dunne's death, Archbishop James Duhig came in 1917. He invested in large tracks of land so new Catholic schools could be built. By 1930 Archbishop Duhig had built 28 brand new schools for Catholic Education. -
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THE GREAT DEPRESSION
The Great Depression was a hard time for Catholic Education. There was a lack of teachers, growing classes and economic challenges. Some schools lowered or even got rid of their fees so poor families could still get quality Catholic Education. Surprisingly no schools were shut down at the time. -
DIOCESE INSPECTOR
In 1943 Father Bernard O'Shea was appointed diocesan inspector for Catholic Education. The role renamed in 1948 as the Diocesan Director of Catholic Education. -
EMPLOYMENT OF LAY STAFF
Catholic Education continued to struggle with all the funding for schools coming from parents and parishes. The number of religious orders also began to decline so the employment of lay staff began. -
FIRST AUSTRALIAN-BORN ARCHBISHOP
The first Australian born archbishop, Francis Robert Rush was appointed in 1973. He retired at age 75 in 1991 and later died in 2001, age 84. -
FIRST LAY DIRECTOR OF CATHOLIC EDUCATION
After 40 years as Director of Catholic Education Father Bernard O'Shea was replaced by the first lay director Vince O'Rourke. -
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PRESENT FUNDING
Brisbane archdiocese and schools are funded by a combination of State and Commonwealth government contributions as well as fees from families and other resources. -
PRESENT
There are now over 74,000 students and over 150 schools.
