Arrival & Establishment of Christianity In Australia

Anglican Church in Australia was called the Church of England in Australia King Henry VIII

1788 Arrival of the First Fleet About 1/3 of the convicts were Catholic Reverend Richard Johnson ( ) was the first chaplain He arrived with the First Fleet

1792 and 1796 Petitions for a Catholic Priest were ignored by the British colonial authorities

1803 The earliest recorded Catholic Mass was celebrated by the Irish Priest Father James Dixon ( ) He had been transported for allegedly encouraging the Irish Rebellion of 1798 Irish Rebellion

1804 Father Dixon lost his official permission to celebrate Mass in public because he was suspected of complicity in the convict uprising at Castle Hill. All Catholic convicts were again compelled to attend Anglican services Uprising at Castle Hill

1809 The Ebenezer Presbyterian Church was built on the banks of the Hawkesbury River, under the leadership of a layman, James Mein. Ebenezer Presbyterian Church

1810 Australia’s first group of Congregationalists met and conducted services in the schoolroom of William Pascoe Crook. William Pascoe Cook

1812 Methodist meetings started

1815 The Methodist Reverend Samuel Leigh arrived from the British Wesleyan Methodist Conference to conduct services.

1818 The Church and State were formally recognised as separate and independent institutions within the colony

1820 Catholic Priests were allowed to settle and conduct services in the colony Fathers John Therry and Philip Connolly arrived in Sydney Connolly then went to Hobart Father John Therry

1820 & 1821 A Methodist Church was established in Hobart (1820) A Methodist Church was established in Sydney (1821)

1823 The Presbyterian Reverend Lang arrived in Sydney and Reverend Macarthur arrived in Hobart.

1824 The first Presbyterian communion service was celebrated in the Ebenezer Church. It remains the oldest Australian church still in use today.

Prior to 1834 Australian Catholics were under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Mauritius

183 4 Authority over Australian Catholics was given to Bishop Bede Polding, based in Sydney The Baptist Church is established in Sydney

1838 The Lutherans first arrive from Germany and set up in Queensland and South Australia

Baptist Church is established in: Launceston (1839) Adelaide (1840) Melbourne (1841)

1850 Sydney saw the establishment of the first Unitarian Group.

1851 Missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) arrived in Sydney. Within a few short years there were Mormon missions in all colonies.

1880 Local people in Adelaide formed the first Salvation Army Corps

1885 The first Australian Cardinal was appointed in Sydney and he became the head of the Catholic Church in Australia. Some Seventh-Day Adventists came to Melbourne from the USA.

189 6 The First Greek Orthodox priest arrived from Samos to conduct services in Melbourne and Sydney A Greek Orthodox Icon

1898 First Christian Scientist service in Australia was held at Melbourne. The first Orthodox Church was built in Surry Hills (NSW), by Greek and Lebanese Christians, with assistance from Church of England clergy.

1904 The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (Jehovah’s Witnesses) set up its first branch in Melbourne.