'Parish priest of New South Wales': Some new insights
John Joseph Therry-one of the first Catholic priests officially sanctioned by English authorities to minister in penal New South Wales-arrived with his superior, Fr Philip Conolly, into Botany Bay on 3 May 1820. For the next forty- four years, Therry's zealous ministry extended across New South...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Informit
2024
|
| In: |
The Australasian Catholic record
Year: 2024, Volume: 101, Issue: 2, Pages: 131-149 |
| Further subjects: | B
Insight; Testing
B Priesthood; Catholic Church B New South Wales B Catholic Church B Parishes; Administration |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | John Joseph Therry-one of the first Catholic priests officially sanctioned by English authorities to minister in penal New South Wales-arrived with his superior, Fr Philip Conolly, into Botany Bay on 3 May 1820. For the next forty- four years, Therry's zealous ministry extended across New South Wales, Port Philip, and Van Diemen's Land, up until his death at Balmain, Sydney, in 1864. Described as the 'Founder of the Catholic Church in Australia' and 'Parish Priest of New South Wales', Therry has been subject to hagiographic treatment by clerics, including Eris O'Brien (1922), Aubrey Gwynn (1924), John Eddy SJ (1967), Leo O'Mahony (1973), and John McSweeney (2000).There has been a tendency to understate Therry's erratic temperament because of the alleged persecution of Catholics-including Therry-by colonial governors and officials. Few historians have examined Therry in a more balanced manner, the two main exceptions being James Waldersee and Tasmanian scholar, Fr W.T. Southerwood. Therry's recidivist tendency for insubordination and excessive mischief-making led Patrick O'Farrell to remark that Therry's life was 'stunted and half wasted in faction and dispute'. Apart from analysis of the fourteen-year-long torrid dispute about the finances surrounding St Joseph's Church, Hobart, there has been little examination of Therry's extensive business and property endeavours in the penal colony of New South Wales and their implications for the development of Catholicism as well as his reputation as a Catholic priest. This article, drawing on unpublished primary sources-the Therry Papers held at the State Library of New South Wales (SLNSW), and manuscripts held at the State Library of Victoria (SLV) and the Jesuit Provincial Archives (JPA)-provides new insights into Fr Therry, his education and family, business dealings, and his convoluted and controversial estate. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0727-3215 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: The Australasian Catholic record
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.3316/informit.T2024061800011600954346225 |