William Bernard Ullathorne and the foundation of Australian Catholicism 1815-1840

Abstract

William Bernard Ullathorne was Vicar General of New South Wales from 1832 to 1841. While Catholics had arrived in the First Fleet in 1788, it was not until the 1830s that the church's ministerial structure was put on a permanent footing. In order to place the decade of the 1830s in context, I have outlined the early history of Catholicism in Australia and examined why Fathers Therry and Conolly failed to put down permanent roots. The thesis then goes on to argue that Ullathorne was the key person in establishing permanent ecclesiastical structures. The Catholic Church had begun in Australia in 1820 as an official convict chaplaincy. Church-state relationships were of fundamental importance. It was Ullathorne who negotiated a working relationship with the colonial government of New South Wales. The thesis argues that his success in Australia was based on his own clerical professionalism. The professional clergyman was a newly emerging species in the 19th century. After outlining his early life and experience, the emphasis shifts to the reasonably sound priestly formation he received at Downside Abbey. It was there that he imbibed a definite conception of the role of the clergyman in society. The function of the priest was to re-enforce Christian morals through the supervision of the Catholic community, to celebrate the rites of transition and to support the faith of Catholics through the evolution of a sense of identity. Much of his achievement in Australia is based on this sense of mission and the practicality of his personality. His writings, both polemical and apologetic, helped Catholics in New South Wales gain a sense of identity. By casting Catholics in the role of the persecuted underdog, he helped the church community define itself over and against the other groups that made up the fabric of Australian society. This was re-enforced by the 'Irishness' of Catholicism. His willingness to enter into controversy with other church leaders also helped in the development of a sense of identity. Tragically inter-church controversy quickly led to the blight of sectarianism. Despite his professionalism and his willing co-operation with government, he did not always conform to the prevailing attitudes. His close contact with the realities of convict transportation and assignment eventually led him to oppose the whole system. He saw it as a complete failure. The thesis argues that Ullathorne emerged from 1835 onwards as a major social critic in New South Wales. This led to his nickname "the Agitator General"! I have already mentioned the 'Irishness' of the Australian Catholic Church. After a recruiting drive in Europe and the United Kingdom (1836-1838), he recognised that the church was not only made up of Irish laity, but that the vast majority of the clergy would also be Irish. He immediately perceived the injustice of the Australian Church being ruled by English monks. Archbishop Polding of Sydney could never face this. Ullathorne's realisation of the 'Irishness' of the Australian church led him to leave New South Wales in 1840. But his interest in and influence on the Australian church did not cease with his departure. Within five years of leaving he had refused five Australian bishoprics. He became the Roman Curia's major source of information and advice on Australian affairs, especially in the 1859 crisis in Sydney. Despite neglect by historians he is, without a doubt, a pivotal figure in the foundation of Australian Catholicism. Show more