WYD Pilgrim Booklet

A Reflection:

150 Years of the

Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle

May the road rise up to meet you

May the wind be always at your back

May the sun shine warm upon your face

The rains fall soft upon your fields

And until we meet again

May God hold you in the palm of His hand

An Irish Blessing

An Invitation to Reflect

This booklet has been designed to help pilgrims from the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle to reflect prayerfully on the Catholic heritage of this place in our country.

It is intended that this booklet will help to stir up “the voice of the Spirit” in the minds of its readers - whether through seeing the historical images of our past or reading the insights from key sources of wisdom in our global church.

To encourage this, each page has a space allocated in which brief comments and personal reflections can be recorded.

It is hoped that each pilgrim will take time to sit with the content in this booklet; slowly connect with the story of our diocese celebrating its 150 years, and then continue to imagine how they might contribute to the mission of the diocese in the future.

Some questions readers might like to contemplate include:

How do I fit into the story of this diocese?

What might God be inviting me to do at this time?

What kind of picture would I like to be in when the diocese reaches its 200 years celebrations?

The members of the 150 Years Celebrations committee, wish you a safe and meaningful pilgrimage, and the prayers of our diocesan community go with you on your journey.

2008 World Youth Day Pilgrims Arrival, Kilaben Bay.

A Brief Historical Timeline (1821 -1995)

1821-Father Connolly visited Newcastle and Port Macquarie.

1830-At East Maitland, St. Joseph's Church built by Rev. Father Therry (stone). First church built north

of Sydney.

1835-October 25. Father James Watkins arrived in East Maitland as first resident priest.

1838-Parochial district of Newcastle established and Father Dowling transferred to Newcastle to become

first resident priest there.

1841-Dean Lynch began building St John the Baptist Cathedral.

1846-St John the Baptist Cathedral completed and opened.

1847-Diocese of Maitland established as Titular See of the Coadjutor to the Archbishop of Sydney.

1848-Consecration of Bishop Charles Henry Davis, O. S. B.

1854-Death of Right Rev. Dr. Davis, Titular Bishop of East Maitland.

1864-Foundation of first Convent of Nuns (Good Shepherd) in West Maitland -situated in eastern end

of High Street.

1865-November 14. Consecration of the Right Rev. Dr. Murray, Bishop of Maitland.

1866-April 14. Diocese of Maitland established.

1866-November 1. Dr. Murray arrived in Diocese of Maitland and took possession of St. John

Baptist Church, West Maitland, as Cathedral.

1873- Bishop Murray took possession of the Newcastle end of his Diocese from the Archdiocese of

Sydney.

1873-Consecration of Diocese to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Rosary Sunday.

1873-First Diocesan Synod celebrated to promulgate Decrees of the Provincial Council of Melbourne.

1875-At Hamilton, Sacred Heart church opened (brick).

1875-At Campbell's Hill, foundation of the Sacred Heart College for Boys. Bishop Murray established

residence there.

1882-At Singleton, foundation of Redemptorist Fathers from Clapham, England. First mission preached

in Australia at Lambton and Wallsend.

1883-December 23. Father James Flynn ordained at Maitland by Dr. Murray. He was the first native of

the Diocese of Maitland to become one of its Diocesan priests; trained at St. Charles' Seminary,

Bathurst.

1883-At Lochinvar, foundation of the Sisters of St. Joseph from Bathurst.

1883-At West Maitland, Bishop's House erected at a cost of £4,000.

1884-Parochial district of Hamilton established.

1885-January 5. At Merriwa, Sisters of St. Joseph opened their first branch foundation.

1887-Diocese reduced in size by exclusion of Coonamble, Gunnedah and Tamworth districts.

1897-June 6. At West Maitland, Rev. P. V. Dwyer consecrated Coadjutor Bishop to Dr. Murray by

Cardinal Moran in St. John's Cathedral.

1909-August 8. Opening and blessing of the completed Mother house of the Sisters of Mercy at

Singleton by His Eminence Cardinal Moran.

1917-October 2. The Bishop of Maitland consecrated the new altar in the Church of the Dominican

Convent, West Maitland. He was assisted in the ceremony by seven of the local clergy. This was

the first fixed altar to be consecrated in the Diocese.

1921-December 8. The Mater Misericordiae Hospital at Waratah was opened for the reception of

patients by the Sisters of Mercy from Singleton.

1929-September 15. In St. John's Cathedral, West Maitland-Consecration of the Right Rev. Edmund

Gleeson, C.Ss.R. , as Titular Bishop of Vatarba and Coadjutor to the Bishop of Maitland.

Consecrator, Most Rev. Michael Kelly, Archbishop of Sydney.

1931-October 1. First publication of the "Sentinel." First editor: Very Rev. J. O'Donoghue.

1933-August 13. At East Maitland, last Mass said in the original St. Joseph's Church, the oldest church in

Australia.

1933-November 19. At East Maitland, foundation stone of new St. Joseph's Church blessed and laid by

Bishop Gleeson.

1938-February 16-20. At Newcastle, Regional Missionary and Eucharistic Congress held.

1941-September 12. At Hamilton, Sacred Heart Church consecrated by Bishop Gleeson.

1948-April 4. At Maitland, Rev. John Toohey was consecrated Co-adjutor Bishop of Maitland by His

Eminence, Cardinal GiIroy.

1955-February 25.At Maitland major flood in Hunter River. Water entered Bishop's House and

Pro-Cathedral (depth four feet) for first time; Dominican Convent Chapel (11 feet).

1966-January 1. By special Brief of Holy See, the parishes of Belmont, Boolaroo, Morisset, Swansea and Toronto were transferred from the Archdiocese of Sydney to the Diocese of Maitland.

1968-Publication of the closing issue of the Sentinel.

1989-Pro-Cathedral suffered damage as a result of an earthquake and was closed. It was decided to convert the Pro-Cathedral to its former use as a hall and re-open St John’s as a Chapel for the Central Maitland area.

1994-Bishop Leo Clarke conducted a ceremony of the Dedication of a Church and thus St John’s became a Chapel for the area.

1995-Sisters of Mercy Convent at Hamilton and former Sacred Heart Parish Primary School, Hamilton, were purchased and consolidated into the diocesan administration offices.

1995-June 14. By Papal Brief, the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle was created.

1995-July 16. Sacred Heart Church in Hamilton became the Sacred Heart Cathedral.

1996-First issue of “Aurora” published.

Map of the Diocese

Bishop Murray

Our Bishops

Bishop James Murray, 1865-1909 Bishop Patrick Vincent Dwyer, 1909-1931

Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight;

I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations.

Isaiah 42:1

Bishop Edmund Gleeson, CSsR, 1931-1956 Bishop John Toohey, 1956-1975

God has created me to do some definite service;

God has committed some work to me which has not been committed to another…

I am a link in a chain, a bond of connections between persons.

God has not created me for naught. I shall do good, I shall do God’s work…

If I do but keep the commandments and serve God in my calling.

John Henry Newman

Bishop Michael Malone, 1995-2011

Bishop William Wright, 2011-ongoing

Bishop Leo Morris Clarke, 1976-1995

Our Chancellors

Sr Beverly Zimmerman rsj, 2004-2012

Sr Patricia Egan rsj, 1994-2003

I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a

stone across the waters to create many ripples.

Mother Teresa

New Beginnings

1886 Sisters of Saint Joseph (RSJ) Arriving at Merriwa Convent.

1908 Sisters of Saint Joseph (RSJ)

Convent at Wingham.

I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day.

Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, 3

The Influence of the Religious

1909 Sisters of Mercy (RSM) Opening of Convent at Singleton.

Seek first the kingdom of God. (Mt 6:33)

The Kingdom of God is like a treasure hidden in a field (Mt13), like a net that

gathers fish of every kind (Mt 20:1) ... The blind see, the deaf hear, the sick are

healed, the hungry are fed, the lowly are exalted, the mourners are comforted,

prisoners are set free ... The Kingdom of God is within you. (Lk 17:21 )

First Theological Principle, Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle

If you are what you should be, then you will set the world on fire.

Saint Catherine of Siena

5 February 1961 Our Lady Help of Christians, Boolaroo Opening of Church Large Group of Clergy and Nuns.

The People

c. 1900 Sacred Heart College, Campbell’s Hill Bishop Murray Memorial Orphanage, Crowd.

All baptised in Christ, you have all clothed yourselves in Christ.

Galatians 3:27

5 March 1922

Laying of foundation stone and blessing of Sisters of St Joseph Convent and school at Taree.

5 March 1922

Blessing of new school and convent at Taree

Group of visiting and local priests, Bishop PV Dwyer of Maitland,

Bishop J W Dwyer of Wagga Wagga and Church Committee.

Jesus has shown me the only way that leads to the fire of divine love. It is that of a little

child who, full of trust, falls asleep in its father’s arms.

Saint Therese of Lisieux

1938

Eucharistic Congress, Newcastle, aerial view.

Every form of catechesis would do well to attend to the “way of beauty” (via pulchritudinis).

Proclaiming Christ means showing that to believe in and to follow him is not only something right

and true, but also something beautiful, capable of filling life with new splendour and profound

joy, even in the midst of difficulties.

Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, 167

1955

Flood, Newcastle Street, East Maitland.

But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!

Amos 5:24

c. 1940s

St Patrick’s Day, Maitland, Sports and Maypole events.

We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures:

We are the sum of the Father’s love for us and our

real capacity to become the image of his Son.

Saint Pope John Paul II

1966 Diocesan Centenary, Maitland

Aerial view of crowd.

1966 Diocesan Centenary, Maitland

Altar in showground.

The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the people of this age, especially

those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and

anxieties of the followers of Christ.

Pope Paul VI, Gaudium et Spes, 1

c. 1950

St John’s Hall Maitland with St Mary’s High School girls.

Formation is not the privilege of a few but the right and duty of all ...

Possibilities of formation should be proposed to all, especially the poor who

can be a source of formation for all.

Pope John Paul II, Christifideles Laici, 63

1993

Diocesan Synod discussion, Maitland.

Discernment of the Spirit ... listens to others so as to learn, is sensitive to all approaches,

encourages collaboration rather than competition and aims not at majority vote but consensus.

It recognises that each participant has a part of the truth and a share of the wisdom by reason

of each one's unique experience of God in life, union with Christ and gifts of the Spirit. The

process also recognises the right of each person to contribute his or her part without which the

whole picture will not be presented and the whole wisdom of the Spirit will not be available.

Archbishop F Carroll, Canberra-Goulburn Synod, 1989.

How lovely is your dwelling place,

O Lord of hosts!

My soul longs, indeed it faints

for the courts of the Lord;

my heart and my flesh sing for joy

to the living God.

Psalm 84:1-2

St John’s Cathedral, West Maitland.

c. 1900

Immaculate Conception Church, Morpeth.

Our Buildings

Buchanan Church

The world promises you comfort, but you were not made for comfort.

You were made for greatness.

Pope Benedict XVI

Sacred Heart Church, Hamilton. 1917

Sacred Heart Church, Campbell’s Hill.

Let the Church always be a place of mercy and hope,

where everyone is welcomed, loved and forgiven.

Pope Francis, Twitter, 16 June 2013

Cessnock South Primary School

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to

harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11

c. 1960 Daughters of Charity School, Mayfield West on the move

Half of school being transported from Murray Dwyer Orphanage to new school site.

Remember we are all but travellers here.

Saint Mary of the Cross

A resource produced by the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle in celebration of 150 years.

Booklet compiled by Melissa Fenech in 2016.

Images provided by the Diocesan Archives.

2015

Joint celebration of Opening of the Holy Door for the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy and launching the diocese’s

celebration of 150 years.

Sacred Heart Church, Hamilton.