In Diebus Illis during 2019

Old Saint Mary's Cathedral, Sydney, as depicted in the early 1840s.
Image : The Collections of the State Library of NSW.

This year, on our blog  In Diebus Illis  we will continue our journey tracing the beginnings of Catholicism in Australia, from the time of the First Fleet and the religious life of the Sydney convict settlement.  We will tell the story of the "convict" priests, before describing the ministry of the first Catholic Chaplains (including Father Therry). We will also look at some of Australia's early Catholic pioneers and try to uncover what it was like to practise Catholicism in penal days.

Among these posts, we will feature our earliest Catholic buildings, mainly churches, throughout settlements in Australia.  Many of these old buildings still exist.

We will continue to present our research into the life of Archbishop John Bede Polding, wherever possible giving extracts from his sermons, pastoral letters and other writings.

Please continue to visit this blog regularly in association with our Facebook page Archbishop John Bede Polding OSB.

AMDG