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About the Capuchins

The Capuchins in Australia

Part 1: Prior to World War II

In the early colonial days, which could be referred to as the "catacomb era" of the Church in Australia, an English Benedictine William Ullathorne was appointed Vicar-General of New South Wales in 1833. He brought with him an Irish Capuchin, Thomas Sheehy. The same year another Irish Capuchin, Thomas McCarthy, came to Australia in the company of Bishop Polding. He worked for several years on Norfolk Island, and later at Windsor and Parramatta (near Sydney) where he died in 1843, much lamented by the people he served. A mortuary chapel to honour his memory was erected over his grave in St. Patrick's Cemetery, Parramatta. Attention was drawn to it in 1994, when the Parramatta City Council gave a grant to celebrate the sesquicentenary of the laying of the foundation stone of what is the oldest mortuary chapel in Australia.

In 1854, several years after Melbourne became a diocese, Fr. John O'Connell arrived in Australia. Previous to his coming, he had succeeded Fr. Theobald Matthew, the Apostle of Temperance, as Provincial Minister of the Irish Capuchins. He became the first parish priest of Emerald Hill (now Port Melbourne) and also served in the Sandringham area.

Fr. Modestus Henderson volunteered for Australia, arriving in 1863. Scottish by birth, he was educated and ordained in France. He was assigned by the bishop of Adelaide to care for the Catholics living within the range of 806 square kilometres in the Eyre peninsula. He travelled incalculable distances on horseback ministering to the faithful living in isolated groups in the lonely Australian bush and spinifex country. Later, he was appointed parish priest of Port Lincoln.

From 1879 until 1904, the diocese of Armidale (NSW) was served by a Capuchin bishop, Elzear Torreggiani (pictured right). Italian by birth, after priestly ordination in 1853, he was sent to Wales in the British Isles where he laboured for 25 years. When the see of Armidale became vacant, he was chosen bishop of the young diocese. After consecration in London, he set sail in 1879 from Brindisi, a seaport in Italy, accompanied by six other Capuchins. Under the leadership and energy of Torreggiani, the diocese prospered in every way. He participated in the first plenary council of Australian bishops in Australia. He advocated the creation of the new diocese of Lismore, as Armidale was too extensive - some say it was because he was too corpulent which made it difficult for him to travel the long distances. It is believed he was one of the few bishops that defended the case for Blessed Mary MacKillop when she was under censure. He died in 1904 at the age of 74, greatly mourned be clergy and people alike.

In addition to the six friars who accompanied bishop Torreggiani, there were fifteen other Capuchins who ministered in the Armidale diocese. While there may have been the intention to establish the Order in Australia, this never came to pass at the time because of the shortage of personnel available to Europe.

The only Capuchin who worked in Queensland was Fr. Cassar. He was born in Malta, studied in France and lived for several years with the Irish Capuchins in Cork. The date of his coming to Australia is unknown, but in 1890 he was working in the Rockhampton diocese. After a long life of priestly activity, he died in 1927. From 1927 until 1945 no other Capuchins came to work in Australia.

Part II: Post World War II

On the 22nd October 1945, the Capuchins returned to Australia with the arrival in Brisbane of four friars from the region of New Jersey, USA: Accursio Rasi, Egidio Scarpini, Gabriel D'Italia and Anastase Paoletti. Their coming was, in no small way, due to the enthusiasm and encouragement of His Excellency (later Cardinal) John Panico, the Apostolic Delegate to Australia (1935 - 1948). The parish of Wynnum, QLD was entrusted to them and it served as a base for their extended ministry in the wider community where the influx of immigrants, as a result of the war, were to be found.

In October 1946, a further three friars arrived from America: James Resci, Adalbert Salerno and Henry Kusnerik; in 1947 a Silvio Spighi from India and Carlo Mott from New Jersey arrived, and in 1948 came Fr. Bonifacio Zurli from Tuscany in Italy.

On 5th November 1946, the parish of Leichhardt and the chaplaincy of the Italians in the archdiocese of Sydney were committed to the Capuchins by Cardinal Norman Thomas Gilroy.
The next foundation was Halifax in the diocese of Townsville. Fr. Egidio was already in north Queensland, residing as a guest at Ingham, but at the disposal of the bishop in caring for the Italian immigrants. Given the appreciation of his dedicated and fruitful efforts together with the developing cordial relations, the bishop offered the parish of St. Peter's Halifax as soon as it became vacant in 1947.

In January 1949, the archbishop of Melbourne, Daniel Mannix, extended an invitation to the Capuchins to continue assisting the Italian migrants fulfilled, until 1945, by the well known Jesuit Fr. Modotti. As a residence, the friars were offered "Villa Gonzaga" at 182 Power St., Hawthorn.
About mid-year 1949, Fr. Anastase Paoletti, by this stage responsible Superior of the Australian band of Capuchins, was asked by the archbishop of Adelaide to send some friars for the pastoral care and priestly ministry required by the Italian migrants in the confines of that archdiocese. Fr. Nicholas Simonazzi was the first to go, followed shortly by Br Zachary. A little corrugated iron cottage in a place called Paradise, a market-garden suburb of Adelaide, was made available to them as the initial residence.

As time progressed, more and more friars arrived from overseas. Their origin and nationality, as they came from 20 different provinces, were almost as diverse as the cosmopolitan nature of the Capuchin worldwide family. They came in the beginning, as we know, with the purpose of attending to the needs of the many post-war European migrants and then, not much later, to implant the Order by setting up and assisting in a formation program for future Capuchins: a minor seminary (1951), a Novitiate (1954) and a house of studies (1955).

Meanwhile, further foundations were made at Yenda, near Griffith (NSW); Harvey and later Balcatta (Perth) in Western Australia; Bowen Hills, Petrie Terrace and Wynnum North (Brisbane) in Queensland and Plumpton (Sydney) in NSW.

It was clearly evident by now that the Capuchins were here to stay.

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