The Apostolic Prefecture of New Holland was a short-lived (1816–1819) Roman Catholic missionary jurisdiction in colonial Australia.
History
Fr James Dixon, the first Catholic priest permitted to minister in Australia, was briefly appointed Prefect Apostolic of New Holland in 1803. It was the first official Catholic appointment in Australia.
The Prefecture was established in 1816 as an
Apostolic Prefecture (missionary pre-diocesan jurisdiction; exempt, i.e. directly subject to the Holy See, not part of any
ecclesiastical province
An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction
Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United State ...
) in Australia, a territory split off from the then
Apostolic Vicariate of the London District
The Apostolic Vicariate of the London District was an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales. It was led by a vicar apostolic who was a titular bishop. The apostolic vicariate was created in 1688 and was diss ...
(in still missionary England; of a higher pre-diocesan rank, entitled to a
titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.
By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...
).
Fr Jeremiah O'Flynn was appointed and arrived in Sydney but was soon expelled by
Governor Macquarie as he lacked government authorisation.
On 4 April 1819, it was suppressed and its territory merged into the then
(in South Africa, across the Indian Ocean; now Archdiocese of Cape Town).
In 1834, it would be de facto restored (still from the Cape Vicariate) as
Apostolic Vicariate of New Holland and Van Diemen's Land, the precursor of the present Metropolitan
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney.
See also
*
Catholic Church in Australia
References
External links
GigaCatholic – successor archdiocese Sydney
{{DEFAULTSORT:New Holland, Apostolic Prefecture
1816 establishments in Australia
1819 disestablishments
Apostolic prefectures
Former Roman Catholic dioceses in Oceania