Dr James Byrne (1870–1938) was an Irish-born priest, who served as the first

Roman Catholic Bishop of Toowoomba The Roman Catholic Diocese of Toowoomba is a Latin Rite suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Brisbane, established in 1929, covering the Darling Downs and south west regions of Queensland, Australia. St Patrick's Cathedral is the seat of t ...

, in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia.

Early life

James Byrne was born on 25 July 1870 in Ballingarry, County Tipperary, Ireland, the son of James William Byrne, a land steward, and his wife Catharine (née Flannery).

Religious life

Dr Byrne was educated for the priesthood at St. Patrick's College in

Thurles Thurles (; ''Durlas Éile'') is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is located in the civil parish of the same name in the barony of Eliogarty and in the ecclesiastical parish of Thurles (Roman Catholic parish), Thurles. The cathedral ch ...

, County Tipperary, Ireland, and ordained by the

Archbishop of Cashel The Archbishop of Cashel ( ga, Ard-Easpag Chaiseal Mumhan) was an archiepiscopal title which took its name after the town of Cashel, County Tipperary in Ireland. Following the Reformation, there had been parallel apostolic successions to the title ...

on 21 July 1896. He volunteered to work in the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane is a Latin Church metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Australia located in Brisbane and covering the South East region of Queensland, Australia. Part of the Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical ...

in Queensland, Australia. He ministered in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

for more than 20 years, being Administrator of St. Stephen's Cathedral for 12 years. Afterwards he was appointed Vicar-General of the Archdiocese of Brisbane. From 1917 until 1929 he was parish priest at Ipswich. In 1922 he was appointed a

domestic prelate Monsignor (; it, monsignore ) is an honorific form of address or title for certain male clergy members, usually members of the Roman Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" ca ...

to the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

. Byrne was appointed as the first Bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Toowoomba The Roman Catholic Diocese of Toowoomba is a Latin Rite suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Brisbane, established in 1929, covering the Darling Downs and south west regions of Queensland, Australia. St Patrick's Cathedral is the seat of ...

in September 1929, a role he undertook until his death in 1938. He was responsible for a number of achievements, including the completion of St Patrick's Cathedral in

Toowoomba Toowoomba ( , nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar') is a city in the Toowoomba Region of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. It is west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 C ...

. At his invitation the Sacred Heart Fathers came to Toowoomba and founded

Downlands College , motto_translation = Strong in Faith , city = Toowoomba , state = Queensland , country = Australia , coordinates = , type = Private, secondar ...

. He introduced the

Ursuline nuns The Ursulines, also known as the Order of Saint Ursula (post-nominals: OSU), is an enclosed religious order of consecrated women that branched off from the Angelines, also known as the Company of Saint Ursula, in 1572. Like the Angelines, they t ...

to Toowoomba, the

De La Salle Brothers french: Frères des Écoles Chrétiennes , image = Signum Fidei.jpg , image_size = 175px , caption = , abbreviation = FSC , nickname = Lasallians , named_after = , formation ...

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council *Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

, and the

Sisters of St Joseph The Sisters of St. Joseph, also known as the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, abbreviated CSJ or SSJ, is a Roman Catholic religious congregation of women founded in Le Puy-en-Velay, France, in 1650. This congregation, named for ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

and

St George Saint George (Greek language, Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin language, Latin: Georgius, Arabic language, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christians, Christian who is venerated as a sa ...

. He founded new parishes at

Tannymorel Tannymorel is a rural town and locality in the Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Tannymorel had a population of 161 people. History The name ''Tannymorel'' comes from a village in Ireland and means ''a ben ...

Jandowae Jandowae is a rural town and locality in the Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the the locality of Jandowae had a population of 1,047 people. Geography The town is west of the Brisbane. the capital of the state of Queensland. ...

. and

Millmerran Millmerran , known as Domville between 1 June 1889 and 16 November 1894, is a town and a locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Millmerran had a population of 1,563 people. Geography The town is on the ...

. In 1932 he attended the Dublin Congress. The last function Byrne carried out was the opening and blessing of the new church in

Goondiwindi Goondiwindi () is a rural town and locality in the Goondiwindi Region, Queensland, Australia. It is on the border of Queensland and New South Wales. In the , Goondiwindi had a population of 6,355 people. Geography Goondiwindi is on the MacInt ...

Later life

Towards the end of 1935 he underwent a major operation in Brisbane, and on recovering went on a trip to New Zealand. He did not return greatly improved in health, and was compelled to seek medical attention in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

and Brisbane. In October, 1936, he returned to Toowoomba and continued to be in poor health. His nephew Rev. Father Edward Joyce spent 18 months with him in Toowoomba. Byrne died in the St Patrick's Presbytery, Toowoomba on the 11 February 1938 aged 68 years. He was survived by two sisters. His funeral was held on Monday 14 February at St Patrick's Cathedral, conducted by

James Duhig Sir James Duhig KCMG (2 September 187110 April 1965) was an Irish-born Australian Roman Catholic religious leader. He was the Archbishop of Brisbane for 48 years from 1917 until his death in 1965. At the time of his death he was the longest-ser ...

(Archbishop of Brisbane) and

John Heavey John Alphonsus Heavey (1868-1948) was a Roman Catholic bishop in Queensland, Australia. He was the Vicar Apostolic of Cooktown and the Roman Catholic Bishop of Cairns. Early life Heavey was born on 13 November 1868 in Roundwood, County Wick ...

(

Vicar Apostolic A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

Cooktown Cooktown is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. Cooktown is at the mouth of the Endeavour River, on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland where James Cook beached his ship, the Endeavour, for repairs ...

). So many people attended his funeral that hundreds had to remain outside the cathedral during the service and the

funeral cortege A funeral procession is a procession, usually in motor vehicles or by foot, from a funeral home or place of worship to the cemetery or crematorium. In earlier times the deceased was typically carried by male family members on a bier or in a cof ...

to the

Drayton and Toowoomba Cemetery Drayton and Toowoomba Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery at the corner of South Street and Anzac Avenue, Harristown, Queensland, Australia. It was surveyed in May 1850, and is one of the earliest surviving cemeteries in Queensland. The cem ...

was over two miles long.

Legacy

The diocesan centre in Toowoomba, is named the ''James Byrne Centre'', in his honour, and the James Byrne road.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Byrne, James 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Australia Alumni of St. Patrick's College, Thurles Roman Catholic bishops of Toowoomba 1870 births 1938 deaths 19th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests Irish expatriate Catholic bishops