Brian Condon: Letters and Documents in 19th Century Australian Catholic History

[Source: Adelaide Archdiocesan Archives copy]

Van Diemen's Land

23 January 1827

Rev dear Sir,

Your arrival gives me much pleasure, which I am desirous to express by this opportunity. Expecting you for some time I was in hopes your ship would touch here and thereby afford me the pleasure of seeing you on your arrival and giving you some account of the character and dispositions of the people you will meet in these colonies.

There is no region in the Christian world where it is necessary for a priest to be more cautiously vigilant than in New South Wales and Van Diemen's land. As you are yet but a stranger to the habits of the people the safest course you can adopt is to be on your guard against every one until you fully know him; you will thus find some of the most plausible to be, at bottom, not of the best.

Unadvised whether Dr Slater has made you any communication and therefore apprehensive that you are not furnished with any jurisdiction, I hasten to signify that from the receipt of this letter you will be pleased to consider yourself authorized to administer Sacraments with the limitation that administering the Sacrament of Penance you will at present (until the Bishop is heard from) not go beyond the sick in danger of death or such as may be so unfortunate as to have to forfeit their lives under sentence of the law. The discipline of the Council of Trent is to be observed respecting marriages.

In discharging my duties here and in New South Wales I never asked the people for fees or dues. I hope you will do the same, whereby you will be more independent. If voluntary assistance be offered you, do not refuse it.

I am anxious to hear from you. Be so good as to write to me by an early opportunity, telling me what state you find Catholic affairs in at Sydney etc. and what the state of Ireland is as far as the religion of our country is concerned.

In a few months, I hope to be able to go to Sydney. I should go there now, indeed, if that were not impossible from the duty required here at this particular time, where so many are likely to be executed. I am about proceeding to Launceston.