The Anglican Diocese of Melbourne came into being in 1847. Until 1981 the Anglican Church was known as the Church of England. Many institutions for children in Victoria had close links with the Church of England, including the Melbourne Orphan Asylum which had its roots in the St James Visiting Society, formed in 1845. From the late nineteenth century, the Church also set up a number of ‘missions’ which played a prominent role in the institutional ‘care’ of children in Victoria. In 1997, three of these organisations merged to form Anglicare Victoria.
The Anglican Church was Australia’s most common denomination until Roman Catholicism took its place in 1986.
Many institutions for children in Victoria had close links with the Church of England, including the Melbourne Orphan Asylum which had its roots in the St James Visiting Society, formed in 1845. The first bishop of Melbourne Charles Perry was involved in many of Victoria’s ‘non denominational’ institutions during his tenure (1848-1876).
