Catholic Church (1821 - )

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The Catholic Church became established in Tasmania, then Van Diemen's Land, in 1821 with the arrival of Father Philip Connolly. At the time, about one third of the population was Roman Catholic. Most of them were convicts, or former convicts, from Ireland.

For most of Tasmania's history the proportion of Catholics to other religions has only been about one fifth. Even so, Catholicism has been influential, with various orders establishing schools, including ragged schools in poor areas, hospitals, aged care homes, hospices, and children's Homes. The Homes were: St Joseph's Orphanage, the Magdalen Home, Boys' Town, and the St Vincent de Paul Boys' Hostel.