The Franciscan Missionaries of Mary were established in Australia in 1941 and worked primarily with Aboriginal people. In Queensland they took over the care of the Leprosarium on Fantome Island and the primary school on Palm Island, both Aboriginal settlements under Government control. They also ran the Xavier Home for Crippled Children and in 2014 ran the Xavier Children's Support Network.
Sources used to compile this entry: 'Our Australian Story', in Franciscan Missionaries of Mary: Province of Australia, Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, 2014, https://web.archive.org/web/20220301163635/http://fmm.org.au/history.aspx?page=Australian_Story.
Prepared by: Rosemary Francis
Created: 29 June 2011, Last modified: 18 June 2014