TRADITION HAS IT THAT MONKS AND HERMITS, DISPERSED BY THE VANDAL INVASION OF NORTH AFRICA IN THE FIFTH CENTURY, FLED TO EUROPE WHERE THEY ESTABLISHED MONASTERIES, PARTICULARLY IN NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ITALY. IN THE "GRAND UNION" OF 1256, POPE ALEXANDER IV JOINED VARIOUS HERMIT GROUPS INTO THE ORDER OF HERMITS OF SAINT AUGUSTINE (THE OFFICIAL NAME USED UNTIL AFTER THE SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL), AND DECLARED IT TO BE ONE OF THE MENDICANT ORDERS. THE NEW ORDER SPREAD RAPIDLY THROUGHOUT EUROPE, TAKING AN ACTIVE PART IN ECCLESIASTICAL AND UNIVERSITY LIFE. IN SOME PLACES ALSO KNOWN AS THE AUSTIN FRIARS OR WHITE FRIARS, BECAUSE THEY SOMETIMES WORE A WHITE HABIT, THEY PARTICIPATED FROM THE BEGINNING IN THE GREAT MISSIONARY OUTREACH THAT FOLLOWED HARD ON THE HEELS OF EUROPEAN EXPLORATION. MISSIONS WERE ESTABLISHED IN CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA, JAPAN, INDIA AND OCEANIA WITH THE ORDER OFTEN TAKING A LEADING ROLE IN THE NEWLY EVANGELISED AREAS. TODAY THE ORDER OF ST AUGUSTINE STRETCHES ACROSS THE WORLD BRINGING THE SPIRIT OF THAT GREAT FATHER OF THE CHURCH, SAINT AUGUSTINE, TO EVERYONE WHO SEEKS IT.

BETWEEN THE ARRIVAL OF FR JAMES GOOLD IN 1838 AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FIRST AUGUSTINIAN PRIORY AT ECHUCA IN 1886, MANY AUGUSTINIANS SERVED THE AUSTRALIAN CHURCH IN AN INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, OFTEN AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS. FR GOOLD ESTABLISHED A PRECEDENT WHEN, AFTER 10 YEARS WORK AT CAMPBELLTOWN HE WAS APPOINTED FIRST BISHOP OF MELBOURNE. DURING THE NEXT FIFTY YEARS SEVERAL OTHER AUGUSTINIANS ARRIVED ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS ALTHOUGH WITH THE BLESSING OF THE ORDER TO MINISTER TO THE OFTEN ISOLATED COMMUNITIES LIVING LIVES SIMILAR TO THOSE OF A PARISH PRIEST. IN 1875 FR MARTIN CRANE WAS APPOINTED BISHOP OF SANDHURST, THE SECOND AUGUSTINIAN BISHOP TO BE APPOINTED IN AUSTRALIA. HE WAS SUCCEEDED BY FR STEPHEN REVILLE WHO BECAME THE LAST AUGUSTINIAN BISHOP IN VICTORIA IN 1901. IN 1884 THE IRISH PROVINCE OF THE AUGUSTINIANS ACCEPTED RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE APOSTOLIC VICARIATE OF NORTH QUEENSLAND (LATER COOKTOWN) AND THUS MADE THE FIRST COMMITTMENT BY THE ORDER AS SUCH TO AUSTRALIA. ALTHOUGH THIS MARKED THEIR FIRST FORMAL INVOLVEMENT IN AUSTRALIA THE AUGUSTINIANS WHO SERVED IN COOKTOWN CONTINUED TO LIVE PRIMARILY AS PARISH PRIESTS AND IT WAS NOT UNTIL 1886 IN VICTORIA THAT THE FIRST AUGUSTINIAN PRIORY WAS FOUNDED AT ECHUCA. COMMUNITY LIFE SPREAD IN VICTORIA TO ROCHESTER AND LATER KYABRAM AND IN DUE COURSE ALSO MADE ITS APPEARANCE IN COOKTOWN WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A PRIORIES AT MAREEBA, CAIRNS, INNISFAIL AND TULLY. IN 1948, FOLLOWING THE DEATH OF BISHOP HEAVEY, LAST AUGUSTINIAN BISHOP IN AUSTRALIA, THE ORDER SHIFTED ITS FOCUS TO EDUCATION WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF VILLANOVA COLLEGE IN BRISBANE FOLLOWED BY ST AUGUSTINE'S COLLEGE IN SYDNEY IN 1952. IN THAT SAME YEAR AUSTRALIA BECAME A PROVINCE UNDER THE PATRONAGE OF MARY, MOTHER OF GOOD COUNSEL. ALTHOUGH MANY OF THE RURAL PRIORIES HAVE NOW CLOSED THE AUGUSTINIANS CONTINUE THEIR PASTORAL AND EDUCATIONAL APOSTOLATE IN THE CITIES THUS MAINTAINING A 170 YEAR TRADITION OF DEVOTED SERVICE TO THE AUSTRALIAN CHURCH.

THE HISTORY OF THE AUGUSTINIAN FOUNDATIONS IN AUSTRALIA IS A COMPLEX ONE. THE EARLIEST AUGUSTINIANS CAME TO AUSTRALIA ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS AND IT WAS NOT UNTIL 1886 THAT THE FIRST AUGUSTINIAN PRIORY WAS ESTABLISHED IN ECHUCA. IN THE VICARIATE OF COOKTOWN WHICH HAD BEEN COMMITTED AS A WHOLE TO THE AUGUSTINIANS IN 1884 DISTANCE AND NUMBERS PREVENTED THE ESTABLISHMENT OF PRIORIES WITH THE VICARIATE BEING CONCEIVED OF AS A LARGE PARISH TO WHICH PRIESTS WERE SENT ON A TEMPORARY BASIS BEFORE RETURNING TO THEIR PRIORIES IN IRELAND. ALTHOUGH IN 1894 PERMISSION WAS GIVEN BY ROME FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF TWO CANONICAL PARISHES IN HERBERTON AND CAIRNS NOTHING WAS DONE AT THE TIME AND WHEN IN 1933 THE NECESSITY FOR FORMAL AUGUSTINIAN COMMUNITIES WAS AGAIN RAISED CIRCUMSTANCES HAD CHANGED RESULTING IN THE FIRST THREE PRIORIES IN NORTH QUEENSLAND BEING ERECTED AT MAREEBA, INNISFAIL AND CAIRNS WITH TULLY BEING ADDED IN 1939. FOLLOWING THE WITHDRAWAL FROM THE DIOCESE OF CAIRNS IN 1948 AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A PROVINCIAL ADMINISTRATION IN 1952 THE AUGUSTINIANS WERE AT LAST ABLE TO ESTABLISH A MORE REGULAR STRUCTURE IN AUSTRALIA. THE FOLLOWING LIST INCLUDES ONLY THE FORMAL AUGUSTINIAN FOUNDATIONS IN AUSTRALIA. FOR INFORMATION ON INDIVIDUAL PARISHES WHERE AUGUSTINIANS SERVED SEE THE APPROPRIATE PARISH PAGE.

BROOKVALE
1956

CAIRNS
1894

CLAYFIELD
1969

COORPAROO
1952

ECHUCA
1886

CAMIRA / GOODNA
1995

GREYSTANES
1998

HERBERTON
1894

INNISFAIL
1933

KYABRAM
1903

MANLY VALE
1953

MAREEBA
1933

NEWCASTLE
1989

PARRAMATTA
1946

REDLAND BAY
1987

ROCHESTER
1889

ST CLAIR
1995

SOUTH YARRA
1976

TULLY
1939

WHINSTANES
1948