By Dr Donna Bailey, Diocesan Archivist
A recent proposal of the St Malachy’s Parish Pastoral Council to rename the current Nagambie Lakes Community House to The Kearns Centre, prompted a closer inspection of the diocesan archives, Colonial Priests Collection.
Knowing something of the story of this nineteenth century pioneering priest, Fr Patrick Kearns, I accessed the archive collection eagerly. His portrait, an item in the collection is a standout; it depicts a colonial era man, seemingly resolute and sure of himself. He strikes a pose with folded arms across his faded riding coat – not casually, but rather determinedly. It is a portrait that one cannot walk away from without thinking about the subject.
As I delved through primary and secondary records I was struck by a letter from Kearns to his former parishioner, Mrs Gaffy. The 1911 letter was penned over a decade after Kearns’ removal from the diocese. Kearns reflected,
"I am as happy and content as I could desire. Long ago I have come to look on the little crosses and sufferings I had at Nagambie and Heathcote parishes, not as evils but rather as blessings in disguise and the authors of them, not as enemies but friends. What seemed to be a great hardship at the time has turned out to be an advantage, and God has arranged everything for the best. One reflection gives me great consolation, namely that my removal from Nagambie and Heathcote was not on account of any fault the parishioners had to find with me or I them. The relations between us were good up to the last".
One hundred and thirty-two years after leaving the diocese, Nagambie parishioners remember their first Parish Priest, a man instrumental in building schools, churches and presbyteries at the Nagambie Mission, as well as in Heathcote, Tatura, Rushworth, Undera, Mooroopna , Arcadia, Toolamba and Moorilim. A brass plaque will be placed at the front of the building, formerly the Catholic presbytery built by Kearns, and a unique illuminated address presented to Kearns in 1888 will be framed and displayed within the building.
Irish by birth, Kearns lived with his parents and siblings in Tasmania from a young age. He returned to Ireland (All Hallows, Dublin) in 1862 to study for the priesthood, arriving back in Australia in 1869. His first years as a priest were at Mansfield and Port Fairy and, by 1875, he was at the Nagambie Mission. Records demonstrate that, as Kearns earned the respect of the people through his many good works, his relationship with Bishops Crane and Reville slowly deteriorated. Newspapers of the time report that, in 1887 when he was moved from Nagambie to Heathcote, ‘heartfelt regret’ was felt by the people of Nagambie; so much so, that over 400 hundred signatures were gathered and presented to Bishop Reville in a petition. The petition was unsuccessful. In May 1888, the parishioners and people of Nagambie marked their respect for Kearns, presenting him with a beautifully illustrated Illuminated address and a purse of 200 sovereigns.
Kearns served at Heathcote, happily it would seem, until 1896 when history was repeated and he was removed; only this time, entirely from the Sandhurst Diocese – and without charge. An 1897 illuminated address presented by the people of Heathcote to Kearns survives and is pictured here.
One hundred and thirty years is a long time to consider the actions and personalities of the key players in this story. Kearns was known to be extravagant and idiosyncratic. The presbyteries that he built in Heathcote and Nagambie were considerable buildings, only just surpassed by the Bishop’s Palace at Bendigo; indicating a degree of competition on Kearns part toward his superiors. Reports that the Coadjutor Bishop, Reville, refused to hear a petition from the people of Heathcote and Cornella would no doubt have been extremely disappointing for the people who argued in vain to keep their beloved pastor, and indicate a degree of stubbornness on his part.
A newspaper report of July 1897 stated that Kearns returned to Heathcote to celebrate his last Mass there, after a nine-month hiatus ‘owing to some misunderstanding with his Bishop’. This last Mass occurred on July 18, 1897. Later, and with the financial support of his parishioners and supporters, Kearns took his battle for justice and compensation to Rome and eventually, Bishop Reville was instructed to pay Kearns a pension for the remainder of his life.
Kearns’ life ended a far cry from the central Victorian goldfields where he had cared for the Catholic population for over twenty-two years. He died at Brighton, England aged eighty-three, in 1927 where he had been the chaplain to the Augustinian Nuns for sixteen years.
The Illuminated Address was presentd to Fr Kerans by Nagambie Parishioners on his departure to Heathcote.
2 November 2020
