The Catholic parish of Barcaldine was created in 1888, soon after the town developed as terminus of the Central Railway. The construction of the central line from Rockhampton to Longreach was a prodigious human endeavor.
[Click here for a short history of the Barcaldine parish]

In the 1880s, as the line moved from Bogantungan to Barcaldine, the contractors were Catholics and they employed mainly Catholic labour. The railway has given over a century of service, and the families that built it have stayed in the area. Many names that came with the line have remained in Barcaldine over a hundred years later.

The mid 1880s were years of terrible drought. Water was more precious than gold. Appointed in 1879 as chaplain to the construction workers, Fr James Comerford was a two metre giant from Tipperary, who became an ‘apostle of the saddle’ as he attempted to serve ministry from Barcaldine to Westwood and to Winton.

Fr James Comerford travelled constantly throughout the outback celebrating Mass wherever a suitable venue could be found. The church from Bogantungan was moved to Barcaldine on the corner of Willow and Yew streets on a block purchased by Fr. Comerford.  There it became a permanent center for administration and a Parish of Barcaldine was created in 1888. Fr Comerford was transferred from Barcaldine in October 1890 to the parish of Charters Towers where he established a Catholic Boarding School for boys.

In 1899 the second church of the Sacred Heart Barcaldine was built. The Church was enlarged in 1923.

In 1954 work began on the new Church of the Sacred Heart and contractor J. Feehely of Rockhampton completed it in time for an official opening by Andrew Tynan, Bishop of Rockhampton. The church still stands in Barcaldine beautiful and hallowed by use, having indeed acquired its own atmosphere. The Parish Pastoral Council was formed in 1998.

In 1891 Barcaldine was rocked by the Shearer’s strike.  This was a desperate conflict between Capital and labour; and the population of the town almost doubled by campers –both Shearer’s and military forces.  Fr Stephen McDonough and his as assistant, Fr Denis Ryan, must have been sorely pressed by the conflicting loyalties of their parishioners as many were workers and some of the pastoralists (bitterly opposed to the aims of the strikers) were Catholics.

In 1895 Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Convent was built for the Sisters of Mercy. The school opened in February 1896 with Sister M Muredach (RSM) in charge. An improvement of church property continued when volunteers made extensive alterations to the old 1904 convent. The convent was taken apart and reconstructed as a single story building taking in boarders for long periods of time. The Sisters of Mercy taught in the former Convent building initially but, with the space needed for boarders, music rooms and classrooms, a new school beside the convent was erected in 1914. This building was then replaced by the present brick one and was opened in 1962.  The boarding section closed in 1975. The convent building became the priest’s residence until 1993 when the priest again took up residence in the presbytery.

St Vincent’s De Paul used the convent as a second hand shop. In 2001 St Vincent’s De Paul purchased and opened their own shop in Barcaldine opposite the school. The convent was then sold and demolished in 2002.

The present building of St Joseph’s School was opened on the 21st October 1962 by the Reverend Fr R. Gibbs at present there are approximately 50 students ranging in age from Pre-School to year seven.  The staff consists of four teachers, two teacher assistants and an administration officer. St Joseph’s Barcaldine is still a very active part of the Barcaldine community to this day. 

The clustering of the parish’s Alpha, Jericho, Aramac, Muttaburra and Barcaldine took place in 1979 with the administration shared by two priests for the Barcaldine Family of Parishes. Responsibility Groups in each of the centers looked after administration of their community. In 1998 Barcaldine set up a Parish Pastoral Council. This council now has the responsibility for the leadership of the Parish Community.