Fr David Strong SJ, The Australian dictionary of Jesuit biography 1848-2015, Second Edition, 2017:
Hinteroecker, Johannes. Preacher, pastor.

John Nepomucene Hinteroecker's father was a vineyard proprietor, and John was educated at the gymnasium and lyceum at Linz, 1831-39. He entered the Society at Graz, 15 August 1839, and after vows was prefect in the Theresianum College at Innsbruck. From there he studied philosophy at Linz, 1842-44, and taught again at Lemberg. He studied theology at Laval, France, and did tertianship at Tronchiennes, 1851-52.

From 1852-65 he was at the Freinberg College at Linz as a teacher of natural history. He was also involved in pastoral work. In 1864 he made a trip to the Pyrenees to collect specimens. At Toulouse he met Father Ramière, the founder of the Apostleship of Prayer, and became the means of introducing the devotion into the Austrian domains.

Following his own earnest request, he was sent on the Australian mission, arriving at Sevenhill, 1 February 1866. He brought with him a painting of St Aloysius Gonzaga, which is in the parish church. While working in the parish he had special care for the Germans and Polish people.

He became especially interested in the aborigines, and began gathering together some that lived in the local area, but the bishop asked him to work more widely within the diocese. So he gave missions through the diocese and was much appreciated.

In 1868 he was recalled to Europe, but the clergy of Adelaide appealed against the order, and it was revoked. At the request of the bishop, Dr Shiel, he took over the Norwood district in 1869, and established the parish and residence of Norwood, with himself as the first superior and parish priest. He built the church, the foundation stone being laid on 17 October 1869. Hinteroecker was present in a wheel chair, having broken his leg falling down the excavation for the cellar of the residence.

Besides working the districts of Norwood and Hectorville, he continued to be in great demand for sermons, missions, and retreats, and his fame continually grew. In August 1870 the Norwood church was opened.

In 1872, the Bishop of Hobart, Dr Murphy, came to South Australia and specially requested Hinteroecker to give missions and retreats in Tasmania. On 14 August, Hinteroecker sailed for Launceston and then moved on to Hobart. There he preached in English and German, gave the priests' retreat, and retreats to the Mercy and Presentation Sisters, and preached a week's mission in St Joseph's Church, the first of its kind in Tasmania.

He was then to return to Launceston and give a priests' retreat, and left Hobart on 26 September. On the way he caught a chill, but began the retreat. However, he became ill, with pneumonia, and died after a few days. His remains were brought back to Hobart and then to the parish church of Norwood, where he was buried.

Hinteroecker was a most remarkable priest, working very hard and winning the hearts of many in a very short time. His primary desire in coming to Australia was to work among the aborigines, a wish he never realised. He was also a recognised botanist and a born organiser.

Reproduced by permission of Fr David Strong SJ.

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Visit to St. Aloysius's College, Sevenhills, South Australian Weekly Chronicle, Adelaide, 24 November 1866, p 3, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article94744496:

The Right Rev. Dr. Sheil left Kapunda on the afternoon of Friday to dedicate the sanctuary of St. Aloysius's Church, Sevenhill. [...]

At least 1,000 persons were present on Sunday to witness and assist at the dedication of a portion of St. Aloysius' Church, an event long and ardently desired by all present. The Bishop, assisted by the Very Rev. Joseph Tappeiner, and the Revs. Kranewitter, Polk, Pallhuber, Hinteroecker, Reynolds, and Byrne, and by the students as acolytes, began the ceremony of dedicating the sanctuary, during which the choir sang most impressively the Miserere and Litany, which were responded to by the clergy.

His Lordship then baptised four aborigines—two men and two women—who have been for several months receiving instruction from the Rev. Father Hinteroecker, who is entirely intent on the amelioration and conversion of the poor natives. I may say that this good father has translated into the native language the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the Apostles' Creed, and other portions of the Christian doctrine ; and the above-mentioned neophytes answered very well all the questions put to them during the administration of the sacrament of baptism. [...]

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Advocate, Melbourne, 6 March 1869, p 6, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article169266744:

The missions of Norwood, Kensington, Kent Town, Stepney, and Magill (says the Southern Cross) have been handed over by His Lordship the Bishop to the Jesuit Fathers, as also the Church of the Assumption, Hectorville. There is Mass now every Sunday at both Hectorville Church and in the temporary school-house at Norwood, and weekly Masses at the private oratory of the Fathers, Manresa Cottage, Edward Street. The churches are under the charge of the Rev. Father Hinterocker and the Rev. Father Polk. The learning, piety, and zeal of both these missionaries, will, we are certain, soon render this one of the most popular missions in the diocese.

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Father Hinterocker, The Irish Harp and Farmers' Herald, Adelaide, 19 Jul 1872, p 6, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article224365560:

The numerous friends of this zealous and indefatigable priest will be sorry to hear that he is on the point of leaving the diocese for a time on a visit to Tasmania. When the Bishops were here, his Lordship Dr. Murphy expressed a very strong desire that Father Hinterocker should visit his diocese and accompany him in his pastoral visitations, for the purpose of conducting missions, retreats, &c., at the same time giving him permission to collect throughout the diocese on behalf of St. Ignatius' Church Building Fund. As his visit to Tasmania will probably compel him to be absent from the Norwood mission for three or four months Father Hinterocker was rather reluctant to go, but the eloquence of Dr. Murphy, aided by his desire to do something towards clearing off the debt on the Church, at length prevailed on him to make the desired promise, and he will, therefore, leave Adelaide in the course of a week or two.

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Died, The Express and Telegraph, Adelaide, 8 October 1872, p 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article207724200:

Hinterocker.—At Launceston, Tasmania, on the 6th inst., being the Feast of the Holy Rosary of the B.V.M., John Nepomucenus Hinteröcker S.J., of St. Ignatius, Norwood, in the 53rd year of his age. R.I.P.

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Death of Father Hinterocker, Evening Journal, Adelaide, 9 October 1872, p 3, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article196743750:

Early on Tuesday morning the Rev. C. A. Reynolds, the Administrator of the Diocese, received the painful intelligence that the Rev. J. N. Hinterocker, S. J., of St. Ignatius Church, Norwood, had died at the residence of Dean Butler, Launceston, on Sunday night. The news, on becoming known, caused regret and surprise, as it was not generally known that he had been unwell. The deceased, who was in his 53rd year, was a native of Lower Austria, and the descendant of an old and noble family. He studied at Lintz, and was a Professor of Botany and Natural History at the University of Gratz. Having gone through his theological course in Avignon between 1850 and 1853, he, with several other scientific men, was sent on a botanical expedition, by the authorities of the University of Vienna, to the Pyrenees and afterwards to the Alps. He was engaged on that work for a couple of years, and was then recalled to Vienna, where he preached in the principal Churches connected with the Society of Jesus. He also held several important offices of trust. Whilst in the city he was often sent on errands of importance by his superiors in the Order of Jesuits. He remained at the Austrian capital until he received an appointment to go abroad. He travelled overland with the ultimate idea of going to New Guinea or Japan. On the road, however, his destination was altered, and he was instructed to proceed to South Australia, where he arrived about August, 1866. He was at first engaged in the Sevenhills College, near Clare, and subsequently for some time resided at West-terrace. In 1869, having been recalled to Europe, he was presented with a handsome silver chalice. At the request of the late Bishop Shiel, the General of the Order allowed Father Hinterocker to resume his residence in this colony. On the formation of the Norwood Mission in 1869, Father Hinterocker was appointed Superior, and in a short time by untiring energy was a means of building the present Church of. St. Ignatius. He would have remained in charge there, but on a recent visit of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Hobart Town Father Hinterocker was invited to conduct a series of "spiritual retreats" and other special services in Tasmania. It was whilst engaged in these exercises at Launceston that his over-exerting himself brought on a fever, and he died rather suddenly on Sunday night. It will have been seen from a paragraph that appeared in Tuesday's Register that whilst he was in Tasmania the deceased had gained the respect of the people among whom he laboured, and that he had received a presentation. His loss will be greatly felt in this province, not merely by his co-religionists, but by others who valued his scientific gifts and general acquirements, found in him many sterling qualities, or were drawn towards him by his geniality and urbane demeanour.

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Funeral of the Rev. Father Hinterocker, Mercury, Hobart, 12 October 1872, p 2, [pending]:

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Tasmania, Freeman's Journal, Sydney, 19 October 1872, p 6, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article128807483:

A.M.D.G.
In Memoriam
The late Rev. John Nepomucene Hinterocker, S.J., who died at the residence of the Very Rev. Dean Butler, Launceston, in his 52nd year, on the 6th inst., was born Jan. 1st, 1820, at Linz, Austria. After the usual course of studies he entered the Jesuit Novitiate, August 15th, 1839. He studied metaphysics and theology in the schools of the Society with great success, and had a special taste for the natural sciences—more particularly for botany, of which he had extensive and accurate knowledge. He was ordained about the year 1847, and joined the South Australian Mission in 1866. A few years ago—four or five—he was appointed to the care of the parish of Norwood, outside Adelaide. From that time forward he devoted himself exclusively to the pastoral duties and labours of the Mission. The Church of St. Ignatius, Norwood, a handsome Grecian building, recently erected mainly by his exertions, will remain a lasting monument of his zeal and taste, as well as of the estimation in which he was held by the clergy and laity of Adelaide. Two months ago Father Hinterocker was invited by the Right Rev. Dr. Murphy, Bishop of Hobart Town, to conduct Retreats, give Missions, &c., in various parts of Tasmania. Ever ardent and self-sacrificing, an eloquent and accomplished preacher, he gave himself so eagerly to this "labour of love" that his health, which had been failing for some time, suddenly gave way, and on Sunday, the 6th, inst., at Launceston, he died, like a true soldier of the Cross, "Fighting the good fight." His death will be long deplored at Nor- wood.—R.I.P.

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Fr. Hinterocker's Memorial, The Irish Harp and Farmers' Herald, Adelaide, 29 November 1872, p 6, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article224364573:

A meeting of the Committee was held on Tuesday evening in the Beulah Road Schoolroom, when a letter was read from Dr. Hall, the Chairman of the Hobarton Committee. It was unanimously resolved that a memorial should be drawn up and sent to Fr. Strele, requesting his permission for the Norwood Committee to make such arrangements as might be deemed necessary for the conveyance of Fr. Hinterocker's remains from Tasmania for interment in S. Ignatius Church, and that a meeting should be called on Friday evening, for the purpose of enabling it to be signed by the members of the Committee.

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Translation of the Remains of the Late Rev. J.N. Hinterocker, S.J., The Irish Harp and Farmers' Herald, Adelaide, 25 July 1873, p 5, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article224365643:

The long-looked for Camilla bearing the beloved remains of the late Father Hinterocker was sighted from the Semaphore Beach early on Tuesday morning, and the Hon. Secretary of the Memorial Committee having received a telegram to that effect, immediate preparations were made for their reception and translation to Norwood. It was accordingly notified in the papers that the corpse would be brought up by the 3.10 train on Wednesday, and long before the appointed hour, vast crowds of people of all ages and conditions were seen wending their way to the place of rendezvous— the Adelaide Railway Station. On the arrival of the train, the crowd was so great that the passengers found some difficulty in forcing a passage, but the utmost decorum was observed on all sides. On being disinterred at Hobarton, the coffin containing the remains had been placed in a shell, that again in a leaden coffin, then in a substantial well-finished coffin of the ordinary material, and the whole in a strong wooden case. The weight of this, of course, was very great, and in view of the difficulty of getting it up the station stairs, it was deemed advisable to shunt the van containing the corpse down to the crossing at the goods shed, where the case was unpacked in the presence of a number of the clergy and members of the committee, and the coffin was borne on the shoulders of eight gentlemen who volunteered for the office, to the hearse, which then resumed its place in front of the railway station. A procession was then formed in the following order:—The Crossbearer, accompanied by Acolytes. School Children, dressed in white, with mourning sashes. The hearse, drawn by four horses. Bearers. Mourning coaches, containing the clergy and friends of the deceased. Private vehicles, about 30 in number.

As the procession wended its way up North Terrace into King William Street and thence into Rundle Street, an immense concourse of people, numbering, we should say, several thousands, accompanied on foot, many of whom followed the cortege out to Norwood. Not the least pleasing feature of the proceedings was the stillness which was observable during the passage of the procession through the busiest street in Adelaide. Many of the shops were partially closed, and in the others business operations were apparently suspended. Notwithstanding the immense concourse of people, no sound could he heard but that of the footsteps of the people.

On arriving at S. Ignatius' Church, the corpse was met by the Rev. M. Hager, S.J. (in surplice, soutane, and biretta), and was borne into the church on the shoulders of eight gentlemen of the congregation, and placed upon the catafalque, on either side of which were ranged tall silver candlesticks, containing massive wax candles. The coffin was then covered by a handsome velvet pall, trimmed with silver edging, which was kindly provided for the occasion by the Rev. Theodore Bongaerts, of Gawler. On this was placed the chalice, paten, biretta, and stole of the deceased, and a very tastefully-constructed cross of flowers, chiefly violets and laurestinus, which was prepared by Mrs. J.A. Hewitt, of Glen Osmond. The church was densely crowded in every part, and as soon as the clergy had taken their places round the catafalque, the Vespers of the Dead were chanted by the Very Rev. C.A. Reynolds, assisted by the Very Rev. Jos. Tappeiner, S.J., Rev. M. Hager, S.J., and the Revs. Theodore Bongaerts, Charles Van der Heyden, P. Corcoran, and C. McClosky.

The service being concluded, the bulk of the congregation dispersed, but up to a late hour of the night there was a constant stream of visitors to the church, some of whom remained to watch the corpse till morning.

On the following day Masses were celebrated by the fathers of the Mission and the Rev. Theodore Bongaerts, and at 10 o'clock a large congregation assembled for the purpose of assisting at the solemn office and interment of the deceased. The Lauds and Matins were partly chaunted and partly intoned, the following clergy taking part:—The Very Rev. the Administrator, the Jesuit Fathers of the Mission, and the Revs. F. Byrne, Theodore Bongaerts, Chas. van der Heyden, Bernard Nevin, Jas. Maher, Jas. Quinlan, P. Corcoran, and P. Keogh. The celebrant of the Mass was the Very Rev. C. A. Reynolds; Deacon, Rev. Theodore Bongaerts; Sub-Deacon, Rev. Jas. Maher; Master of Ceremonies, Rev. Bernard Nevin. The Mass being concluded, the Burial Service was proceeded with, and the coffin was lowered into the vault prepared for its reception. The tomb is covered with a slab which was kindly presented to the Memorial Committee by Mr. Thompson Priest, of Mintaro, this again, will be covered with a smooth slab, like the rest of the floor of the church, and upon it an inscription will be cut, notifying that beneath it lie the mortal remains of a good and faithful priest, a true follower of S. Ignatius, who spent his life in the service of his Master, and whose memory will ever be held in benediction among the people he left behind him. We cannot close this notice of the proceedings without congratulating the Catholics of Norwood on now possessing among them the earthly remains of their beloved pastor and the Committee on the success with which their perseverance has at last been rewarded. Their warmest thanks are due to the Hobart Town Catholics for so generously surrendering a much-valued prize; and in an especial degree to the Committee, who spared no pains in making such arrangements for the disinterment and transmission as would meet with the views of the Norwood Committee. From our own personal observations, we are in a position to state that the coffins in which Fr. Hinterocker's remains are enclosed are of a most substantial character, and of first-class quality. The acknowledgments of the Norwood Committee are also due to the captain and officers of the Camilla, for the care bestowed by them upon the case during the voyage, and the courtesy displayed by them in affording every facility for its safe and speedy landing. The funeral arrangements were under the superintendence of Mr. G. R. Debney, and reflect great credit upon his establishment.

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Fr Frank Cresp, Good and Faithful Servants: Recalling the Spirit of the Deceased Priests of the Diocese of Port Augusta and Port Pirie 1888-2008, 2008:
Hinteroecker, John Nepomucene, SJ

Born: 1/1/1820 in Spitz, Austria. Son of a vineyard proprietor.
Entered Jesuits: 15/8/1839. Studied and taught in Austria and France.
At his request he was sent to the Australian Mission arriving at Sevenhill 1/2/1866. Special care for the German and Polish people. 1869 - first Superior and Parish Priest at Norwood. Responsible for building St Ignatius' Church and residence which were opened in 1870. Even though he never lived in the Diocese of Port Augusta he gave missions in the area and attended to Polish people at Dawson and other places. He visited Port Lincoln in 1867-68 and reported on the need for a Priest to be sent there. (C/f Modestus Henderson)
In 1872 he preached missions and retreats in Tasmania.
Died: 6/10/1872 of pneumonia while giving a retreat to Priests in Launceston.
Aged 52. Buried in St Ignatius' Church, Norwood, SA.

(Reproduced with the approval of Sister Mary Cresp RSM)