Pioneer Clergy of Queensland. An Historic Biography, The Age, Brisbane, 14 Dec 1901, p 52, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article292090008.

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Prayer Calendar: Deceased Priests who have ministered the Catholic Faith throughout Toowoomba and districts, 1864–2025, Compiled by Annie Carrett, Diocesan Archivist, 2001, Updated by Gabrielle Saide, Diocesan Archivist, 2023:
Rev James John Horan, died 22 May 1905

Born in Gorminstown, Co.Kildare, Ireland, on 1st January 1846. His brothers Andrew and Matthew also later became priests of the Brisbane Diocese and Bishop James Quinn was his uncle. He was educated at home by a private tutor before attending St Laurence's Connexial School and St Laurence's Seminary, Harcourt Street, Dublin. He matriculated and undertook studies at the Catholic University of Ireland, before going to the Grand Seminaire of Versailles for four years seminary study. On completion he was under the canonical age for priestly ordination, so he returned to Ireland, where he obtained the post of Vice-President of St Mary's University High School. There he obtained a dispensation from the canonical age from Cardinal Cullen and was ordained on 18th January 1868 in St Mary's Church, Gayfield at the young age of 22. He arrived in Australia in July 1868 and was appointed as Curate in Rockhampton (1868-1869). He served in Fortitude Valley (1869-1871); Maryborough (1871-1872) and in 1873 succeeded Dr Cani as Private Secretary to Bishop Quinn, who was his Uncle, and spent time travelling through the colony with him. In 1876 he was appointed to Warwick replacing Fr McDonough. Fr Horan spent 29 years as Pastor to the Warwick flock and was greatly respected by all sections of the community. In Aldines History of Queensland (1888), Fr Horan's house is described as having fourteen rooms, handsomely furnished with a panoramic view available from a tower. Fr Horan himself is described in the same volume as being. "About 5 feet 81/2 inches in height, he is of gentlemanly bearing and very courteous manners and is very popular with all classes and creeds. He enjoys the reputation of being a most forcible, ready, and eloquent preacher, and the people of Warwick boast that in him they possess the most polished and fluent master of sacred eloquence in the colony. Besides, at a moment's notice he can stand up and address any assembly even the most mixed, on any secular subject, and is always sure to make a favourable impression." (1888) He is remembered for his enduring work in establishing the Sisters of Mercy in Warwick and seeing to the laying of the foundation stone for the beautiful Assumption College. He died in Warwick in 1905, aged 59. He was originally buried in the old St Mary's Church, but his remains were transferred to the new St Mary's on completion of that building in 1926.
(Ref. Archives and Brisbane Archives)

Reproduced by permission of Bishop Ken Howell.

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Denis M. Long, Pioneer and Early Priests, Archdiocese of Brisbane, Deceased or retired by 1929, 2021, pp 121-122:
Fr James John Horan

Father James Horan was parish priest of my native parish Warwick from 1876 till 1905. As a child, I was fascinated by his burial place in a vault in St Mary' Church adjacent to the baptistery where his successor Fr Michael Potter baptised me.

James John Horan was born at Gormanston in co Kildare Ireland on 1 January 1846, son of a gentleman farmer. His mother's family gave distinguished ecclesiastics to the Church. She was a niece of the celebrated Dr Doyle, Dean of Glendalough; sister of Andrew, James and Matthew Quinn who became respectively Vicar General of Dublin, first bishop of Brisbane and first bishop of Bathurst.

James received his early education under a private tutor at his father's house. He studied at St Laurence's Connexion School and St Laurence's seminary in Hard-court Street Dublin. In 1863 he matriculated from the Catholic University in Ireland to spend four years at the Grand Seminary in Versailles for his theological studies. Being under age for ordination he returned to Dublin and was appointed to fill the vice-president's chair in St Mary's University High School, Gayfield. When Cardinal Cullen obtained a canonical dispensation for James at the age of 22 he was ordained to the priesthood on 18 January 1868 in St Mary's Gayfield. On 28 February 1868 he left Dublin for London to sail to Australia on the Zealandia in the company of Rev Mother Mary Patrick Potter and five Sisters of Mercy bound for Brisbane.(1)

Arriving in Moreton Bay on 4 July 1868 Father James was met at Harris wharf by his brother Fr Matthew Horan, Dr Dunne then Vicar-General of Queensland and Dr Cani. Fr James rested in Brisbane for three weeks. Then he was appointed to the curacy at Rockhampton. Eighteen months later he was placed in charge of St Patrick's Fortitude Valley.

In March 1871 he was transferred to Maryborough. After eleven months he was appointed to Mt Perry and then to Peak Downs then called Clermont/Copperfield. While there he met Bishop Quinn in Mackay to accompany him on an episcopal visitation to Cardwell, Ethel ridge and Charters Towers, visiting stations and mining camps on the way. On horseback with their swags they spent many nights in the open beside a camp fire. They arrived in Charters Towers at the time of meat-riots. It is held to this day, that the famous speech, made by Dr Quinn to an infuriated mob, prevented bloodshed and restored peace.

When the clergy met for their annual clergy retreat in 1873 Fr Horan was appointed secretary to Dr Quinn. On 26 February 1876 he arrived in Warwick as priest-in-charge of the Warwick mission in succession to Fr Stephen McDonough.(2)

Various sites in the town have been mentioned as the homes in which the priests including Father Horan lived. Eventually from his own personal funds Fr Horan built one of the finest residences in Warwick. In his will he left the home to be sold with the proceeds to be used in building a Christian Brothers school in the town.

When I was at St Mary's primary school in 1942 I was intrigued by some ruins in the corner of the school grounds. They were the foundations of a building with stone walls to no more than two feet high. Such was the commencement of a presbytery that was never built. After Fr Horan's death there were many interesting moves in settling his estate. Eventually Fr Potter, who succeeded Fr Horan, purchased the building on behalf of the parish to become the Warwick presbytery. The proceeds of the purchase formed the basis of a fund for a Christian Brothers College and monastery.

School and monastery were opened by Archbishop Duhig on 28 January 1912. At the opening Fr Potter revealed the cost as £7000.(3) Fr Potter announced that two-thirds of the expenditure has been raised. The nucleus of which was the £3000 bequeathed by Fr Horan for the project.

During his 29 years as parish priest Fr Horan had extended the church built by Fr Cani in 1864 by adding transepts and a new sanctuary. This was the church in which my mother was baptised and received her first Holy Communion and confirmation.

Fr Horan was at the centre of an uncomfortable time in the diocese when his uncle Bishop O'Quinn died in 1881. Priests of the diocese nominated James Horan as dignissimus (most worthy) for the position of the administrator of the diocese while there was no bishop. But Archbishop Vaughan, metropolitan of Sydney, appointed Dr Cani to the role. The protests of mainly Irish priests in the diocese found their way into the press. Once the Pope appointed Dr Cani as first bishop of Rockhampton and Robert Dunne as bishop of Brisbane the situation appeared to settle.

Fr Horan died in his home on 22 May 1905. The Warwick press carried a lengthy article on Father Horan on the day of his funeral. His body was laid out in the presbytery after his death. On the Tuesday morning the body was taken to the church where Fr Potter his senior curate celebrated a Requiem Mass. Fathers Matthew and Andrew Horan, John O'Connell of Toowoomba, Thomas Hayes of Goodna and Matthew Ryan of Ipswich arrived on the mail train at mid-day and proceeded to the church. There Fr Matthew Horan addressed those who had assembled and the rosary was recited.

On the Wednesday the visiting priests celebrated Masses in the church. At 10.00am the Divine Office of the dead was sung and a solemn Requiem High Mass was celebrated by Fr John O'Connell with Fr Matthew Ryan as deacon; Fr J O'Flynn as sub-deacon and Fr Potter as master of ceremonies. The absolution was pronounced by Fr Matthew Horan.

At 11.00am a procession formed with school children, members of the CYMS, and members of the HACBS forming a guard of honour. The hearse followed with altar boys and priests in soutane and surplice, representatives of various bodies and the general public. The procession moved up Palmerin Street to Pratten St and down Guy Street to Victoria Street and finally up Palmerin Street to the Church where the body was interred with the approval of church and civil authorities.

Archbishop Dunne presided at a Requiem Mass in St Stephen's Cathedral on the Tuesday. He apologised for his absence from the funeral the following day as he was committed to chair a meeting of Rockhampton priests as part of the process for choosing a successor for Bishop Higgins who had been transferred to Ballarat.(4)/p>

Footnotes
1. Brisbane Courier, 7 Jul 1868, p. 2. The paper provides an extensive report of their journey.
2. Joseph McKey, The Light of Other Days, 1970, pp. 12 and 13.
3. RBA, inflation calculation. Estimates a value of $900,000 in today's currency.
4. Warwick Examiner and Times, 27 May 1905, p. 73.

Reproduced by permission of Fr Denis Long.