Glen Innes, Kempsey, Moree, Narrabri, NSW; Cooktown, Roma, etc., Qld

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T.W. Campbell, The Priests of the Diocese of Armidale: A Necrology, Braddon ACT, 2005:
McGuinness, Patrick Joseph

Born at Callyhaney, Co Armagh, Ireland, date of birth unknown (1840). Educated at Mackers' school, Cullyhonna. Studied for the priesthood at All Hallows, Dublin, then in Jura, France, from March 1861. He was ordained in France in 1865, and went to the Queensland mission. On arrival he was sent to Maryborough. From there he was assigned to Rockhampton and Cooktown, where he was located in 1875. In late 1875 he entertained Bishop O'Mahony of Armidale on the latter's brief visit to the town while travelling to Rome on the ship Normandy. After return to Brisbane he was moved to St George. He then transferred to the Armidale diocese in 1880 for health reasons. He was appointed to Glen Innes. In 1882 he transferred to Kempsey. While in Kempsey he became embroiled in a financial dispute concerning money used for the construction of a church at Smithtown. When the new Diocese of Grafton (later Lismore) was formed he came inland to the Armidale diocese. He was appointed to Narrabri, then to Moree. In September 1900 he travelled to Sydney to participate in the dedication of St Mary's Cathedral and attend the Australasian Catholic Congress, but an attack of rheumatic gout prevented his involvement and he returned to Moree. In December 1900 he again took ill and the people of the Moree parish funded his trip to St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney where he died on 17 December 1900. He was buried at Rookwood cemetery in the family burial plot of a Mr and Mrs Smith, long time friends. The date of death shown in Doody (17 January 1900) is incorrect.
(Sources: FJ 29 Sep 1900 p 9, 22 Dec 1900 p 20, 29 Dec 1900 p 18, Advocate 22 Jun 1872 p 6, 26 Jun 1875 p 6, 1 Jan 1876 p 7, 8 Oct 1881 p 16, Kelly, Foley, NSW Probate records, MDHC A-Z Mc83).

(Reproduced by permission of Tom Campbell.)

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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 Peter J Maguiness, died 17 Jan 1900

Born in Ireland. Studied at All Hallows in Dublin. Served in Diocese of Brisbane and Armidale. Served in Roma for three months of 1877.
(Ref. Linane M14)

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 82-83:
Fr Patrick Joseph McCreesh/McGuinness

Patrick J McCreesh/McGuinness was born at Dorsey in Co Armagh, Northern Ireland in 1842. He was the eighth of eleven children; 5 girls and six boys, born to Thomas McCreesh, aged 42 and his wife Ann (nee Geeney), and aged 32 years.

Patrick's siblings were Mary 1825-1905, Owen 1831-1907, Thomas 1833-1886, John 1834-1943, Bridget 1835-1889, Alice 1837-, James 1838-, Anne 1846-, Francis 1844-1929, Catherine 1853-1923. Their mother Anne died on 21 July 1874. Their father Thomas died in December 1886.

Some family members go by the name, McCreesh/McGuinness.(1) His death is registered under the name Patrick J Macguinness.(2)

[Portrait of a young Fr McGuinness (3)]

From the age of 13 Patrick was educated at Joseph Mackin's Classical School in Cullyhanna, co Armagh. In 1860 he entered All Hallows Missionary College, Drumcondra, but in March 1861 he moved to the seminary of St Claude, Lon-le-Soulnier, at Jura in France, where he was ordained in 1865.(4)

He arrived in Wide Bay (Maryborough) on the Golden Land on 16 October 1865. As four passengers died during the voyage, the landing was delayed by 18 days quarantine.(5)

To the Rev P T McGuinniss (sic) C C
Reverend and Dear sir – We, the undersigned passengers of different denominations on board the ship 'Golden Land', from Liverpool and Queenstown to Queensland, at the termination of our long voyage (over three months) cannot separate without expressing our most sincere thanks for the great kindness we experienced at your hands, and the essential benefits we derived through your instrumentality and untiring exertions during this long and precarious journey. Having witnessed your unabating zeal and vigilance both day and night in endeavouring to promote comfort and subordination amongst all classes, which we are happy to say you most successfully accomplished without reference to creeds or persons; wounding the feelings of none – solacing all – dispensing the blessing of religion to those confided to your care, and distributing with no parsimonious hand your own private means in providing necessaries and little luxuries for the many requiring them.

Trusting that our separation will be but temporary, and that we will long continue with the blessings of God to avail ourselves of the advantages derivable from your counsel and example,
We remain, yours respectfully
Signed by 200 fellow passengers on the journey; October 12, 1865. (6)

Among the passengers were Fr Matthew Horan and two Sisters of Mercy: Sr Mary Elizabeth [Hescy], (20.01.1817 - 17.02.190) & Sister Mary Rose [Flanagan], (01.09.1844 - 01.07.1879).

McGuinness spent a short time in Ipswich. Fr Brun, in a report to Bishop Quinn about his curates, says of McGuinness – Unfit on account of his drinking. (7)

In 1866 he was posted to Rockhampton and then Bowen. His ministry extended far and wide to the west. In 1871 he visited Roma, where he built a church. He has been mentioned as the inspiration for Banjo Patterson's poem the Bush Christening, namely Macguinness McGee.

By 1873 he was the first priest appointed to the new mining districts around Georgetown and Etheridge. He cared for Cooktown, opening the first church there on 9 May 1875.(8) By September 1876 he was again in St George:

The Rev Father McGuinness has arrived here to take charge of the district, and is now busily engaged in carrying out church improvements and bringing together members of his flock. The Catholic Church has been opened by the rev gentleman for the performance of Divine worship, and his services are well attended. (9)

He was a member of a provisional hospital committee there in November 1876.(10)

He was listed in Brisbane from 1880 to 1882, but seems to have visiting his native land for a Patrick McGuinness arrived on 28 January 1881 in Sydney having sailed from Dundalk.

By 1884 he was in Glen Innes in the Armidale diocese; in 1886 at Kempsey; in Narrabri and in 1898 at Moree. His family history notes his presence at Garah in 1894, Boggabilla in 1895 and Boomi - all in the Moree parish of that time.(11) He accompanied Bishop Torreggiani in the dedication of Catholic sections of various cemeteries.(12)

He could be rather cruel in exercising his authority as is attested in the following newspaper report, sadly not unusual in those times:

[Portrait: Fr McGuinness in later life (13)]

Clerical Arrogance
The Rev P J McGuiness, a Roman Catholic clergyman, was charged at Moree Police Court today with assaulting Oscar Coleman aged 11. The evidence given showed that the boy neglected to go to mass and went fishing instead. The priest thereupon thrashed him with a saddle-strap, the buckle end of which inflicted a large number of bruises on the lad's body, arms and legs. Father McGuiness admitted thrashing the boy with the belt and also other boys with stirrup leathers. His defence was that the punishment was administered for purposes of correction. The bench held that the assault was cruel, and commented on the arrogance of any clergyman correcting a member of his flock for not going to church. Father McGuiness was fined £2 and costs, amounting altogether to £6 odd, or in default four months in gaol. (14)

Fr Patrick J McGuinness died in Sydney on 19 January, 1900. He was buried in the Catholic cemetery at Rookwood on 20 January 1900.(15)

Footnotes
1. Family Tree, in Ancestry.com.
2. NSW Death Registration, 11470/1900.
3. Fr J O'Leary's Catholic Miscellany, 1914.
4. Kevin Condon, The Missionary College of All Hallows 1842-1891, 1986, student 692, p. 316.
5. Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay & Burnett Advertiser, Maryborough, 8 Nov 1865, p. 2.
6. Ibid. Saturday 11 Nov 1865, p. 3.
7. R J Kane, St Mary's Ipswich the Luckie Parish - Fr Luckie to Dr Oxenham 1949-1983, 2011, p. 85.
8. Freeman's Journal, 19 Jun 1875, p. 14.
9. Queenslander, Brisbane, 14 Oct 1876, p. 6.
10. Brisbane Archdiocesan Archives.
11. History of Fr McGuinness on Ancestry.com.au, October 8 2016.
12. New South Wales Government Gazettes, 1894 and 1895.
13. Ancestry.com. McGuinness Family Story.
14. The Express and Telegraph, Adelaide, 13 Mar 1896, p. 3.
15. NSW Death Registration, 11470/1900.

Reproduced by permission of Fr Denis Long.