Denis M. Long, Pioneer and Early Priests, Archdiocese of Brisbane, Deceased or retired by 1929, 2021, pp 22-23:
Fr Thomas O’Brien

Thomas O'Brien was born to James and Mary (nee Byrne) O'Brien at Ballymore-Eustace, Dublin on 30 April 1843. He was educated at Dr Quinn's St Laurence O'Toole seminary in Harcourt Street, Dublin before entering Holy Cross College, Clonliffe and then All Hallows in 1866. He left All Hallows Missionary College in 1871 to come to Brisbane.(1)

Thomas O'Brien arrived in Brisbane, aboard the Ramsay, on the 28 June, 1871. He had left London on March 13 with Michael Murray, a fellow student for the priesthood, under the watchful eye of Fr Hely, who up to that time had been a professor at Mt Melleray seminary.

It is an amazing coincidence that these three priests' deaths were consecutive among the many pioneer priests of the diocese.

Thomas and Michael completed their studies for the priesthood at St Killian's College in South Brisbane. These two gentlemen were ordained by Bishop Quinn, in the old St Stephen's Church on 8 June 1873.(2)

Soon after his ordination in 1873 Fr O'Brien was appointed to assist the aging Augustinian Assumptionist Dean Tissot in Maryborough. Dean Tissot departed from Maryborough after celebrating his 74th birthday on the 10 July, 1875. He left Australia in August after celebrating his Golden Jubilee of priesthood in Brisbane. He returned to his native France where he died in 1895 at the age of 90 years.

Fr O'Brien succeeded Dean Tissot as parish priest of Maryborough. Soon after becoming parish priest Fr O'Brien opened a new church in Bundaberg on 3 October 1875. This was three years before Bundaberg was established as a separate mission with Fr Constantine Rossolini, previously of Gayndah and Mt Perry, as priest-in-charge of the mission.

On a visit to Bundaberg to discuss the Catholic school in that town with Fr Rossolini Father O'Brien collapsed and died, a few days later, on 12 June 1878 at the age of 35. A report of his death appeared in the tri-weekly Maryborough press.

Death of Father O'Brien
The Rev Father O'Brien, of Maryborough, arrived in Bundaberg at 6 pm on Saturday, in better health and spirits than he had enjoyed for some time past. On Monday, the rev gentleman was being amused by and amusing the children attending the Convent school who on that day were being treated to a feast by their teachers, the Sisters of St Joseph. At noon, the Revs O'Brien and Rossolini retired to the residence of the latter, when an interesting and lively conversation ensued between the two; suddenly, however, Father O'Brien was seen to fall from his chair, and it was discovered that he had been afflicted with an apoplectic fit. Dr Bugden was immediately summoned to the sufferer's assistance and, afterwards, Mr Coffey. The rev gentleman rallied, and was perfectly conscious until Tuesday evening, when an unfavourable turn took place. Every care kind hands and affectionate hearts could bestow and devise was accorded to the now dying patient, who, after experiencing much pain, passed away peacefully about 4 am on Wednesday. In the afternoon the coffin containing the mortal remains of this beloved priest was removed to the Church, where it rested in front of the altar until the following morning. The deceased gentleman was buried in the Church ground on Thursday morning, when the Revs Healy and Rossolini officiated. Following the above notice, the 'Mount Perry Mail' has a sketch of the life of the rev gentleman, from which we extract the following: - In his early days he showed signs of piety, and in consequence was sent to a school presided over by the Rev O'Quinn, now Bishop of Brisbane. Having distinguished himself there, he was sent to All Hallows, Dublin, for several years; he prosecuted his studies there, and under the strict discipline he caught a severe cold, which brought on a disease of the chest; on account of this he was sent home to recruit not only his flagging spirits but his health. His friends at that time thought that premature disease had set in, but the country air of Culclare, a village near the Curragh, proved different, and health and a robust constitution followed. Again he returned to college and had to leave for a short period. He at that time gained strength, and became so rubicund that his friends had no scruple of again allowing him to return to his studies, and after years of hard toil at that world-renowned institution, he was sent to the Clontarf College, where it was supposed he would study under more eminent professors. Having now completed over seven years study, and taken all the degrees necessary to be admitted to the priesthood, he came out to Queensland about the year 1871 with references to Bishop O'Quinn sufficient to warrant him to ordain him, which he did, and his was the first ordination in the colony. A short time after his ordination, Father O'Brien was sent to Maryborough as coadjutor to rev P Tissot; after a short time Dean Tissot left for Europe and he was made parish priest, which position he filled with honour and credit to himself and his flock until the time of his death.(3)

He was buried in the church yard at Bundaberg, but his body was moved then to the Maryborough church on 23 March 1881.

The mortal remains of the late Reverend Father O'Brien were, at the wish of the congregation of St Mary's Church, exhumed at Bundaberg and brought down by the steamer 'Lady Bowen' for internment within the above-mentioned edifice. When the steamer arrived at the wharf yesterday morning, several hundred adherents of the Roman Catholic Church were in waiting, including the children attending the school, and nearly all wore mournful garb suited to the melancholy occasion. The coffin, having been transported to the hearse in waiting, was conveyed to St Mary's where a vault had been prepared under one of the northern windows. High mass was conducted by the Rev Father O'Reilly and Dean Murlay, the latter having just arrived from Rockhampton. The Rev J E Tennison-Woods then delivered an eloquent funeral sermon, in the course of which he referred pathetically to his personal acquaintance with the deceased, whom he had prepared for the priesthood, and at whose ordination he had personally assisted. The reverend preacher was deeply affected. A requiem service followed, and the coffin was lodged in its final resting place, over which a stone monument will at once be erected by the congregation, to whom Father O'Brien had, during his life time, especially endeared himself.(4)

Footnotes
1. Kevin Condon, The Missionary College of All Hallows 1842-1891, 1986, student 1037, p. 329.
2. Denis W Martin, St Mary Parish Maryborough 1861-2011, 2011, p. 23.
3. Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser, 18 Jun 1878, p. 2.
4. Ibid. 24 Mar 1881, p. 2.

Reproduced by permission of Fr Denis Long.