Fr T.J. Linane, From Abel to Zundolovich, Vol. 1, 1979, p 32:

Breen, James Benedict, Irish
East Brisbane Church Is His Memorial
J.B.B. came to Australia as a teacher, either before or after ordination giving service at St. Kilian's College. Deciding to study for the priesthood he returned to Ireland and was ordained from AH in 1876, at the age of 35 (circa). Birthplace incidentally was in the Armagh Dioc., Co. Tyrone. Early CD's fail to show his whereabouts in the first years after ordination, so probably he worked first in Ireland. CD '86 indicates St.Stephen's, East Bris. (92), Woolloongabba ('98 & '01), Kangaroo Point ('15). Archbishop Dunne carried out a policy of centralism in Brisbane city churches, so conceivably J.B.B. lived most of the time at St. Stephen's and attended to the East Bris. section of the Cathedral parish. d. 22.12.'16; age 75; burial in Nudgee.
(Footprints, Vol. 1, No. 7)
Ref.: Catholic Miscellany and Catholic Progress 1914-19, books written haphazardly by a contemporary priest, Fr. Jeremiah O'Leary.

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Denis M. Long, Pioneer and Early Priests, Archdiocese of Brisbane, Deceased or retired by 1929, 2021, pp 148-149:
Fr James Breen

James Benedict Breen was born to Michael and Mary (nee O'Neill) of Arboe in co Tyrone in the diocese of Armagh on 25 March 1835.(1) He was educated in the local National school. After his schooling he chose to be a teacher. He achieved that ambition by continuing his education under the Board of Education in Dublin. Following his graduation from that institution he taught in schools in Ireland for a number of years.

James he sailed from Cork harbour on 22 February 1865 as one of the 512 passengers aboard the Sunda, 1381 tons registered, bound for Queensland. Under Captain Flynn the departure from Queenstown, where 410 emigrants sponsored by the Bishop Quinn's Immigration scheme boarded the vessel, was delayed for three days because of inclement weather. The chaplain on the voyage, around The Cape of Good Hope and south of Tasmania reaching Moreton Bay on Wednesday 24 May, was Fr Patrick Dunne. On the Saturday passengers and their luggage was brought to Brisbane by the Government SS Platypus.(2)

A fellow passenger recalled James' activity on that lengthy voyage. It was dangerous for children to be running about when families went to the deck to get fresh air during the day. James Breen invited all the children of school age to gather in a room beneath deck for classes for the length of a school day. As a teacher he had some books and other passengers shared books with him. He took advantage of using some school books being taken to the new colony. He made use of these facilities to continue the children's education for the three months on board.(3)

Following his arrival in Brisbane on 27 May James went to Ipswich to teach in the Catholic school. The French priest Fr Brun was in charge of that mission. James developed a close friendship with Fr Brun as they cared for the religious life of parishioners and the education of their children.

By 1873 the teacher felt that he had a vocation to the priesthood. He began his education for the priesthood under Fr Brun. Bishop Quinn sent him to continue his studies for the priesthood at All Hallows College in Dublin.(4) At the same time Fr Brun, a member of the Augustinians of the Assumption, was being recalled by their superior general to a chapter of the order in France. A well-attended farewell was extended to priest and teacher by the Ipswich community. The Ipswich newspaper reported the function in a lengthy article. That article reveals the esteem in which James Benedict Breen was held in the new diocese of Brisbane.(5)

James Breen entered All Hallows Missionary College in Dublin that year. He was ordained in the All Hallows chapel on 25 June 1876. On his return he served as a priest at St Patrick's Fortitude Valley and St Stephen's cathedral. He then moved to reside in St Killian's presbytery in Graham Street, South Brisbane. Besides teaching there from 1881 he was priest-in charge of St Joseph's Kangaroo Point. He filled this role, being designated parish priest in 1915, until hospitalized nearly two years before his death.

He regularly wrote letters to the local press. For some time he was editor of the Brisbane Catholic Advocate. At Kangaroo Point he built the first stone St Joseph's parish church. Greatly respected by Archbishop Dunne, Fr Breen was the peace-maker in some conflicts that arose in the diocese during his years.

Like all of us Fr Breen had his failings, but Coadjutor Archbishop James Duhig in the panegyric at his funeral touched on his fine qualities:

Anyone seeing Father Breen officiating in the sanctuary must have been struck with his deep piety and his respect for everything pertaining to the Church and the service of Almighty God. No one could be present at Mass or Benediction at St Joseph's without being struck by what his Grace thought he might call the extraordinary piety and holiness of the congregation, and His Grace asserted that it was largely due to the example and devotion of their pastor. … He loved his God, he loved the poor, and he loved his books. … He had received the confidence of their venerable Archbishop to a great extent, and that confidence he never betrayed in the slightest degree. Father Breen's humility was such that notwithstanding his great experience, notwithstanding his learning, notwithstanding his years of mission, notwithstanding his great experience, he was the humblest and most retiring in any company of his fellow-priests. … He brought a ray of light into the homes of the poor, and they might be sure that he would have a very bright crown in the Kingdom of Heaven.

He died in the Mater Misericordiae Private hospital at 2.00am on Friday 22 December 1916.(6) His funeral took place on the Saturday from St Stephen's Cathedral. Present at the Mass were his sister Mrs Quinn of Wooloowin and her husband and their daughters Mary and Lily. Their son a Registrar of the Supreme Court was in Townsville and unable to attend the funeral. The celebrant of the Requiem Mass was Fr John O'Connell who had been caring for St Joseph's parish while Fr Breen was hospitalized. The deacon was Fr John Gowen and the sub-deacon Fr Michael McKenna. The administrator of St Stephen's Very Rev Fr James Byrne was master of ceremonies. Over twenty priests were in attendance with Coadjutor Archbishop Duhig presiding.

The press noted that just two days prior to the funeral of this pioneer Irish priest Archbishop Duhig had officiated at the ordination of a locally born man to the priesthood, in the person of Fr Thomas Lalor.

Following the Divine Office of the Dead and the Requiem Mass Coadjutor Archbishop Duhig officiated at the funeral liturgy prior to the funeral proceeding to Nudgee Catholic cemetery where once again Dr Duhig officiated.

Archbishop Dunne was too frail to attend Fr Breen's funeral. He died less than a month later.

Footnotes
1. Kevin Condon cm, The Missionary College of All Hallows 1842-1891, student 1319, p. 339.
2. Brisbane Courier, 17 Jun 1865, p. 3. A full report of a very happy voyage appeared in that edition.
3. Age, Brisbane, 6 January 1917, p, 9.
4. Kevin Condon, op. cit.
5. Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser, Ipswich, 20 March 1873, p. 5.
6. Week, Brisbane, 29 Dec 1916, p. 28.

Reproduced by permission of Fr Denis Long.