Rev James Costello
Title:
Rev
First Name:
James
Middle Names:
J.
Preferred Name:
Surname:
Costello
Order:
Date of Birth:
Place of Birth:
Ballyhale, Co Kilkenny
Country of Birth:
Ireland
Date of Ordination:
Place of Ordination:
Country of Ordination:
Ireland
Ordination Diocese:
Maitland-Newcastle
Seminary:
St Kieran's College, Kilkenny, Ireland
Date of Death:
Place of Death:
Newcastle NSW
Country of Death:
Australia
Date of Burial:
Place of Burial:
Sandgate, Newcastle NSW
Country of Burial:
Australia
Find A Grave URL:
Appointments Table
Diocese | Place | Role | Start Day | Start Month | Start Year | End Day | End Month | End Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armidale | ? | 1895 | Linane Vol 2; Campbell | ||||||
| Maitland-Newcastle | Burwood (Merewether) | 1901 | Feb | 1932 | Linane Vol 2; Campbell | ||||
| Maitland-Newcastle | Muswellbrook | Curate | 1894 | Campbell | |||||
| Maitland-Newcastle | Morpeth | Campbell |
Biographical Notes
Fr T.J. Linane, From Abel to Zundolovich, Vol. 2: Biographies of Priests on the Australian Scene up to 1900, 1980, pp 91-92:
Costelloe, James J., Irish
Pastor of Burwood-Merewether for 25 Years
Apart from a note in Fr. Harold Campbell's centenary book The Diocese of Maitland, 1866-1966, little is known and the life calls for further research. St. Kieran's College, Kilkenny was where he studied for the priesthood — and it's noteworthy how many priests in the Maitland, more especially in the last century, were products of either St. Kieran's or St. Patrick's, Thurles. James was ordained in 1894 and arrived for duty in the same year. For a few years he worked in the Armidale Diocese, returning to his diocese of adoption to be assistant at Newcastle then under the administratorship of Fr. Francis O'Gorman. Seemingly he was given his first parish in 1903, taking over at Burwood from Fr. Cornelius McAuliffe. And there he stayed, witnessing much progress in the addition of churches and schools, and a change of name from Burwood to Merewether. Adamstown, a part of his domain, became a separate entity in 1925, and later he has as an assistant a future Archbishop in the person of Dr. Ernest Tweedy. After 25 years, (or was it 29?) in his one and only parish he died on 13 February 1932. His remains lie in the Sandgate cemetery.
(Footprints, Vol. 2, No. 12)
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T.W. Campbell, The Priests of the Diocese of Armidale: A Necrology, Braddon ACT, 2005:
Costello, James
Born at Ballyhale, Co Kilkenny, in 1868 he was educated at the Carmelite College Knocktopher, Kilkenny and St Kieran's College, Kilkenny (1886-1894). He was ordained on 1 July 1894 and arrived in the Maitland diocese on 24 October that year after a voyage from London on the Austral, which arrived in Melbourne en route to Sydney on 19 October 1894. He was first stationed at Muswellbrook as assistant priest, then at Morpeth, then for a time in the Armidale diocese, during 1895. He became parish priest at Merewether (then called Burwood) in 1901, remaining in that position until he died on 13 February 1932. He was buried at Sandgate cemetery.
(Sources: Advocate 20 Oct 1894 p 11, FJ 18 Feb 1932 p 27, Mercury 15 Feb 1932 p 4, NMHMA 15 Feb 1932 p 4, Footprints, Vol 2 No 12, MDHC A-Z C167).
(Reproduced by permission of Tom Campbell.)