
History
This wooden building, staffed by the Sisters of St. Joseph, replaced the original school which was destroyed by a severe storm on December 11, 1888. The Sisters of St. Joseph withdrew to Tingha in December 1890. The Sisters of Mercy commenced teaching in Inverell on January 12, 1891.
In 1914, this brick school replaced the wooden building which became inadequate for the number of students.
A high school was added to the existing buildings in 1930. It consisted of two large brick rooms, parallel to Vivian Street. One room housed First & Second Year and the other Third Year – the Intermediate class.
St Mary’s Ross Hill was officially opened as a School-Church Sunday, Nov 1, 1953 by Bishop Doody. The first intake of students did not take place until first term 1954. The school was built to accommodate sub-primary and infants children living west of the River in order to relieve overcrowding at Sacred Heart School. After completing Year 4, the students moved down to Sacred Heart School. This continued till 1963 when boy students attended Holy Trinity from year 4, girls still stayed at Sacred Heart. In 1969 St Mary’s became an all- girls Primary School from years 4-6. In 1975 the school closed and the pupils transferred to Holy Trinity.
Name of Priest |
Status |
Appointed |
Until |
Note |
|
|
Rev. Francis W. McLauglin |
Unknown |
1868 |
1868 |
|
|
|
Rev. G. Hewitt |
Unknown |
1870 |
1871 |
|
|
|
Rev. John Kelly |
Unknown |
1871 |
1873 |
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|
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Rev. John Davis |
Unknown |
1873 |
|
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|
|
Rev. M. Sheehan |
Unknown |
1874 |
|
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||
Rev. Joseph H. Doyle |
Unknown |
1879 |
1880 |
|
|
|
Rev. P. J. O'Connor |
Unknown |
1880 |
|
|
|
|
Rev. John Punt |
Unknown |
1880 |
1881 |
|
|
|
Rev. Cherubini |
Unknown |
1880 |
1886 |
|
|
|
Rev. Salvador |
Unknown |
1882 |
1882 |
|
|
|
Rev. Joachim Van di Heuvel |
Unknown |
1885 |
|
|
|
|
Rev. D. A. Mitchell |
Unknown |
1886 |
1893 |
|
|
|
Rev. J. Heatne |
Unknown |
1888 |
|
|
|
|
Rev. J. Morrissey |
Unknown |
1888 |
|
|
|
|
Rev. J. Dowling |
Unknown |
1887 |
1889 |
|
|
|
Rev. Matthew Ryan |
Unknown |
1890 |
1893 |
|
|
|
Rev. James Byrne |
Unknown |
1892 |
|
|
|
|
Rev. Joseph Austin |
Unknown |
1893 |
|
|
|
|
Rev. John J. English |
Unknown |
1893 |
1914 |
|
|
|
Rev. William Lee |
Unknown |
1893 |
|
|
|
|
Rev. Callisto Henry |
Unknown |
1894 |
|
|
|
|
Rev. P. Piquet |
Unknown |
1898 |
|
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|
|
Rev. J. J. O'Neil |
Unknown |
1898 |
|
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|
|
Rev. Thomas F. Harington |
Unknown |
1899 |
|
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|
|
Rev. Charles |
Unknown |
1900 |
|
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|
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Rev. J. T. Clancy |
Unknown |
1901 |
|
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|
|
Rev. Leonard C. P |
Unknown |
1902 |
|
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|
|
Rev. Thomas P. Sheehy |
Unknown |
1904 |
|
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|
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Rev. P. J. O'Hanlin |
Unknown |
1905 |
1907 |
|
|
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Rev. Patrick Condon |
Unknown |
1908 |
1909 |
|
|
|
Rev. S. G. Burchell |
Unknown |
1909 |
1913 |
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Rev. Charles Dillion |
Unknown |
1910 |
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|
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Rev. J. P. Harrington |
Unknown |
1910 |
1917 |
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Rev. M. Tobin |
Unknown |
1914 |
1914 |
|
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Rev. P. Cregan |
Unknown |
1914 |
|
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|
|
Rev. J. J. O'Neil |
Unknown |
1915 |
1948 |
|
||
Rev. J. O. Reilly |
Unknown |
1920 |
1923 |
|
|
|
Rev. John P. O'Connor |
Asst. Parish Priest |
1923 |
1927 |
|
|
|
Rev. John McDermott |
Unknown |
1924 |
|
|
|
|
Rev. Patrick Walsh |
Unknown |
1924 |
1925 |
|
|
|
Rev. P. J. Moloney M.S.C |
Unknown |
1926 |
|
|
|
|
Rev. C. Donleavy |
Unknown |
1927 |
1930 |
|
|
|
Rev. Thomas Leahy |
Asst. Parish Priest |
1930 |
1930 |
|
|
|
Rev. Maurice Tully |
Asst. Parish Priest |
1930 |
1935 |
|
|
|
Rev. Albert Spratt C.P |
Unknown |
1931 |
|
|
|
|
Rev. Norman Tuttle |
Asst. Parish Priest |
1934 |
1935 |
|
|
|
Rev. J. Cullen |
Unknown |
1935 |
1936 |
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|
|
Rev. Thomas Stephenson |
Unknown |
1935 |
|
|
|
|
Rev. P. L. Doherty |
Unknown |
1936 |
1938 |
|
|
|
Rev. D. H. Hiscox |
Unknown |
1936 |
1936 |
|
|
|
Rev. J. Grace |
Unknown |
1937 |
1937 |
|
|
|
Rev. Edward Rohan |
Asst. Parish Priest |
1938 |
1942 |
|
|
|
Rev. J. S. Moran |
Unknown |
1939 |
|
|
|
|
Rev. John Hall C.M |
Unknown |
1941 |
|
|
|
|
Rev. Malachy Stevens |
Unknown |
1942 |
1946 |
|
|
|
Rev. Michael Foley |
Asst. Parish Priest |
1945 |
1947 |
|
|
|
Rev. John M. O'Connor |
Parish Priest |
1946 |
1946 |
|
|
|
Rev. William Corr |
Unknown |
1946 |
1949 |
|
|
|
Rev. Robert Watson |
Asst. Parish Priest |
1947 |
1948 |
|
|
|
Rev. James Conroy |
Asst. Parish Priest |
1948 |
1949 |
|
|
|
Rev. Bede P. Shanahan |
Asst. Parish Priest |
1949 |
1950 |
|
|
|
Rev. Mgr. Condon |
Unknown |
1949 |
|
|
|
|
Rev. Laurence Cosgrove |
Unknown |
1950 |
|
|
|
|
Rev. Clarence A. Fisher |
Asst. Parish Priest |
1951 |
1955 |
|
|
|
Rev. Reginald Mckervey |
Asst. Parish Priest |
1954 |
|
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|
|
Rev. James Healy |
Parish Priest |
1957 |
1968 |
|
|
|
Rev. Stanislaus Campbell |
Administrator |
1957 |
1959 |
|
|
|
Rev. Bede Ryan |
Asst. Parish Priest |
1958 |
|
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|
|
Rev. Bruce Macpherson |
Asst. Parish Priest |
1961 |
1962 |
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|
|
Rev. Thomas Shanahan |
Asst. Parish Priest |
1962 |
1966 |
|
|
|
Rev. Francis Le Fevre |
Asst. Parish Priest |
1962 |
|
|
|
|
Rev. John Carey |
Asst. Parish Priest |
1962 |
1966 |
|
|
|
Rev. Francis Le Fevre |
Parish Priest |
1964 |
1969 |
|
|
|
Rev. Ronald Perrett |
Asst. Parish Priest |
1967 |
1969 |
|
|
|
Rev. Stephen Brennan |
Parish Priest |
1969 |
1974 |
|
|
|
Rev. Gerard Hanna |
Asst. Parish Priest |
1969 |
1972 |
|
|
|
Rev. Thomas Crowley |
Asst. Parish Priest |
1969 |
1970 |
|
|
|
Rev. Bede Ryan |
Administrator |
1970 |
1971 |
|
|
|
Rev. Michael Mullane |
Asst. Parish Priest |
1972 |
1974 |
|
|
|
Rev. David Teggins |
Unknown |
1972 |
|
|
|
|
Rev. C. H Leis |
Parish Priest |
1974 |
1980 |
|
|
|
Rev. R. Curry |
Asst. Parish Priest |
1974 |
1977 |
|
|
|
Rev. S. Hennesssey |
Asst. Parish Priest |
1977 |
1981 |
|
|
|
Rev. Bruce Macpherson |
Parish Priest |
1980 |
1983 |
|
|
|
Rev. Michael Mullane |
Asst. Parish Priest |
1980 |
1983 |
|
|
|
Rev. Ross O'Brien |
Asst. Parish Priest |
1980 |
1980 |
January to April |
|
|
Rev. Ross O'Brien |
Administrator |
1980 |
1980 |
April to July |
|
|
Rev. Thomas Crowley |
Asst. Parish Priest |
1981 |
1982 |
|
|
|
Rev. John Curran |
Asst. Parish Priest |
1982 |
1986 |
|
|
|
Rev. Michael Mullane |
Parish Priest |
1983 |
1996 |
|
|
|
Rev. Maxwell Davis |
Asst. Parish Priest |
1991 |
1995 |
|
|
|
Rev. Maxwell Davis |
Administrator |
1995 |
1996 |
|
|
|
Rev. Jose Adriano |
Asst. Parish Priest |
1995 |
2000 |
|
|
|
Rev. Paul McCabe |
Parish Priest |
1996 |
2002 |
|
|
|
Rev. Bernard Frize |
Parish Priest |
2002 |
2009 |
|
|
|
Rev. Jose Adriano |
Parish Priest |
2009 |
2015 |
|
|
|
Rev. John McHugh |
Asst. Parish Priest |
2010 |
2011 |
|
|
|
Rev. Roel Llave |
Parish Priest |
2015 |
2019 |
|
|
|
Rev. Thaddeus Ike |
Asst. Parish Priest |
2017 |
2019 |
|
|
|
Rev. Jayaraj Gorantla |
Asst. Parish Priest |
2019 |
2020 |
|
|
|
Rev. James Poovathinkal |
Parish Priest |
2019 |
Present |
|
|
|

Convent School 1889-1913

Sacred Heart School 1914

Tender for the first church

Inverell's First Catholic Church 1871-1904

Sacred Heart School 1934

St. Mary's School, Ross Hill 1953