Adelaide - Religion
- Adelaide City Mission
- Church Histories
- City Churches
- Saint Peter's Cathedral
- Suburban Churches
- Miscellany
Miscellany
Also see South Australia - Religion.
"Romance in History - A Colony and a Church" is in the Chronicle,
9 September 1899, page 34d,
"How Religion Came to Our Land" is in The News,
15 June 1936, page 6g.
"An Old-Time Almanac - The Churches" is in the Register,
31 January 1914, page 4g,
3 February 1914, page 8f.
Observer,
7 February 1914, page 51d.
"How Adelaide Became City of Churches" is in The News,
2 July 1932, page 4e.
"Some Early Adelaide Churches" is in the Observer,
21 February 1925, page 46e.
"A Fragment of Early History", including comments on a site for an Anglican
Cathedral, is in the Observer,
23 January 1904, page 40d.
"Early Church Music - Chat With James Shakespeare" is in the Register,
30 August 1904, page 6d.
"Trinity Church - A Relic of the Past" is in the Observer,
27 October 1888, page 36c,
"The State's First Church - Incidents in Its History" is in the Advertiser,
4 June 1917, page 6i,
"Our First Churches" on
9 January 1932, page 8h.
"Holy Trinity Church - Former Familiar Faces" is in the Register,
28 June 1918, page 7f,
4 July 1918, page 7a.
Historical notes on Trinity Church are in the Observer,
14 May 1921, page 44b.
Its 90th anniversary is reported in the Advertiser,
21 February 1927, page 14a,
"Holy Trinity Memories" in The News,
5 February 1936, page 8f.
A sketch is in the Illustrated Adelaide Post,
23 August 1867,
Pictorial Australian in
September 1892, page 140.
"First Adelaide Churches" is in the Register,
17 March 1924, page 7a.
The opening of a Scottish Church is reported in the Observer,
20 July 1844, page 5b.
"Presbyterianism - Oldest Church in the State" is in the Advertiser,
19 May 1925, page 15c.
A proposed Wesleyan Methodist Chapel is discussed in the Register,
8 and 29 July 1837, pages 1b-2a and 2b.
The laying of the foundation stone of Trinity Church is reported on
17 February 1838, page 3c.
The laying of the foundation stone of St John's Church is reported in the Register,
26 October 1839, page 5b; also see
10 October 1840, page 2d,
Observer,
27 November 1886, page 13a,
Express,
24 November 1886, page 7f,
20 December 1886, page 3g,
Chronicle,
21 May 1887, page 7e,
The Mail,
20 September 1913, page 9a.
"A Declining Church" is in the Register,
26 October 1910, page 8g; also see
31 October 1910, page 3f,
2 and 3 November 1910, pages 5h and 9d,
6 October 1919, page 6d.
"Some Early History" is in the Advertiser,
4 October 1919, page 13c; also see
16 October 1929, page 23d.
"A Colonial Reminisce" of the Congregational Church
is in the Observer,
1 May 1880, page 735b.
Rev Stow's Original Chapel" is in the Register,
21 February 1924, page 3c.
Information on a new Congregational Church is in the Register,
31 October 1840, page 2e,
"Congregationalists Prepare for Centenary" in the Advertiser,
10 August 1935, page 20f.
"Passing of Freeman Street Landmark" is in the Observer,
14 February 1925, page 48d.
A complaint about desecration of the Sabbath is in
the Register,
4 August 1847, page 4a:
-
On Sunday last there was a collection of youths... playing at cricket within
a few hundred yards of Trinity Church. If these youths are to be heads of
families, perhaps magistrates in the next generation, pray, are such shameful
practices the training we intend to give them?
Also see Register, 15 August 1849, page 4a and South Australia - Religion.
The installation of the Bishop of Adelaide is reported in the Register,
1 January 1848, page 3a,
Observer,
1 January 1848, page 2e and
his resignation on
12 November 1881, page 24c,
Register,
9 and 10 November 1881, pages 4e and 6d.
The proposed erection of a Jewish synagogue is reported in the Register,
18 July 1849, page 3a and
its consecration in the Register,
5 September 1850, page 2e,
Observer,
7 September 1850, page 4d (supp.).
A report on the Jewish Sabbath School is in the Observer,
8 November 1862, page 7d,
Register,
26 November 1862, page 7c,
10 October 1865, page 3e,
16 November 1865, page 2f.
Also see under Synagogue Place
The laying of the foundation stone of the Jewish synagogue is reported in
the Register,
8 July 1870, page 6b.
Information on the Council of Jewish Women is in the Advertiser,
26 May 1937, page 10e.
The laying of the foundation stone of Chalmers Church is reported in the Observer,
7 September 1850, page 4a (supp.).
Also see 12 July 1851, page 5e,
Register,
7 November 1856, page 3h.
A photograph of a church tennis club is in The Critic,
15 April 1908, page 4.
"Ecclesiastical Pretensions" is in the Observer,
24 February 1855, page 6d.
"The Synod and the Public" is in the Register,
23 May 1855, page 2e.
Information on the Unitarian Church in Wakefield Street is in the Register,
4 July 1857, page 3f.
The laying of the foundation stone of a Bible Christian chapel in Young Street
is reported in the Register,
29 October 1857, page 3f and
its opening on
26 August 1858, page 3c.
Historical information on the "Church of Scotland" is in the Register,
18 January 1860, page 6c.
The opening of the Hindmarsh Square Congregational Church is reported in
the Chronicle,
13 September 1862, page 3d;
a sketch is in the SA Figaro,
1 December 1877 (supplement).
Photographs of its jubilee are in the Observer,
30 September 1911, page 31.
"A Street Preaching Disturbance" is in the Register,
6 February 1865, page 2f.
"Sunday Desecration" is the subject of an editorial in the Register,
10 February 1872, page 4e and
further letters from citizens on the subject are to be found on
13 and 18 February 1873, pages 5f and 6a,
24 March 1873, page 6c,
3 April 1873, page 6c.
Alleged desecration of the Sabbath by a German band is reported in the Register,
24 May 1881, page 7c: Also see under South
Australia - Religion - Breaking the Sabbath
-
[It parades] the streets and [plays] music not having even any character or
sacredness about it... I also protest against the concert in the afternoon
of that day... I feel certain that the procedure of the band was a strong
violation of the religious feeling of the majority of the townspeople...
A Catholic athletics meeting on the Victoria Park racecourse is reported in The
Irish Harp,
8 and 15 November 1872, pages 5a and 6b.
Information on the Free Welsh Church is in the Register,
21 September 1880, page 5b,
16 August 1881, page 6c.
Information on Chalmers Church is in the Register,
12 July 1851, page 2e;
a photograph of its tennis team is in the Chronicle,
18 April 1908, page 29; also see
The News,
12 June 1928, page 8c.
Information on a controversy surrounding the Trinity Church harmonium is
in the Register,
17 and 19 June 1854, pages 2f and 3e.
A photograph of old Trinity Church is in the Observer,
16 June 1928, page 37 and
a sketch in the Illustrated Adelaide Post,
23 August 1867, page 113.
The Register of
30 October 1854, page 3c has a letter from the Colonial Chaplain defending
himself against charges "lately brought against me in the Council Chamber";
also see
1 and 7 November 1854, pages 3e and 3c.
The laying of the foundation stone of the Hindmarsh Square Congregational
Church is reported in the Register,
22 August 1861, page 3e and
its opening on
6 and 10 September 1862, pages 3h and 2d;
a history is in the Register,
23 and 29 September 1911, pages 14h and 7b.
Information on the Stow Church manse is in the Observer,
19 September 1868, page 6b,
6 February 1869, page 15e.
A complaint about the length of sermons inflicted on the populace is made in the Register on 7 September 1871, page 3:
-
Nothing is more wearying, and perhaps few things are more unprofitable than
sitting out (I will not say listening to) over-long sermons... Baron Alderson
[on] being asked what ought to be the length of a sermon... replied "twenty
minutes, with a leaning to the side of mercy...".
Responses to this heretical statement are in the Register,
8 and 11 September 1871, pages 7e and 5e.
In the Register on 17 April 1875, page 5f a perturbed "Christian" takes umbrage at "Babies in Churches":
-
Let mothers, if they cannot get anyone to mind their babies at home, stop away
from church... Although our Lord said "Suffer little children to come unto
Me", I do not think he intended them to be taken to sacred edifices till
they were old enough to know right from wrong.
A series of articles titled "The Adelaide Pulpit" commence in the Advertiser,
16 August 1875, page 6b.
During 1876 the subject of closing hotels on Sundays was the cause for spirited debate and, in response to a sermon preached by Rev. Lyall supporting the proposition, the licensee of the Wellington Hotel informed the editor of the Register on 12 August 1876, at page 7b:
-
[Rev] Lyall says that in any legislation some one must suffer; but why rob
a poor man of his beer. To the unhappy habitual a glass of Syme and Sison
at the midday meal is as necessary as a sermon to that gentleman's congregation...
It may be said "If you don't like the business take to something else"...
I am more fitted for the bar than the pulpit and I should not like to see
the Rev. Mr Lyall driving a North Adelaide bus, especially if I was inside.
I have met Masters of Art on the "wallaby", I have seen the son of a Duke
drive bullocks... but these were not the positions they were born to occupy.
I believe I was intended to be the Archbishop of Canterbury; instead of which
I am keeping the Wellington. 'Tis my misfortune - not my fault.
(Also see Register,
5 March 1877 for another letter from a disgruntled citizen and
6 April 1882, page 4f.)
The opening of a Presbyterian Bazaar by the Governor is reported in the Register,
22 November 1877, page 6d.
Purchase of land for a Primitive Methodist Chapel is reported in the Register,
4 December 1877, 7c.
"Clergymen in Parliament" is in the Register,
8 April 1878.
An objection from Rev Lyall about mail deliveries on Sundays is in the Register,
22 July 1879, page 7b; also see
23 July 1879, page 6a.
An obituary of Miss G. Light, "who conducted Holy Trinity schoolroom four
decades ago", is in the Observer,
8 November 1919, page 23a.
Objections to the opening of the Museum on Sundays and counter-arguments
are vented in the Register,
5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, and 14 August 1879, pages 5a-b, 6g-7a, 4g-6d, 6e, 6f and
5b; the last item reports it being approved by parliament with an absolute
majority.
Writing to the Register on 24 April 1880 (supp.), page 1f, a correspondent reminisced on the first Congregational Church in the Colony:
-
The windows were of canvas, and tin sconces then fixed against the wall held
a few candles. Some hard wooden forms answered for seats and, not unfrequently,
dogs and little pigs ran in and out, causing the ladies to rise and gather
up their dresses... carrion crows perched on the gum trees adjoining... while
mosquitoes from the adjacent River Torrens with their incessant stings would
keep the attention awake and prevent drowsiness...
Rev Quinton Stow's description of the Congregational Church on North Terrace
is reproduced in the Register,
26 January 1892, page 6c.
The Church's 88th anniversary is reported on
19 December 1925, page 14f.
A photograph of the choir is in the Chronicle,
22 April 1911, page 29.
A letter regarding "Gospel Text Work in Adelaide" is in the Register,
28 March 1881, page 5g.
The resignation of the Anglican Archbishop of Adelaide is reported in the Advertiser,
9 November 1881, page 6b.
A photograph of "Where the Army Began in Australia" is
in the Chronicle,
4 April 1935, page 31.
"Where the Army Began in Australia" is in the Chronicle,
4 April 1935, page 31.
"The Salvation Army in Adelaide" is discussed in the Register,
20 May 1882, page 6c; also see
20, 23, 24 and 26 February 1883, pages 5b, 7a, 6g and 5b,
28 April 1883 (supp.), page 1b -
a visit to the Army's barracks "in the not very highly reputable neighbourhood
of Light Square":
-
It was absolutely necessary for the safety of pedestrians that a stop should
be put to the Salvation Army band and torchlight parades in the main streets
inasmuch as they frightened horses... One Alderman pathetically remarked
that if they played "music" he would not mind so much, but they dealt discord
out too liberally even for his strong nerves...
For the Army's response see Register,
23 February 1883, page 6g; also see
24 and 26 February 1883, pages 6g and 5b.
"Salvation Army - Memorial Tablet Unveiled" is in the Register,
14 March 1927, page 11c.
Also see under South Australia -
Religion - Salvation Army
"Social Purity in Adelaide" is in the Register, 29 January 1883, page 4f:
-
The present state of the divorce laws, which practically inculcate that adultery
is not so heinous an offence in a husband as it is in a wife, is a disgrace
to our social system. With regard to the propriety of raising the age of
consent from 13 to 18... there are obvious objections to it.
Also see Register,
16 June 1883, page 5c,
25 September 1883, page 5a,
11 October 1883, page 5a,
4 and 5 December 1883, pages 6f and 4e,
21 May 1884, page 4,
15 and 22 December 1884, pages 4g and 7c,
2 April 1889, page 7g.
"A Proposed Law on Social Purity" is in the Register,
23 May 1884, page 4f:
-
[It should] visit with heavy penalties those meanest of social parasites who
live by entrapping the young girls into dens of infamy [and should] bring
down the vengeance of the law upon men who defile young children and girls.
Also see Register,
27 May 1884, page 6h,
8, 23 and 25 July 1885, pages 4g, 7h and 7d,
5 and 20 August 1885, pages 4h and 3d,
21 and 22 September 1885, pages 5b and 4g-7a,
21 and 22 February 1896, pages 4g and 6d:
-
A hot little larrikiness of 16 or 17 giggles at my son, throws her handkerchief
down to tempt him to pick it up, and deliberately leads him on to mischief.
It is cruel that they should subject him to 2 or 3 years imprisonment...
Also see Register,
13, 18, 21 and 25 March 1896, pages 6h, 3h, 7c and 3g.)
"Mr Paris Nesbit, QC, on Social Purity" is in the Observer,
16 May 1896, page 43a.
Also see under Prostitution
The first annual meeting of the Home Missionary Society is reported in the Register,
28 June 1884, page 6f.
The completion of St Xavier's Church is reported in the Register,
14 October 1886, page 7f.
"A Handsome Cathedral" (St Francis Xavier), is in the Advertiser,
17 April 1926, pages 12h-16.
An article, entitled "Trinity Church - A Relic of the Past" is in the Register,
16 October 1888, page 6c; also see
30 April 1897, page 6e,
10 July 1903, page 6b.
A mosque is reported upon in the Advertiser,
1 July 1890, page 5e,
Register,
30 July 1890, page 5c,
1 July 1891, page 6b,
Observer,
23 June 1894, page 29c.
"An Afghan Festival" is in the Express,
9 May 1892, page 3c,
Mohammedanism is discussed in the Register,
18 June 1894, page 5a.
"Islamism in Adelaide" is in the Register,
24 and 25 February 1898, pages 4h and 7d.
The demolition of an old Presbyterian Church in Grenfell Street is reported
in the Register,
7 January 1891, page 5a.
An obituary of Mr Steinfeld is in the Observer,
22 April 1893, page 28e,
of Mrs Harriet L. Tuck on
10 July 1909, page 40a.
A proposed church for the deaf and dumb is discussed in the Advertiser,
22 April 1892, page 7c; also see
14 October 1909, page 12g.
The laying of the foundation stone of Bible House in Grenfell is reported
in the Advertiser,
10 December 1897, page 5g.
"The Bible House - A Fine Record of Progress" is in the Advertiser,
4 November 1911, page 7a.
"A Lecture That Failed - The Victoria Hall Stormed" - "Why I Left the Roman
Catholic Priesthood" is the subject of diverse comment in the Advertiser,
12, 15, 16 and 19 June 1900, pages 6e, 6e, 9c and 6c.
"A Musical City - Among the Church Organs" is in the Express,
28 January 1899, page 7f.
The laying of the foundation stone of St Stephen's Lutheran Church is reported
in the Chronicle,
21 October 1899, page 15b.
The Stow Church is discussed in the Register,
13 July 1903, page 6d.
A photograph of the first Syrian wedding at St Francis Xavier Cathedral is
in the Chronicle,
16 January 1904, page 44
"A Tale of Villainy, Vice and Practical Christianity" is in the Register,
8 July 1904, page 6i.
The golden wedding of Dean & Mrs Marryat is reported in the Register,
6 August 1904, page 7e.
"The Bishops of Adelaide" is in the Register,
2 May 1905, page 5i; also see
3 May 1905, pages 4d-6c,
Observer,
11 and 18 November 1925, pages 49a and 60a.
A Central Mission jumble sale is described in the Register,
5 August 1905, page 8e.
The laying of the foundation stone of the Adelaide Central Mission is reported
in the Observer,
6 December 1913, page 50b.
The opening of the Central Methodist Mission is reported in the Register,
26 November 1914, page 3f.
Also see under City Mission
The jubilee of St Luke's Church, Whitmore Square is reported in the Register,
10 February 1855, page 3d,
28 June 1855, page 2g,
10, 12 and 15 September 1855, pages 3f, 3b and 3f,
16 and 22 November 1855, pages 3d and 3f,
15 February 1856, page 3h,
14 February 1906, page 7c; also see
Advertiser,
4 September 1918, page 9h,
22 May 1926, page 14c,
Register,
22 and 29 May 1926, pages 18c and 8g.
A photograph of a cricket team is in The Critic,
19 April 1922, page 12.
A complaint about "Sunday Public Entertainment" is made in the Register,
9 October 1906, page 7b.
Also see under South Australia
- Religion - Breaking the Sabbath
An obituary of Mrs John Beeby is in the Observer,
15 December 1906, page 34d,
of Charles Emery, "a bell-ringer at Trinity Church", in the Register,
6 August 1907, page 5c.
"Exit Ebenezer Chapel" is in the Advertiser, 11 August 1908, page
6f;
also see Register,
28 July 1908, page 4g.
The diamond jubilee of the Adelaide Hebrew Congregation is reported in the Advertiser,
19 September 1908, page 7d; also see
Register,
19 September 1908, page 11f,
The News,
27 November 1928, page 5a.
The jubilee of Bentham Street Christian Church is commented upon in the Advertiser,
8 October 1908, page 8d,
Observer,
10 October 1908, page 50b.
"Mormons in Adelaide" is in the Advertiser, 22 February 1913, page 23e.
The 14th anniversary of the Adelaide Catholic Club is reported in the Observer,
5 July 1913, page 52a.
"St Patrick's Church - The Old and the New" is in The Mail,
14 March 1914, page 17a.
"A New Christian Centre - The City Temple" is in the Register,
30 March 1916, pager 5b,
21 and 29 June 1916, pages 7a and 5d,
1, 3 and 8 July 1916, pages 9a, 4d and 9a,
9 September 1916, page 8f,
3 January 1918, page 4h,
Observer,
1 April 1916, page 19b,
24 June 1916, page 19c,
15 July 1916, page 20d,
Register,
14 April 1921, page 4d (includes photo.),
1 November 1923, page 11f (auction of).
A photograph of a West End Mission meeting is in the Chronicle,
6 January 1917, page 30.
The jubilee of the Stow Memorial Church is reported in the Register,
14 and 18 April 1917, pages 10 and 9d and
of the Draper Memorial Church on
15 October 1917, page 6h.
"The Roman Catholic Cathedral" is in the Observer,
30 March 1918, page 13b.
"Sacrilege - A Stain on Adelaide" is in the Register,
28 April 1915, page 6h.
"Churches and Trams - Walking to Worship" is in the Register,
27 June 1919, page 7a.
"Old Adelaide Churchgoers" is in the Register,
4 July 1918, page 7a.
Information on Saint John's Church appears on
6 October 1920, page 9f,
"St Paul's' Adelaide - Old Memories" on
25 January 1921, page 7b;
14 February 1920, page 10f for information on its diamond jubilee and under "Flinders
Street".
"A Pioneer Priest", reminiscences of Trinity Church, is in the Register,
28 April 1921, page 3e,
11 May 1921, page 2f,
"Trinity Sunday School" on
28 October 1922, page 11f.
"What a Visitor Saw - Churches and Music" is in the Advertiser,
8 and 9 February 1922, pages 14d and 10a.
"Adelaide's First Deaconess" is in the Advertiser,
31 March 1923, page 8h.
"Reminiscences of Bishops of Adelaide" is in the Register,
3, 7, 8, 17, 24 and 30 April 1925, pages 13c, 10f, 6d, 11a, 10d and 13g.
"Archdeacons of Adelaide" is in the Register,
30 May 1925, page 4d.
"Old Church Passes", information on the Congregational Church in Grenfell
Street, is in The News,
11 February 1926, page 13c.
"A Handsome Cathedral" (St Francis Xavier), is in the Advertiser,
17 April 1926, pages 12h-16.
Reminiscences of "Old Saint John's" is in the Register,
11, 18, 29, 25 and 27 September 1926, pages 10c, 11a, 7b, 10a and 11e,
9,16, 23 and 30 October 1926, pages 12c, 7e, 7a and 5c,
6, 13 and 20 November 1926, pages 13a, 7c and 11a; also see
Advertiser,
18 October 1909, page 5g.
"Churches That Have Passed - Old Walls With Fresh Associations" is in The
Mail,
22 May 1926, page 1a.
"A New Temple - Enterprise of Christadelphians" is in the Register,
6 January 1928, page 8b; also see
23 April 1928, page 11b.
Information on the West-End Mission is in The News,
21 June 1927, page 8c,
6 November 1928, page 8d.
A series of articles on city and suburban church choirs is in The News -
see 8 December 1927, page 9e.
"Lost Churches - Secular Uses Now" is in the Register,
9 April 1929, page 7c.
Biographical details of Miss Ruth Swann, clerk of the Society of Friends,
are in the Register,
4 September 1929, page 22a.
"Bells of Adelaide - Some Distinctive Peals" is in The News,
22 October 1929, page 5b.
"City Garage to be a Church" is in the Advertiser,
25 October 1932, page 11d.