THE LIBERAL CATHOLIC CHURCH IN BRISBANE
- a brief history

by the [late] Rev Carl Roemermann

Bishop Wedgwood came to Brisbane in 1916. 1917, 1918 and 1919, during whichtime he conducted services of Baptism and Confirmation, but there is no record of the Holy Eucharist having been celebrated.  It is hard to believe that he performed services of Baptism and Confirmation and did not celebrate the Holy Eucharist.  All the members who were present then such as Miss Hagger, Mrs. Barter and many others have now passed on and so we cannot refer to them.
The first record we have of the celebration of the Holy Eucharist is contained in letters from Bishop Burt, then the Rev L W Burt, to Mrs Mason Beatty.  This was in 1918.

On 22nd September 1916, Bishop Wedgwood performed the first services of Baptism and Confirmation in Concordia Hall, 50 Charlotte Street.  Bishop Wedgwood was apparently in Brisbane for considerable periods during 1916, 1917, 1918 and 1919 and baptised many people.  From Sep­tember 1916 to October 1919 about 100 people were baptised and con­firmed.  During September 1920 Bishop Cooper [Regionary Bishop for the USA – ed] visited Brisbane, baptising and confirming another 12.

On Sunday 17th March 1918, Mrs Mason Beatty convened a meeting in Concordia Hall of interested people to inaugurate a branch of the Liberal Catholic Church in Brisbane. 

Up to this time there was no organised church; merely a number of people who had been baptised and confirmed into the Liberal Catholic Church. Therefore, it was on 17th March 1918 that the Brisbane Branch of the Liberal Catholic Church was born.

At this time there was no priest in Brisbane.  At this meeting, a committee was formed.  Several members of this committee who were visiting Sydney at Easter were authorised to appeal to the Church leaders there for help and suggestions and, as a result, arrangements were made for the then Rev L W Burt, who was travelling in the Northern Rivers District of New South Wales,  to visit Brisbane every second or third weekend to celebrate the Holy Eucharist.  This he did; so on Sunday 5th May 1918, the Rev L W Burt celebrated for the first time in Brisbane.  These services continued until September when he returned to Sydney.

The first annual meeting of the Church was held in Concordia Hall on Friday 21st May 1920, 30 members being present. This meeting elected a committee of a chairman, secretary, treasurer and seven committee mem­bers.  At the first meeting of this committee it was decided to hold the service of Prime, followed by study and discussion, every second and fourth Sunday.  These services were continued until Easter 1921.

During Easter 1921, the Rev D M Tweedie came from Adelaide to reside in Brisbane and take the office of Priest-in-Charge of the Liberal Catholic Church in Brisbane.  We owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude for the work he did in those early days.  The Rev Tweedie continued in office as Priest-in-Charge until he was called to Sydney to be Consecrated to the Episcopate and became the Regionary Bishop for Australia.  This was in 1932.

Following Bishop Tweedie, the Rev C R N McDonnell was appointed Priest-in-Charge, and in October 1948, the Rev Morris Briggs was appointed Priest-in-Charge.  During his term of office and mainly due to his untiring efforts, plans were drawn up, and the building of our Church of St. Alban, Wickham Terrace, commenced.  On Sunday 24th June 1956, our Church was consecrated and dedicated by the then Regionary Bishop, the Rt Rev Lawrence Burt.  It was very fitting that our Church should be consecrated by the bishop who as a priest held the first regular services of the Church in Brisbane.