DR DANIEL DELANY WAS APPOINTED BISHOP OF KILDARE AND LEIGHLIN IN IRELAND IN 1783. HE HAD ALREADY AS A CURATE AND PARISH PRIEST WORKED HARD TO EDUCATE THE CATHOLICS OF HIS PARISH AND HE DETERMINED TO ESTABLISH TWO TEACHING ORDERS, ONE OF WOMEN AND ONE OF MEN, TO CARRY ON THE WORK HE HAD STARTED. IN 1808 HE RECEIVED FOUR MEN TO START THE SECOND OF THESE ORDERS, THE BROTHERS OF SAINT PATRICK. THE GROUP OF MEN QUICKLY GREW TO 12 BUT THE PROJECT SOON FAILED AND THE BROTHERS WERE SENT TO WORK "TO THRESH CORN, DIG POTATOES OR TO QUARRY STONES." THE PLIGHT OF THE BROTHERS BECAME SO DESPERATE THAT BISHOP DELANY OFFERED THE BROTHERS THE FREEDOM TO DISBAND, "BUT THEY DECIDED TO CLING TOGETHER" AND TO CONTINUE BISHOP DELANY'S PURPOSES FOR THE BROTHERS: TO LEAD EACH OF THE BROTHERS TO FOLLOW CHRIST; TO HELP IN THE WORK OF THE PARISH; TO BE CATECHISTS FOR THE SUNDAY SCHOOLS; AND TO PROVIDE RELIGIOUS, MORAL AND LITERARY EDUCATION OF CHILDREN IN DAY SCHOOLS. ON FEBRUARY 2ND, 1810, FOUR OF THE BROTHERS ESTABLISHED A COMBMAKING, WEAVING AND TEACHING SCHOOL IN MOUNTRATH, WHILST THE OTHER BROTHERS REMAINED AT TULLOW. GRADUALLY THE ORDER SUCCEEDED AGAINST THE ODDS AND ESTABLISHED ITSELF AS ONE OF THE NEW TEACHING ORDERS OF THE CHURCH. SUBSEQUENTLY THE BROTHERS SPREAD TO AUSTRALIA, AMERICA, ASIA AND AFRICA. ALTHOUGH EDUCATION HAS BEEN THE MAIN APOSTOLATE OF THE BROTHERS THEY HAVE IN RECENT YEARS BECOME INVOLVED IN SEVERAL OTHER MINISTRIES THOUGH STILL GUIDED BY ST PATRICK TO FIND "CHRIST IN THE HEART OF ALL PEOPLE."

BETWEEN 1880 AND 1882 BISHOP MURRAY OF MAITLAND, AND IN 1882 BISHOP QUINN OF BATHURST AND BISHOP LANIGAN OF GOULBURN HAD ALL BEEN IN TOUCH WITH THE PATRICIAN BROTHERS IN IRELAND. A SPONSORSHIP SCHEME WAS SET IN PLACE WHEREBY THESE BISHOPS WOULD PAY FOR THE TRAINING, TRANSPORT, AND ACCOMMODATION OF BROTHERS BEING PREPARED FOR THE NEW SOUTH WALES MISSIONS. AS A RESULT THE FIRST PATRICIAN BROTHERS ARRIVED IN AUSTRALIA ON THE 7TH OF MARCH, 1883 AND BEGAN TEACHING IN BISHOP MURRAY'S SCHOOL AT MAITLAND. FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE 19TH CENTURY THE BROTHERS WORKED AT SETTING UP SCHOOLS IN THE COUNTRY AREAS SURROUNDING SYDNEY. IN 1891 THE AUSTRALIAN PROVINCE WAS ESTABLISHED AND BY 1894 IRELAND HAD SENT A TOTAL OF THIRTY-NINE BROTHERS TO WORK IN AUSTRALIA. THE ROAD WAS NOT ALWAYS A SMOOTH ONE HOWEVER. THERE WERE HEALTH ISSUES AMONG THE BROTHERS AND THERE WERE SEVERAL CONFLICTS WITH BISHOPS CONCERNING ISSUES OF CONTROL AND AUTHORITY. BY THE END OF THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, THE BROTHERS HAD WITHDRAWN FROM ALL THE COUNTRY SCHOOLS AND IT WAS DECIDED TO FOCUS ON SETTING UP SCHOOLS IN THE WORKING CLASS AREAS OF SYDNEY. TODAY IN RESPONSE TO THE CHANGED NEEDS OF THE AUSTRALIAN CHURCH THE BROTHERS TO HAVE REVIEWED THEIR MISSION AND ARE CURRENTLY INVOLVED IN SUCH AREAS AS PARISH MINISTRY, HOSPITAL CHAPLAINCY, AND CEO ADMINISTRATION WHILE RETAINING THEIR CONNECTION TO THE SCHOOLS.