Archdiocese of Hobart Archives & Heritage Collection

21/01/2026

You may ask yourself, “Is there a Catholic church museum to visit?”
Why not come and explore the Mary MacKillop Spirituality Centre, Josephite Mission, Hobart

Here you’ll discover a wonderful museum that showcases the rich history of the Sisters of Saint Joseph in Tasmania and the legacy of Father Julian Tenison Woods. With five rooms of history to explore, it’s a fascinating and heartfelt journey through education, science, and community life in Tasmania.

📍 Visit at:
Mary MacKillop Spirituality Centre – Museum
67 Clare Street, New Town TAS 7008
More information: https://mmsm.org.au/centres/hobart/
Come see the stories that lived, grew, and continue to inspire today.

24/11/2025

It’s been a while since we posted online at the Archives, so we’re playing catch-up! Earlier this year, our archives officer Lara attended a very special event on behalf of the Archives.

A couple marrying at St Matthew’s Church in Pontville asked if the original marriage register of the groom’s ancestors (Joseph Scott and Alice McKinley - married in that same church on 16 July 1877) could be brought to their ceremony, exactly 148 years later.

Lara was honoured to accompany the 19th-century register back to its original home. Watching Greg and Danii take their vows in the very place Joseph and Alice once did was incredibly moving. It was a beautiful reminder of how sacramental records connect generations and keep their stories alive.

A heartfelt thank you again to Greg and Danii for inviting the Archives to be part of such a meaningful moment. 💍✨

You can read Lara’s original article about the marriage in the August Catholic Standard here: https://www.calameo.com/read/0026287801134d44417bc

17/03/2025

Last week we were delighted to welcome to the archives members of the O'Farrell family, from Athlone, Ireland; Philip, Mary-Jo, David and Steven. Philip is the nephew of one of our Irish priests, Fr Michael Flynn, who arrived in Tasmania in April 1945 and worked here until the late 1970s. He was a much loved priest and it was a pleasure to be able to share with his family some photos, correspondence and objects that belonged to Fr Flynn, including the last letter he wrote to Archbishop Young, before he very sadly died aged only 59, back home in Ireland. A special thank you to our former archivist Pru Francis, who made the time to come and meet our visitors and share her memories of Fr Flynn when he was at Lindisfarne.

And happy St Patrick's day to you all!🍀

19/12/2024

The office is closed! We will be back at our desks on 6 January, ready for a busy 2025. Thank you all for your interest in the archives and we wish you a joyful and safe Christmas, and a very happy new year.
(Image: Christmas Carols booklet from the papers of Rev Dr John Wall)

26/11/2024

Today the Missionary Sisters of Service packed up their archive ready to be transported to Melbourne. The MSS archive has been housed with the Archdiocesan archive since the early 1990s and today certainly feels like the end of an era. We wish you all the very best with the relocation and we will miss working alongside you!

21/11/2024

We are delighted to welcome our new staff member, Naomi Skelly, who started just this week. Naomi has been employed to digitise the sacramental registers held at the archives. And with a total of 337 registers to photograph, Naomi has plenty of work ahead of her!

21/08/2024

You may have seen that the David Jones Archive was recently gifted to the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney; but did you know they tailored to clergy as well as followers of the latest fashion trends? In 1939, priests could order made-to-measure clerical suits and soutanes which were made in-house by tailors.

Advertisement from the Australasian Catholic Directory, 1939.

19/08/2024

In this month's Catholic Standard our Conservator, Freya, reflects on a recent visit to Melbourne to speak about conserving Catholic vestments at the 'Culture, Cloth, Connection' textile conservation symposium.

When textiles are fragile, damaged or require mounting for digitisation or display, textile conservators come to the rescue.

14/08/2024

August is National Family History Month! Here at the Archives, we have a significant collection of baptism and marriage records; some of which do not exist anywhere else in the world. We offer family history research services for a small fee ($25 per simple search, additional charges for more complex requests). If you would like to explore your family history, please email your request to [email protected] or call us on 03 6431 4740

31/07/2024

10/04/2024

We recently came across this vintage Fullers Bookshop advertisement from 1968 in our collection of Catholic newspapers. Does anyone remember where they were in the Cat and Fiddle Arcade? 📚

08/04/2024

Yesterday our archives staff member and conservator Freya Harrington was interviewed on ABC Radio Hobart - here is the link if you'd like to listen. Freya starts at 2:09:00 https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/hobart-your-afternoon/tasmania-afternoons/103660646