The Croagh Patrick Home was established in 1929 in Orange, in central western New South Wales. From 1929 to 1969 the home was operated as a boys' home by the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul. In 1969, the operation of the orphanage was taken over by the Sisters of Mercy, Bathurst Congregation. The home became known as Croagh Patrick Orphanage.
The building was erected in 1883 and was called Llanillo. It was the private home of Edwin Hurst Lane, whose family occupied it until 1914. It was then purchased by the Catholic Diocese of Bathurst and renamed Croagh Patrick.
From May 1914 until 1928 Croagh Patrick was a novitiate conducted by the Patrician Brothers. In September 1928 Bishop Norton of Bathurst decided to establish an orphanage for boys at Croagh Patrick, and requested that the daughters of Charity take on the responsibility of caring for the boys. On 12 November eight Sisters took up residence, and the building was blessed by the Apostolic Delegate, Archbishop Cattaneo, on 6 December. The first boys, four brothers, arrived at the Home on 1 January 1929. The Home cared for boys up to about twelve years old. As boys completed primary school they were transferred to St Vincent's Westmead, although a few went to Kendall Grange at Morisset. The Daughters of Charity left Croagh Patrick in 1969, handing over to the Sisters of Mercy.
1929 - 1969 Croagh Patrick Home
1969 - 1986 Croagh Patrick Orphanage
Sources used to compile this entry: 'Restoration for Croagh Patrick', Central Western Daily, 17 May 2004, http://www.centralwesterndaily.com.au/story/759694/restoration-for-croagh-patrick/; 'Religious Sisters of Mercy Bathurst Congregation', in Catholic Churches of Australia, c 2011, https://web.archive.org/web/20100410120006/http://cathchurch.net:80/religious/foundation/mercybath1.htm; Hanson, Dallas, Why are they in children's homes: report of the ACOSS children's home intake survey, Australian Department of Social Services: Australian Council of Social Services, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 1979, 83 pp; Homes and Orphanages Listings, Care Leavers Australia Network (CLAN), https://clan.org.au/homes-and-orphanages/; Email with Archivist at Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea Archives, dated 17 February 2015, subject: RE: Additional series on Find & Connect website that weren't in RADP, held in the project files at the University of Melbourne eScholarship Research Centre.
Prepared by: Naomi Parry
Created: 11 May 2011, Last modified: 17 February 2015