Reverend George Henry BackhausPrint Page 
The main altar and sanctuary commemorate Reverend Henry Backhaus, who was the first Catholic priest on the Victorian Goldfields.
Reverend Backhaus sailed from Adelaide in the Marshal Bennett on 4 March 1852 , and arrived in Melbourne eleven days later. He volunteered to make the gold diggings his mission field. An entry made by him in a family Bible states that on Sunday, 25 April 1852, he, 'having been appointed the first priest to take charge of the Catholic population on the Victorian goldfields, celebrated the first Mass in the Gold Commissioner's camp at Forest Creek diggings'. He said the first Sunday Mass in the Bendigo area on 2 May 1852.
Location
| Address: | 66 Short Street, Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo, 3550 |
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| State: | VIC |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -36.760262 Long: 144.273659 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Religious Object |
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| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Religion |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Saturday 14th May, 1977 |
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Rev. Dr. Henry Backhaus DD VG. Dean of Sandhurst
Born 15 February 1812 - Died 7 September 1882
Henry Backhaus was appointed " first priest to take charge of the Catholic Population on Victorian goldfields." His first public mass in Bendigo was celebrated on May 2, 1852.The main altar and sanctuary were dedicated in his memory on May 14, 1977, recognising his pioneering ministry in establishing and fostering growth of the
Catholic faith in the area we know as Bendigo.
