Carlo arrives in Melbourne with credentials from Pope Pius IX

The Truth newspaper, based in Perth, published this article on January 29, 1910 - In 1876, three pilgrims set out from Rome for Australia. They were endowed with a blessing from the Pope and a letter to Premier John O'Shannassy. Their names were Baracchi, Catani, and Gagliardi. When they arrived in Melbourne they all got billets, Baracchi as wood and water Joey in a survey camp, Catani as chairman in the Public Works Department, and Gagliardi as attendant in the Public Library. Baracchi is now Government Astronomer for Victoria, Catani is Chief Engineer in the Public Works Department, and Gagliardi, who achieved a position which would have made him chief Librarian had he remained, flitted back to Italy. Pietro Baracchi was born in Florence on February 25, 1851, the son of Giovanni Battista Baracchi, late officer in the Tuscan Army. He married the daughter of the late George Petty, Melbourne's one time leading and wealthiest butcher, and he is a Knight Commander of the Crown of Italy. (Truth, January 29, 1910)

Four years later the January 15, 1914 issue of the Punch magazine reported this
Chief Engineer Catani, of the Public Works Department, is transforming the face of Nature from the Buffalo to the Bay. At the mountain top he has a Lake Catani, and there is also an unpremeditated Lake Catani on St. Kilda West beach. Also, there are several mounds which, with the sheets of water, have led to an old song being parodied into "By Catani 's banks and braes." Catani, by-the-way, was one of three Italians who came out to Victoria years ago with credentials from the Pope to Sir John O'Shannassy. The other two were ex-Foreign Language Librarian Gagliardi, of the Public Library, and Government Astronomer Baracchi. (Punch, January 15, 1914)

There are a few errors in both reports, for instance Ferdinando Gagliardi did not flit back to Italy, he died in Melbourne in 1898, but of interest is the fact that Carlo, Pietro Baracchi and Ferdinando Gagliardi were said to have had either a blessing and a letter or credentials from the Pope, Pius IX (who served from 1846 to 1878), which they presented to Sir John O'Shanassy.  Is this true? I cannot say for sure but here are some things to consider.  The trio had arrived in New Zealand along with Ettore Checchi in August 1876; in September 1876 Catani, Baracchi and Checchi arrived in Melbourne, with Gagliardi following in April 1877. Did Checchi also have Papal credentials?

Pope Pius IX, 1878. Photographer: William Short.

State Library of Victoria Image H96.160/53

Gagliardi was a Freemason* and Catholics were barred from the joining the Freemasons. According to https://catholicherald.co.uk Between Clement XII in 1738 and the promulgation of the first Code of Canon Law in 1917, a total of eight popes wrote explicit condemnations of Freemasonry. All provided the strictest penalty for membership: automatic excommunication reserved to the Holy See. In this case it seems unlikely that Gagliardi would have had any recommendation from the Pope. He is however, buried in the Catholic section at the Brighton Cemetery, but not sure that means anything as I know some of my relatives are buried in various sections of cemeteries in the past which had no connection to their religion. On the other hand, his first employment in Melbourne was at the Public Library of which Sir John O'Shanassy was an original Trustee.

What of the other two - Catani and Baracchi? Baracchi was married in the Catholic Church in 1886 when he married Catherine Petty** so we can assume he was a Catholic. Carlo was married in 1886, to Catherine Hanley, in the Free Church of England in Fitzroy, you can read all about this, here, so not in a Catholic Church but their first child, Edoardo,  who died as an infant in 1886 is buried in the Catholic section of the Melbourne General Cemetery. In 1880, Carlo is listed as donating £5.00 towards the construction of St Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne, so was that because he was altruistic or because he was Catholic? Carlo and Catherine later attended the Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Balaclava and none of their children went to Catholic schools, so it seems that he converted from Catholicism to Anglicanism, presumably for social and career reasons. Catholics were not banned from working in the Public Service at the time, but it may have been easier to be promoted if you weren't Catholic.

The strong evidence that the Catani family were Catholic and of high standing was provided by Greg Catani, Carlo's great, grand nephew who came to Melbourne for the unveiling of the Catani headstone at the Brighton Cemetery (read about this here).  Greg showed us the Catani crest, which was on a gold pendant - the three C's on the crest are said to represent the three Holy Crusades the family took part in. it was wonderful to see.

The Catani Crest on a gold pendant, showing the three C's said to represent the three Holy Crusades the family undertook. 

Photo: Isaac Hermann.

So, it is likely that both Catani and Baracchi were both Catholic, and thus 'eligible' to have a Papal blessing or credentials from the Pope, which ever article is correct, but is it true? It seems odd that it is only reported, or more correctly I can only find reports, in two papers, both written about 35 years after the arrival of the trio in Melbourne. However, it would clearly be advantageous to the men to have an introduction to Sir John O'Shanassy (1818 - 1883)  who was an influential and powerful man. He had arrived in Melbourne in 1839 and was described as the 'acknowledged leader of the Irish in exile' and 'the Greatest Catholic Irishman south of the Line'***. In 1845 he founded the St Patrick's Society and he was the inaugural President until 1851. He was also a foundation trustee of the Melbourne Public Library, where as we said, Gagliardi worked.   O'Shanassy had four stints in the Victorian Parliament - both the Legislative Assembly and the Council - from 1851 to 1883 and was Premier on three occasions March to April, 1857; March 1858 to October 1859 and November 1861 to June 1863. O'Shanassy was knighted in 1870. You can read more about his life and career in the Australian Dictionary of Biography (ADB), here.

Sir John O'Shanassy, taken  c. 1864. Sir John was a man of imposing size, which you can see clearly in this photo, he was six foot five inches in height.***

Photographer: Batchelder & O'Neill. 

State Library of Victoria Image H141477

The ADB entry, written by S.M. Ingham,  says that O'Shanassy decided to spend a year overseas. He left in May 1866 and during his time away, in Rome Pope Pius IX appointed him a knight of the Order of St Gregory in recognition of his services for Catholic education. This gives us a direct connection between the Pope and O'Shanassy, so I feel that this increases the chance that the story of the Papal credentials is true. The letter would not have been written to O'Shanassy because he was Premier, as he wasn't at the time so the Truth has that wrong, but it would have been written to O'Shanassy because he held a position of power in Victoria - both politically and within Catholic circles and so would have been of enormous help to the three Catholic migrants from Italy.

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* Gagliardi's Freemasonary connections are discussed in the book Ferdinando Gagliardi: Pisa, 17/4/1843 - Melbourne 7/8/1898, Vol. 1, by Piero Genovesi (Italian Australian Institute Research Centre at La Trobe University, 2017).
** Marriage Certificate is reproduced in  From Tuscany to Victoria: the life and work of Pietro Baracchi, Carlo Catani and Ettore Checchi by Daniela Volpe  (Italian Australian Institute Research Centre at La Trobe University, 2005)
***Pioneer Catholic Victoria by Rev. Walter Ebsworth (Polding Press, 1973)