Joseph Dalton (priest)

Joseph Dalton (2 December 1817 – 5 January 1905) was an Irish Jesuit priest born in Waterford. He was educated at the Jesuit colleges of Clongowes Wood College and St Stanislaus College, Tullabeg and entered the Society of Jesus in December 1836. He studied and served at various Jesuit institutions in Ireland and returned to Tullabeg where he had also taught in 1839–1840 and served as Rector from 1861–1865.[1]

He led the first Irish Jesuit mission to Australia in 1866, and was responsible for the development of a number of churches and educational institutions.[2] He oversaw the transfer of St Patrick's College, East Melbourne to the Jesuits and subsequently purchased land in 1872 upon which Xavier College, Kew, was built. It opened in 1878.[citation needed]


In Sydney, he founded Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview & St Aloysius' College. He was Rector of Riverview, New South Wales.[3] After his retirement in 1883 he lived at Riverview, where he died on 5 January 1905.[citation needed]

The Chapel of Riverview was later erected to his memory and is known as the Dalton Memorial Chapel.[citation needed]

He also served in New Zealand for a time, where in 1878 he founded Saint Aloysius’ College, Dunedin.[4]

  1. ^ Jesuits at Tullabeg By Francis Finegan, www.rahanparish.ie
  2. ^ Fr. Joseph Dalton SJ by G. J. O'Kelly, Dictionary of Australian Biography.
  3. ^ Joseph Dalton, S.J.: First Irish Jesuit Mission in Australia by Thomas J. Morrissey SJ, An Irish Quarterly Review Vol. 89, No. 353 (Spring, 2000), Irish Province of the Society of Jesus.
  4. ^ A history of the Jesuits in Australia Archived 2012-03-20 at the Wayback Machine Australian Jesuits