Roman Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst

Diocese of Sandhurst
Dioecesis Sandhurstensis
Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo
Location
Country Australia
Ecclesiastical province Melbourne
Metropolitan Archdiocese of Melbourne
Coordinates 36°45′17″S 144°17′07″E / 36.75472°S 144.28528°E / -36.75472; 144.28528
Statistics
Area 45,178 km2 (17,443 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		 (as of 2004)
Increase 341,850
Increase 91,400 (Steady 26.7%)
Parishes Steady 41
Information
Denomination Roman Catholic
Rite Latin Rite
Established 30 March 1874
Cathedral Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo
Current leadership
Pope Francis
Bishop Les Tomlinson
Metropolitan Archbishop Peter Comensoli
Website
Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst is a suffragan Latin Rite diocese of the Archdiocese of Melbourne, erected in 1874, covering the central and north-east regions of Victoria, Australia, including Bendigo.

Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo is the seat of the Bishop of Sandhurst. On 3 February 2012, the Vatican announced the appointment of Les Tomlinson as the seventh Bishop of Sandhurst. He was installed in a liturgical ceremony on 1 March 2012.[1]

History

The Diocese of Sandhurst was established on 30 March 1874, from the Diocese of Melbourne. When the Diocese of Melbourne was made an archdiocese the Diocese of Sandhurst became one of its suffragans. Both dioceses are within the Ecclesiastical Province of Melbourne.[2]

By 1911, the diocese had Augustinian Fathers, Marist Brothers, Sisters of Mercy, Sisters of St. Brigid, Sisters of St. Joseph, Presentation Sisters, Faithful Companions of Jesus and Good Shepherd Sisters.[3]

Construction of the Sacred Heart Cathedral began in 1885 under Bishop Crane. Its organ was installed in 1905, under Stephen Reville. The cathedral was completed in 1977 under Bernard Stewart. Sacred Heart Cathedral is one of the largest Neo-Gothic or Gothic Revival cathedrals in Australia and its construction was largely made possible by the estate of the Paderborn-born German pioneer priest Henry Backhaus, the first Roman Catholic priest on the goldfields of Bendigo.

Ordinaries

The following individuals have been appointed as Roman Catholic Bishops of Sandhurst:[4]

Order Name Date enthroned Reign ended Term of office Reason for term end
1Martin Crane, OSA †4 August 187421 October 190127 years, 78 daysDied in office
2Stephen Reville, OSA †21 October 190118 September 191614 years, 333 daysDied in office
3John McCarthy †14 February 191718 August 195033 years, 185 daysDied in office
4Bernard Denis Stewart †18 August 195021 April 197928 years, 246 daysRetired and appointed Bishop Emeritus of Sandhurst
5Noel Desmond Daly †21 April 19791 July 200021 years, 71 daysResigned and appointed Bishop Emeritus of Sandhurst
6Joseph Grech †8 March 200128 December 20109 years, 295 daysDied in office
7Les Tomlinson1 March 2012present

Following the death in office of Joseph Grech, Monsignor Frank Marriott, the administrator of Sacred Heart Cathedral, was appointed to serve as administrator of the diocese. On 3 February 2012, Monsignor Marriott announced that Pope Benedict XVI had appointed Les Tomlinson as the next bishop. Tomlinson's installation took place on 1 March 2012.[1]

Other information

The diocese comprises the area north of the Great Dividing Range, south of the Murray River and east of the Loddon River, an area of 45,178 km2 (17,450 sq mls). The diocese is divided into 41 parishes and has 74 priests, 109 religious sisters and 5 brothers. The diocese had a Catholic population of about 86,000 in 2006.

There are 50 Catholic schools in the diocese – 40 primary, nine secondary and one P–10 school – catering for 7,700 primary and 5,850 secondary students. Bendigo's oldest Catholic church is St Kilian's.[5]

Saint Augustine's Church, Myers Flat is the oldest Roman Catholic church building in the Diocese of Sandhurst. This church was built by John O'Brien and consecrated by Monsignor Hayes in 1864.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "New Bishop of Sandhurst" (Press release). Diocese of Sandhurst. 3 February 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
  2. ↑ C.S. Geoghegan, From mass tent to cathedral: Catholicism in the social and cultural landscape, Sandhurst 1852-1901, Journal of the Australian Catholic Historical Society 27 (2006), 41-48.
  3. ↑  Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Sandhurst". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  4. ↑ "Diocese of Sandhurst". The Hierarchy of the Catholic Church. 19 February 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
  5. ↑ "Vatican offer to Anglicans". The Age. Australia. 28 November 2009.

Further reading

  • Ebsworth, Walter (1973). Pioneer Catholic Victoria. Polding Press. ISBN 0-85884-096-0.
  • O'Farrell, Patrick (1977). The Catholic Church and Community in Australia. West Melbourne: Thomas Nelson.
  • The Official Directory of the Catholic Church in Australia 2005/2006. Maryborough, Victoria: published with the authority of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, by the National Council of Priests of Australia. 1977. ISSN 1321-4764.
  • Arneil, Stan (1992). Out Where the Dead Men Lie (The Augustinians in Australia 1838-1992). Brookvale, Sydney: Augustinian Press. ISBN 0-949826-03-0.
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