Roman 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.

Diocese of Sandhurst

Dioecesis Sandhurstensis
Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo
Location
Country Australia
Ecclesiastical provinceMelbourne
MetropolitanArchdiocese of Melbourne
Coordinates36°45′17″S 144°17′07″E
Statistics
Area45,178 km2 (17,443 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		(as of 2004)
341,850
91,400 ( 26.7%)
Parishes 41
Information
DenominationCatholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
Established30 March 1874
CathedralSacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopShane Anthony Mackinlay
Metropolitan ArchbishopPeter Comensoli
Bishops emeritusLes Tomlinson
Website
sandhurst.catholic.org.au

Sacred Heart Cathedral in 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]

On 23 July 2019, Fr Shane Mackinlay was announced as the next Bishop of Sandhurst.[2]

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.[3]

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.[4]

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:[5]

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 201223 July 20197 years, 142 daysRetired and appointed Bishop Emeritus of Sandhurst
8Shane Mackinlay16 October 2019current303 days

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]

Coadjutor bishops

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops
  • Hugh Edward Ryan † , appointed Bishop of Townsville in 1938
  • Thomas Vincent Cahill † , appointed Bishop of Cairns in 1948
  • Francis Xavier Thomas † , appointed Bishop of Geraldton in 1962
  • Francis Peter de Campo † , appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Port Pirie in 1979

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.[6]

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.

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See also

References
  1. "New Bishop of Sandhurst" (Press release). Diocese of Sandhurst. 3 February 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
  2. "Priest, professor Fr Shane Mackinlay named Bishop of Sandhurst". Catholic Church in Australia. Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  3. 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.
  4. Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Sandhurst" . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  5. "Diocese of Sandhurst". The Hierarchy of the Catholic Church. 19 February 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
  6. "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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