Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne

Catholic ecclesiastical territory

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Archdiocese of Melbourne

Archidioecesis Melburnensis

St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne

Location
Country|  Australia
Territory| Melbourne
Ecclesiastical province| Melbourne
Coordinates| 37°48′32″S 144°58′46″E﻿ / ﻿37.80889°S 144.97944°E﻿ / -37.80889; 144.97944
Statistics
Area| 27,194 km2 (10,500 sq mi)
Population

* Total

* Catholics

* (as of 2020)

* 4,810,000

* 1,264,150 ( 26.3%)

Parishes| 216
Information
Denomination| Catholic
Sui iuris church| Latin Church
Rite| Roman Rite
Established| 31 March 1874
Cathedral| St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne
Patron saint| Saint Patrick
Current leadership
Pope| Leo XIV
Archbishop| Peter Comensoli
Auxiliary Bishops| Martin Ashe
Thinh Xuan Nguyen
Rene Ramirez[1]
Bishops emeritus| Denis Hart
Terence Curtin
Map
Website
www.melbournecatholic.org

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne is a Latin Rite metropolitan archdiocese in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Erected initially in 1847 as the Diocese of Melbourne, a suffragan diocese of Archdiocese of Sydney, the diocese was elevated in 1874 as an archdiocese of the Ecclesiastical Province of Melbourne and is the metropolitan for the suffragan dioceses of Sale, Sandhurst, Ballarat, and the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Ss Peter and Paul. The Archdiocese of Hobart is attached to the archdiocese for administrative purposes. St Patrick's Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Melbourne, currently Peter Comensoli, who succeeded Denis Hart on 1 August 2018.

According to the 2006 Commonwealth Census figures, there were 4,932,423 people within the province. Of these, 1,349,828 were Catholic, about 28% of the population.[2]

## History

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When Melbourne, then called the Port Philip Settlement, and the surrounding area was being settled by European settlers in the 1830s, the area was a part of the Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Sydney in the Archdiocese of Sydney. In 1839, John Polding, the Archbishop of Sydney, placed Patrick Bonaventure Geoghegan in charge of the Port Philip Settlement and the first Mass was celebrated in Melbourne on Pentecost Sunday, 15 May 1839. The entire population of Port Philip in 1841 was 11,738 and the Catholics numbered 2,411.[3]

The oldest surviving Catholic church in Victoria, St Francis Catholic Church, was built in 1841.

The Diocese of Melbourne was created in 1848 out of territory of the then Sydney archdiocese, with James Alipius Goold as its first bishop. The Catholic population of the colony was 18,000 in 1851 and had grown to 88,000 by 1857 as a result of the gold rush.[3] James Goold was also instrumental in setting up many Catholic schools in the diocese and in introducing several religious orders devoted to education and works of charity, including the Society of Jesus, the Christian Brothers, the Sisters of Mercy, the Good Shepherd Nuns, the Presentation Sisters, the Faithful Companions of Jesus and the Little Sisters of the Poor.[3]

When Goold was appointed Bishop of Melbourne in 1848, St Francis' Church became the cathedral church of the new diocese. Construction of a new church on Eastern Hill in East Melbourne commenced in 1858, to be called St Patrick's Cathedral. Construction of the cathedral was not completed until 1939.

On 30 March 1874, the dioceses of Sandhurst (comprising four parishes) and Ballarat were formed out of territory of the Diocese of Melbourne, with it becoming a metropolitan archdiocese of the Ecclesiastical Province of Melbourne and responsible for Sandhurst and Ballarat dioceses as suffragan dioceses. The suffragan Diocese of Sale was similarly formed on 26 April 1887 out of the archdiocese.

Under Goold's successor, Thomas Joseph Carr, additional teaching orders were introduced to the archdiocese, including the Marist Brothers, the Sisters of Charity, the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, the Sisters of Loreto, the Sisters of St. Joseph and the Sisters of the Good Samaritan. In 1887, 11,661 pupils attended Catholic schools of the archdiocese and that number had grown to 25,369 by 1908. The Catholic population of the archdiocese according to government census returns of 1901 was 145,333.[3]

Until the mid-20th century, the Catholics of the archdiocese were almost all Irish or of Irish origin, when expansion of the migration programs saw the arrival of non-Irish Catholics from continental Europe. The priesthood was exclusively Irish until the early part of the 20th century, when training of native born priests began.

## Ordinaries

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The following individuals were Archbishops of Melbourne, with one being a cardinal while in office as archbishop, as well as having civilian honours. Their highest title is shown here:[4]

Order  | Name  | Title  | Date enthroned  | Reign ended  | Term of office  | Reason for term end

|
|
|
|
|
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1 | James Goold, OSA † | Bishop of Melbourne | 9 July 1847 | 31 March 1874 | 26 years, 265 days | Elevated to Archbishop of Melbourne
Archbishop of Melbourne | 31 March 1874 | 11 June 1886 | 12 years, 72 days | Died in office
2 | Thomas Joseph Carr † | Archbishop of Melbourne | 29 September 1886 | 6 May 1917 | 30 years, 219 days | Died in office
Bishop of the Military Ordinariate of Australia | 1912 | 1917 | 5 years | Resigned
3 | Daniel Mannix † | Coadjutor Archbishop of Melbourne | 1 July 1912 | 6 May 1917 | 4 years, 309 days | Elevated to Archbishop of Melbourne
Archbishop of Melbourne | 6 May 1917 | 6 November 1963 | 46 years, 184 days | Died in office
Bishop of the Military Ordinariate of Australia
4 | Justin Simonds † | Coadjutor Archbishop of Melbourne | 6 September 1942 | 6 November 1963 | 21 years, 61 days | Elevated to Archbishop of Melbourne
Archbishop of Melbourne | 6 November 1963 | 13 May 1967 | 3 years, 188 days | Retired and appointed Archbishop Emeritus of Melbourne
5 | James Cardinal Knox † | Archbishop of Melbourne | 13 April 1967 | 1 July 1974 | 4 years, 309 days | Elevated to Prefect of the Congregation for Sacraments and Divine Worship
Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria in Vallicella | 5 March 1973 | 26 June 1983 | 10 years, 113 days | Died in office
Prefect of the Congregation for Sacraments and Divine Worship | 25 January 1974 | 4 August 1981 | 7 years, 191 days | Elevated to the President of the Pontifical Council for the Family
President of the Pontifical Council for the Family | 4 August 1981 | 26 June 1983 | 1 year, 326 days | Died in office
6 | Sir Frank Little, KBE † | Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne | 16 November 1972 | 1 July 1974 | 1 year, 227 days | Elevated to Archbishop of Melbourne
Archbishop of Melbourne | 1 July 1974 | 16 July 1996 | 22 years, 15 days | Resigned and appointed Archbishop Emeritus of Melbourne
7 | George Cardinal Pell, AC † | Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne | 30 March 1987 | 16 July 1996 | 9 years, 108 days | Elevated to Archbishop of Melbourne
Archbishop of Melbourne | 6 July 1996 | 26 March 2001 | 4 years, 253 days | Elevated to Archbishop of Sydney
8 | Denis Hart | Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne | 10 November 1997 | 22 June 2001 | 3 years, 224 days | Elevated to Archbishop of Melbourne
Archbishop of Melbourne | 22 June 2001 | 1 August 2018 | 17 years, 40 days | Retirement and appointed Archbishop Emeritus of Melbourne
9 | Peter Comensoli | Bishop of Broken Bay | 12 December 2014 | 31 July 2018 | 3 years, 231 days | Elevated to Archbishop of Melbourne
Archbishop of Melbourne | 1 August 2018 | present | 7 years, 8 days | n/a

## Auxiliary bishops

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### Current auxiliary bishops

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The archbishop of the archdiocese, Peter Comensoli, is assisted by several auxiliary bishops:

* Martin Ashe
* Terence Curtin[1] (Northern Region), appointed bishop 7 Nov 2014
* Anthony Ireland

There are also emeritus auxiliary bishops:

* Peter John Elliott (Southern Region), appointed bishop 30 Apr 2007

appointed bishop 30 Apr 2007

* Rene A. Ramirez, RCJ (b. 1969, Philippines) appointed bishop 8 November 2024
* Thinh Xuan Nguyễn (b.1973, Saigon) appointed bishop 8 November 2024[5]

Monsignor Greg Bennet was appointed vicar general and moderator of the curia of the archdiocese in February 2012.

### Former auxiliary bishops

[edit]

* Arthur Francis Fox † (1956–1967), appointed Bishop of Sale
* Lawrence Patrick Moran † (1964–1970)
* John Neil Cullinane † (1967–1974)
* Thomas Francis Little † (1972–1974), appointed Archbishop here
* John Anthony Kelly † (1972–1986)
* Eric Gerard Perkins † (1972–1991)
* Joseph Peter O'Connell † (1976–2006)
* George Pell (1987–1996) †, appointed Archbishop here; future Cardinal
* Peter Joseph Connors (1987–1997), appointed Bishop of Ballarat
* Hilton Forrest Deakin (1992–2007)
* Denis James Hart (1997–2001), appointed Archbishop here
* Joseph Angelo Grech † (1998–2001), appointed Bishop of Sandhurst
* Mark Benedict Coleridge (2002–2006), appointed Archbishop of Canberra–Goulburn
* Christopher Charles Prowse (2003–2009), appointed Bishop of Sale
* Mark Stuart Edwards, OMI (2014–2020), appointed Bishop of Wagga Wagga

Bishop Tim Costelloe, SDB was appointed as an auxiliary bishop on 30 April 2007 with responsibility for the northern region of the archdiocese. On 20 February 2012, Pope Benedict XVI elevated him to Archbishop of Perth, Western Australia.

Bishop Les Tomlinson was the auxiliary bishop for the Eastern Region. He was appointed auxiliary bishop on 5 May 2009 and continued until he was installed as Bishop of Sandhurst in March 2012.[6]

Bishop Vincent Long Van Nguyen, OFM Conv was the auxiliary bishop for the western region and former assistant superior general for the Conventual Franciscans for Asia and Oceania. He was appointed auxiliary bishop on 20 May 2011 and continued until he was appointed Bishop of Parramatta on 5 May 2016 and installed on 16 June 2016.

Bishop Mark Stuart Edwards, OMI was the auxiliary bishop for the Western Region, having been appointed bishop 7 Nov 2014. He was appointed Bishop of Wagga Wagga on 26 May 2020.

## Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

[edit]

* James Moore †, appointed Bishop of Ballarat in 1884
* James Francis Corbett †, appointed Bishop of Sale in 1887
* Joseph Shiel †, appointed Bishop of Rockhampton in 1912
* Patrick Phelan †, appointed Bishop of Sale in 1912
* John Barry †, appointed Bishop of Goulburn in 1924
* James Patrick O'Collins †, appointed Bishop of Geraldton in 1930
* Romuald Denis Hayes, S.S.C. †, appointed Bishop of Rockhampton in 1932
* John Joseph Lonergan † appointed Bishop of Port Augusta in 1938 (did not take effect, apparently because of his death)
* Matthew Beovich †, appointed Archbishop of Adelaide in 1939
* Patrick Francis Lyons †, appointed Bishop of Christchurch, New Zealand in 1944
* Bernard Denis Stewart †, appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Sandhurst in 1946
* Ronald Austin Mulkearns †, appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Ballarat in 1968
* John Aloysius Morgan †, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Canberra (and Goulburn) in 1969
* Leo Morris Clarke †, appointed Bishop of Maitland in 1976
* Joseph Eric D'Arcy †, appointed Bishop of Sale in 1981
* Luc Julian Matthys, appointed Bishop of Armidale in 1999
* Gregory Charles Bennet, appointed Bishop of Sale in 2020

## Other information

[edit]

This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (May 2017)

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There are 232 parishes in the archdiocese and 369 diocesan priests and 16 permanent deacons. The archdiocese has a total of 294 priests and one permanent deacon in religious orders, 199 religious brothers and 1,323 religious sisters.

There is one seminary for diocesan clergy, Corpus Christi College, and three seminaries for religious clergy.

There are 331 Catholic schools in the archdiocese - 256 primary, 69 secondary and six special schools. According to the 1998 census, there were 136,387 students enrolled in Catholic schools in the archdiocese - 77,636 in primary schools and 58,751 in secondary schools.

Within the archdiocese, there are 10 Catholic hospitals, 18 homes for children, 27 for the elderly and 10 for other purposes.[2]

## Sexual abuse cases

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Main article: Catholic sexual abuse scandal in Victoria

Cases of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church have come to light in recent years involving the Archdiocese of Melbourne as well as many regional Catholic jurisdictions, both in Australia and around the world.[7] Archbishop Denis Hart was cross-examined for three hours at the Parliamentary Inquiry over documents sent to the inquiry by victims and whistleblowers within the archdiocese.[8] Hart regretted the "slow start" made in the process of resolving complaints and investigating instances of abuse but "st[ood] by what [they] did since 1996 nevertheless".[9] The inquiry's report was due to be delivered to the Victorian parliament in September 2013.

In May 2020, newly disclosed portions of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse report, which was originally published in redacted form in December 2017, revealed that priests and clergy staff accused of abusing children within the Archdiocese of Melbourne were sometimes "dealt with" by being transferred to other parishes.[10]

## See also

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* Catholicism portal
* Australia portal

* Roman Catholicism in Australia

## References

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1. ^ a b "Melbourne (Archdiocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]".
2. ^ a b "Facts". Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne.
3. ^ a b c d Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Melbourne
4. ^ "Archdiocese of Melbourne". The Hierarchy of the Catholic Church. 21 May 2011. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
5. ^ "Filipino priest named auxiliary bishop of Melbourne". Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines. 8 November 2024. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
6. ^ "New Bishop of Sandhurst" (Press release). Diocese of Sandhurst. 3 February 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
7. ^ Cook, Henrietta (20 May 2013). "Culture of secrecy and cover-up, Hart admits". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
8. ^ Zwartz. Barney (21 May 2013). "Hart admits 'awful blight'". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
9. ^ Ewart, Heather (20 May 2013). "Melbourne Catholic Archbishop admits 'awful blight on church'". 7:30 Report. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
10. ^ "George Pell: Cardinal was aware of children being sexually abused, royal commission report finds". TheGuardian.com. 7 May 2020.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne.

* Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne
* Archidioecesis Melburnensis Catholic-Hierarchy.org
* Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Melbourne" . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

* v
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Catholic Church in Australia

A list of the Catholic dioceses, chapels, churches, and cathedrals in Australia.

Province of Sydney

| Metropolitan Archdiocese of Sydney|

* Cathedral Church and Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Mother of God, Help of Christians, Patroness of Australia
* St Philip Howard, Kingston

* St Anne's, North Bondi
* St Anne's, Strathfield South
* St Benedict's, Broadway
* St Brigid's, Millers Point
* St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Paddington
* Cardinal Cerretti Chapel
* Garden Island Naval Chapel
* Mary Immaculate, Waverley
* Mary Mackillop Memorial Chapel and Museum
* Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Randwick
* St Patrick's, The Rocks
* St Peter Julian's, Sydney

|

Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle|

Cathedral of the Sacred Heart

Diocese of Armidale|

Cathedral of Saint Mary and Saint Joseph

Diocese of Bathurst|

Cathedral of Saint Michael and Saint John

* St Mary's, Mudgee

Diocese of Lismore|

Cathedral of Saint Carthage

Diocese of Wagga Wagga|

Cathedral of Saint Michael

* Our Lady of Pompeii, Yoogali

Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes|

Cathedral of the Sacred Heart

* St Ignatius, Bourke

Diocese of Wollongong|

* Cathedral of Saint Francis Xavier
* St John Vianney Co-Cathedral

* St Francis Xavier's, Berrima
* St John's, Campbelltown
* St Michael's, Nowra

Diocese of Parramatta|

Cathedral of Saint Patrick

* St Matthew, Windsor
* St Thomas Aquinas, Springwood

Diocese of Broken Bay|

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary

Province of Melbourne

| Metropolitan Archdiocese of Melbourne|

Cathedral Church and Minor Basilica of Saint Patrick

* Our Lady of Victories Basilica, Camberwell
* Sacred Heart, St Kilda
* St Ambrose, Brunswick
* St Ignatius', Richmond
* St Mary of the Angels, Geelong
* St Mary's, Williamstown
* St Mary Star of the Sea, West Melbourne
* St Francis', Melbourne

|

Diocese of Sale|

Cathedral of Saint Mary

Diocese of Sandhurst|

Cathedral of the Sacred Heart

Diocese of Ballarat|

Cathedral of Saint Patrick

Province of Brisbane

| Metropolitan Archdiocese of Brisbane|

* Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Stephen
* St Stephen's Chapel

* Corpus Christi, Nundah
* Our Lady of Victories, Bowen Hills
* Marist Brothers College, Rosalie
* Mary Immaculate Church, Annerley
* Mount Carmel Convent, Wynnum
* Mount St Mary's Convent, Toowong
* St Brigid's, Red Hill
* Church
* Convent
* St Brigid's Church, Rosewood
* St Francis Xavier, Goodna
* St Ignatius Loyola, Toowong
* St Mary's, Ipswich
* St Mary's, Maryborough
* St Mary's, South Brisbane
* St Patrick's, Fortitude Valley
* St Patrick's, Gympie
* St Patrick's, Mount Perry

|

Diocese of Toowoomba|

Cathedral of Saint Patrick

* Our Lady of the Assumption, Warwick
* First Church
* Second Church
* Convent
* Presbytery
* St Patrick's, Rosevale

Diocese of Cairns|

* St Monica's War Memorial Cathedral
* Old Cathedral
* St Monica's Priory/Bishop's House

* Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Thursday Island
* St James', Malanda
* St Joseph's, Cairns
* St Mary's by the Sea Church, Port Douglas
* St Patrick's, Yungaburra

Diocese of Rockhampton|

Cathedral of Saint Joseph

* Old St Patrick's, Brandon
* Our Lady Star of the Sea, Gladstone

Diocese of Townsville|

Cathedral of the Sacred Heart

* St Brigid's, Stuart
* St Joseph's, North Ward
* St Mary's, Townsville
* St Patrick's, North Ward
* St Patrick's, Ravenswood

Province of Perth

| Metropolitan Archdiocese of Perth|

* Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
* Pro-Cathedral of Saint John

* Aquinas College Chapel
* New Norcia, Western Australia
* Redemptorist Monastery, North Perth
* St Brigid's, Perth
* St Denis, Joondanna
* St Mary Star of the Sea, Peppermint Grove
* St Patrick's Basilica, Fremantle
* St Patrick's, York
* St John the Baptist, Toodyay
* St John the Baptist, Toodyay (1863–1963)
* St Joseph's, Subiaco

|

Diocese of Broome|

Cathedral of Our Lady Queen of Peace

Diocese of Bunbury|

Cathedral of Saint Patrick

Diocese of Geraldton|

Cathedral of Saint Francis Xavier

Province of Adelaide

| Metropolitan Archdiocese of Adelaide|

Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Francis Xavier

* St Augustine's, Salisbury
* St Ignatius' Church, Norwood
* St Patrick's, Adelaide

|

Diocese of Port Pirie|

Cathedral of Saint Mark

Diocese of Darwin|

Cathedral of Saint Mary, Star of the Sea

* Christ the King, Tennant Creek

Immediately subject to the Holy See

| Archdiocese of Hobart|

Cathedral of Saint Mary

* Church of the Apostles, Launceston

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Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn|

Cathedral of Saint Christopher

* St Peter and Paul's, Goulburn
* Christ the King, Taralga

Military Ordinariate of Australia|

Cathedral of Saint Christopher as Principal Church

Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross|

Principal Parish of St Bede the Venerable

Immediately subject to a patriarch or major archbishop

| Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Ss Peter and Paul|

Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul

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Maronite Catholic Eparchy of St Maroun|

Cathedral of Saint Maroun

Melkite Catholic Eparchy of St Michael|

Cathedral of Saint Michael and All the Angels

Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of St Thomas|

St Thomas the Apostle Chaldean Catholic Church (Seat of the Eparch's Cathedra)

Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of St Thomas|

St Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Church (Seat of the Eparch's Cathedra)

* Catholicism portal

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Roman Catholic archbishops and bishops of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

* James Goold
* Thomas Carr
* Daniel Mannix
* Justin Simonds
* James Knox
* Frank Little
* George Pell
* Denis Hart
* Peter Comensoli

* Catholicism portal

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