The Anglican Diocese of Perth is one of the 23

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

s of the Anglican Church of Australia. The constitution of the Diocese of Perth was passed and adopted in

1872 Events January–March * January 12 – Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first ruler crowned in that city in over 500 years. * February 2 – The government of the United Kingdom buys a number of forts on ...

at the first

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...

held in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. In

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...

, the Province of Western Australia was created and the diocesan bishop of Perth became ''ex officio''

metropolitan bishop In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan (alternative obsolete form: metropolite), pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis. Originally, the term referred to the b ...

of the new province and therefore also an archbishop. The diocese incorporates the southern part of the state of Western Australia and includes the

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

and Cocos Islands. The other dioceses in the Anglican Province of Western Australia are the Diocese of Bunbury and the

Diocese of North West Australia The Anglican Diocese of North West Australia (known as the Anglican Diocese of Northern Australia until 1961) is a diocese of the Anglican Church of Australia, founded in 1910. It is situated in the northern part of the state of Western Austral ...

History

The diocese is one of the 23

s of the Anglican Church of Australia. The constitution of the diocese adopted in

at the first

held in

. In

, the Province of Western Australia was created and the diocesan bishop of Perth became ''ex officio''

of the new province and therefore also an archbishop. The diocese incorporates the southern part of the state of Western Australia and includes the

and Cocos Islands. It absorbed the Diocese of Kalgoorlie in 1972. The other dioceses in the Anglican Province of Western Australia are the Diocese of Bunbury and the

Wollaston College Wollaston College (formerly John Wollaston Theological College ) is an Australian educational institution in Perth, Western Australia, established in 1957. It provides theological education for both lay and ordained people of the Anglican Dio ...

is authorized by the Archbishop of Perth as the principal provider for theological education in the Diocese. It offers degree-level programs through its partnership with the University of Divinity.

Churchmanship

The diocese has traditionally had a variety of

churchmanship Churchmanship (or churchpersonship; or tradition in most official contexts) is a way of talking about and labelling different tendencies, parties, or schools of thought within the Church of England and the sister churches of the Anglican Commun ...

and in recent years has largely moved toward a more

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

and moderate Catholic style. There are, however, parishes and clergy representative of all the main Anglican traditions. On 10 February 2018,

Kay Goldsworthy Kay Maree Goldsworthy (born 1956) is an Australian bishop of the Anglican Church of Australia. She is the current archbishop of Perth in the Province of Western Australia.ABC Online Upon her installation as archbishop, on 10 February 2018, she ...

became the first female

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

in the

Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and other ...

on her installation to the archdiocese.

Administrative history

The Perth diocese, like all Australian dioceses, has had administrative procedures dealt with by the diocesan trustees. A range of other sub-committees of the diocese handle broader issues. The trustees were known in earlier times as the Trustees of Church Property. The relationship of the church and government is not just from the proximity of the cathedral to government house. The land ownership and provision of favourable conditions for the diocese has occurred since establishment of the colony. The Diocesan Trustees and Diocesan Council are regularly observed to deal with significant land and building projects in the history of Perth. In 1866, there were two archdeaconries: James Brown was Archdeacon of Perth and H. B. Thornhill of Geraldton.

Issues

In the early 2000s the diocese had a large group of Anglo-Catholics from the parish of St Patricks Mt Lawley under the leadership of the then parish priest and high-ranking member of the diocesan clergy, Harry Entwistle, leave to join with another community of the Traditional Anglican Communion which later entered into the Catholic Church as a community of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross, St Ninians and St Chads based in Mt Lawley. The Personal Ordinariates were created for Anglicans to enter into the Catholic Church and retain many elements of Anglican worship and spirituality, while accepting all doctrines of the Catholic Church. The group cited persecution and on going doctrinal issues for their leaving. As a more liberal diocese, the region voted to recognise same-gender relationships in 2013. While Archbishop Roger Herft vetoed the motion, he did say that "what we have in the Diocese of course is a number of people in same-sex relationships amongst the clergy and amongst the laity and we have always said that people of all forms of sexuality and orientation are welcome." In a statement on human sexuality, Archbishop Herft confirmed that "there are gay and lesbian clergy serving in the priesthood. They are licensed by me and are honoured and respected as priests..." In April 2016, St Andrew's Church within the diocese blessed a same-sex couple's relationship. In 2019, the Diocese voted to no longer prohibit clergy form sexual relationships outside of marriage. In 2022, Archbishop Kay Goldsworthy ordained an openly gay man in a same-sex

civil partnership A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, created primarily as a means to provide recognition in law for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage ...

. The cathedral church of the diocese is

St George's Cathedral, Perth St George's Cathedral is the principal Anglican church in the city of Perth, Western Australia, and the mother-church of the Anglican Diocese of Perth. It is located on St Georges Terrace in the centre of the city. On 26 June 2001 the cath ...

List of Bishops and Archbishops of Perth

Assistant bishops

References

External links

* – official site * {{coord, 31, 57, 20.51, S, 115, 51, 40.31, E, display=title, region:AU_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

1857 establishments in Australia Province of Western Australia