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The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne is a Latin Rite
metropolitan archdiocese A metropolis religious jurisdiction, or a metropolitan archdiocese, is an episcopal see whose bishop is the metropolitan bishop or archbishop of an ecclesiastical province. Metropolises, historically, have been important cities in their provinces. ...
in Melbourne,
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seyche ...
, Australia. Erected initially in 1847 as the Diocese of Melbourne, a suffragan diocese of
Archdiocese of Sydney The Archdiocese of Sydney ( la, Archidioecesis Sydneyensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church. Its episcopal see is Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Erected in 1842, the archdiocese is the m ...
, 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 Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. Within months of Vi ...
, and the
Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Ss Peter and Paul The Eparchy of Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne is a Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church ecclesiastical territory or eparchy of the Catholic Church in Australia. Headquartered in Melbourne, it is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of th ...
. 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 Peter Andrew Comensoli (born 25 March 1964) is an Australian Catholic prelate who was named the ninth Archbishop of Melbourne on 29 June 2018. He had been serving as the third Bishop of Broken Bay in New South Wales since December 2014. ...
, who succeeded
Denis Hart Denis James Hart (born 16 May 1941) is a retired Australian prelate of the Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of Melbourne from 2001 to 2018. Early years and background Hart was born in East Melbourne, Victoria, the eldest of the three chi ...
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.


History

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 The Archdiocese of Sydney ( la, Archidioecesis Sydneyensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church. Its episcopal see is Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Erected in 1842, the archdiocese is the m ...
in the Archdiocese of Sydney. In 1839,
John Polding John Bede Polding, OSB (18 November 1794 in 16 March 1877 ) was the first Roman Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Australia. Early life Polding was born in Liverpool, England on 18 November 1794. His father was of Dutch descent and his mother ...
, the Archbishop of Sydney, placed
Patrick Bonaventure Geoghegan Patrick Bonaventure Geoghegan, O.F.M. (1805–1864) was an Irish Roman Catholic clergyman who served firstly as Bishop of Adelaide. Born in Dublin, he became a Franciscan friar and served at a Dublin parish before volunteering for Australia. Af ...
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.
Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Melbourne The ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'' (also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedia'') i ...
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 James Alipius Goold (4 November 1812–11 June 1886) was an Australian Augustinian friar and the founding Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne in Australia. Life Early years Goold was born in Cork, Ireland. Upon leaving school he entered the O ...
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. 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 Presentation Sisters, officially the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, are a religious institute of Roman Catholic women founded in Cork, Ireland, by the Venerable Honora "Nano" Nagle in 1775. The Sisters of the congre ...
, the
Faithful Companions of Jesus The Faithful Companions of Jesus Sisters (FCJ Sisters, French: ''Fidèles compagnes de Jésus'') is a Christian religious institute of the Roman Catholic Church directly subject to the Pope. It was founded in Amiens in France in 1820 by Marie ...
and the
Little Sisters of the Poor The Little Sisters of the Poor (french: Petites Sœurs des pauvres) is a Catholic religious institute for women. It was founded by Jeanne Jugan. Having felt the need to care for the many impoverished elderly who lined the streets of French towns ...
. 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 Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. Within months of Vi ...
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 St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, often called the Josephites or Brown Joeys, are a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Mary MacKillop (1842–1909). Members of the congregation use the postnominal initials RSJ (Religious Siste ...
, the
Sisters of Loreto The Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose members are commonly known as the Loreto Sisters, is a Roman Catholic religious congregation of women dedicated to education founded in Saint-Omer by an Englishwoman, Mary Ward, in 1609. The cong ...
, the
Sisters of St. Joseph The Sisters of St. Joseph, also known as the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, abbreviated CSJ or SSJ, is a Roman Catholic religious congregation of women founded in Le Puy-en-Velay, France, in 1650. This congregation, named for ...
and the
Sisters of the Good Samaritan The Congregation of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan, colloquially known as the "Good Sams", is a Roman Catholic congregation of religious women commenced by Bede Polding, OSB, Australia’s first Catholic bishop, in Sydney in 1857. The congreg ...
. 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. 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

The following individuals were Archbishops of Melbourne, with one being a
cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **'' Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **'' Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, t ...
while in office as archbishop, as well as having civilian honours. Their highest title is shown here: :


Auxiliary bishops


Current auxiliary bishops

The archbishop of the archdiocese,
Peter Comensoli Peter Andrew Comensoli (born 25 March 1964) is an Australian Catholic prelate who was named the ninth Archbishop of Melbourne on 29 June 2018. He had been serving as the third Bishop of Broken Bay in New South Wales since December 2014. ...
, is assisted by several auxiliary bishops: *
Martin Ashe Martin Ashe (born 27 September 1953) is an Irish-Australian Catholic bishop. He has served as an Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne since 2021. Prior to this, he served in various Melbourne parishes, was pastoral dir ...
* Terence Curtin (Northern Region), appointed bishop 7 Nov 2014 * Anthony John Ireland There are also emeritus auxiliary bishops: *
Peter John Elliott Peter John Elliott (born 1 October 1943) is a retired Australian bishop of the Catholic Church who served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Melbourne from 2007 to 2018. He is also an author, writing a number of published works tha ...
(Southern Region), appointed bishop 30 Apr 2007 Monsignor Greg Bennet was appointed
vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...
and moderator of the curia of the archdiocese in February 2012.


Former auxiliary bishops

* 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 Denis James Hart (born 16 May 1941) is a retired Australian prelate of the Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of Melbourne from 2001 to 2018. Early years and background Hart was born in East Melbourne, Victoria, the eldest of the three chi ...
(1997-2001), appointed Archbishop here *
Joseph Angelo Grech Joseph Angelo Grech (10 December 1948 – 28 December 2010
† (1998-2001), appointed Bishop of Sandhurst * Mark Benedict Coleridge (2002-2006), appointed Archbishop of Canberra-Goulburn *
Christopher Charles Prowse Christopher Charles Prowse (born 14 November 1953 in East Melbourne, Victoria) is an Australian Roman Catholic bishop. He is currently the archbishop of the Archdiocese of CanberraGoulburn; appointed to the post on 12 September 2013 and ins ...
(2003-2009), appointed Bishop of Sale *
Mark Stuart Edwards Mark Stuart Edwards (born 14 June 1959) is an Australian Roman Catholic prelate and professed member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate appointed as the Bishop of Wagga Wagga. He has served in the past as a teacher and as a rector b ...
,
OMI is a hereditary noble title ('' kabane'') of ancient Japan. It was given to the descendants of the Imperial Family before Emperor Kōgen. Along with ''Muraji'', ''Omi'' was reserved for the head of the most powerful clans during the Kofun period ...
(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 In Christ's name , province = , diocese = Sandhurst , see = , enthroned = 1 March 2012 , ended = 23 July 2019 , predecessor = Joseph Grech , successor = Shane Mackinlay , ordination = 18 August 1972 in St Joseph's Church, Red Cliffs , ...
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. Bishop
Vincent Long Van Nguyen Vincent Nguyễn Văn Long O.F.M. Conv. (born 3 December 1961) is a Vietnamese Australian prelate of the Catholic Church. He was appointed the fourth Bishop of Parramatta, Australia, by Pope Francis on 5 May 2016. He has been a bishop since 201 ...
,
OFM Conv The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (OFM Conv) is a male religious fraternity in the Roman Catholic Church that is a branch of the Franciscans. The friars in OFM CONV are also known as Conventual Franciscans, or Minorites. Dating back to ...
was the auxiliary bishop for the western region and former assistant superior general for the
Conventual Franciscans The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (OFM Conv) is a male religious fraternity in the Roman Catholic Church that is a branch of the Franciscans. The friars in OFM CONV are also known as Conventual Franciscans, or Minorites. Dating back to ...
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 Mark Stuart Edwards (born 14 June 1959) is an Australian Roman Catholic prelate and professed member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate appointed as the Bishop of Wagga Wagga. He has served in the past as a teacher and as a rector b ...
,
OMI is a hereditary noble title ('' kabane'') of ancient Japan. It was given to the descendants of the Imperial Family before Emperor Kōgen. Along with ''Muraji'', ''Omi'' was reserved for the head of the most powerful clans during the Kofun period ...
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

* 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 Patrick Lyons (6 January 1903 – 13 August 1967) was an Australian prelate of the Catholic Church. He was the third Bishop of Christchurch, New Zealand (1944–1950), Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (1950–1957) and fou ...
† , 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 John Aloysius Morgan, (9 October 1909 – 21 May 2008) was an Australian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Early life Morgan was born in Keilor on the outskirts of Melbourne, Victoria, where his father Patrick owned and operated a farm. H ...
† , 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

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.


Sexual abuse cases

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. 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. Hart regretted the "slow start" made in the process of resolving complaints and investigating instances of abuse but "st odby what heydid since 1996 nevertheless". 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 The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse was a royal commission announced in November 2012 and established in 2013 by the Australian government pursuant to the Royal Commissions Act 1902 to inquire into and repo ...
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.


See also

*
Roman Catholicism in Australia The Catholic Church in Australia is part of the worldwide Catholic Church under the spiritual and administrative leadership of the Holy See. From origins as a suppressed, mainly Irish minority in early colonial times, the church has grown ...


References


External links


Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne
* {{authority control Melbourne, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne Melbourne Melbourne