The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst is a

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictiona ...

Latin Rite diocese of the Archdiocese of Melbourne, erected in 1874, covering the central and north-east regions of Victoria, Australia, including

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ...

Sacred Heart Cathedral Sacred Heart Cathedral may refer to: Africa *Sacred Heart Cathedral, Moundou, Chad *Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bamako, Mali *Sacred Heart Cathedral, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo *Sacred Heart Cathedral, Freetown, Sierra Leone *Sacred Heart Cathedra ...

in Bendigo is the

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense. Types of seat The following are examples of different kinds of seat: * Armchair (furniture), ...

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

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 In 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 provinces were administratively associate ...

, the Diocese of Sandhurst became one of its suffragans. Both dioceses are within the Ecclesiastical Province of Melbourne. 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. 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 Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

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: : 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.

Coadjutor bishops

* Stephen Reville, O.E.S.A. † (1885–1901) *

Bernard Denis Stewart Bernard Denis Stewart D.D., B.A., LL.B. (2 August 1900 – 15 October 1988) was the Bishop of Sandhurst, Victoria (Australia). Stewart was born at Essendon, Victoria to Ronald and Rose Stewart. He had six brothers, who were enrolled at the sa ...

† (1946–1950)

Priests of the diocese who became bishops

Hugh Edward Ryan Hugh Edward Ryan (1888–1977) was a Roman Catholic priest. He was the Roman Catholic Bishop of Townsville in Queensland, Australia, from 13 July 1938 to 14 September 1967. Ryan was born on 25 April 1888 in Kyabram, Victoria. He studied at St P ...

† - appointed Bishop of Townsville in 1938 * Thomas Vincent Cahill † - appointed Bishop of Cairns in 1948 *

Francis Xavier Thomas Francis Xavier Thomas (28 March 1906 – 5 August 1985) was an Australian Roman Catholic bishop. Ordained to the priesthood on 13 July 1930, Thomas was named bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Geraldton, Australia Australia, offici ...

† - appointed Bishop of Geraldton in 1962 *

Francis Peter de Campo Francis Peter de Campo , (9 July 1923 − 23 April 1998) was an Australian Catholic bishop. Ordained to the priesthood on 24 July 1949, de Campo was named bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Port Pirie, Australia in 1979 and died in 1998 whi ...

† - appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Port Pirie in 1979

Other information

The diocese comprises the area north of the

Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills, that runs rough ...

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

References

External links

Official website

Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst website
{{authority control Sandhurst Sandhurst Sandhurst Sandhurst, Roman Catholic Diocese of 1874 establishments in Australia