The Roman Catholic Diocese of Geraldton is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church covering the Mid West, Western Australia. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Perth.
Diocese of Geraldton Dioecesis di Geraldton | |
|---|---|
 St Francis Xavier Cathedral, Geraldton | |
| Location | |
| Country |  Australia |
| Territory | Mid West, Western Australia |
| Ecclesiastical province | Province of Perth |
| Metropolitan | Perth |
| Coordinates | 28°46′38″S 114°36′50″E / 28.77722°S 114.61389°E |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 1,318,310 km2 (509,000 sq mi) |
| Population - Total - Catholics | (as of 2006) 114,662 27,135 ( 23.7%) |
| Parishes |  12 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | 30 January 1898 |
| Cathedral | St Francis Xavier's Cathedral, Geraldton |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | Michael Henry Morrissey |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Timothy Costelloe |
| Bishops emeritus | Justin Joseph Bianchini |
| Website | |
| Catholic Diocese of Geraldton | |
Its cathedral episcopal see is St Francis Xavier Cathedral, in Geraldton.
History
editEstablished on 30 January 1898 as Diocese of Geraldton / Geraldtonen(sis) (Latin), on territory split off from the then Diocese of Perth (now its Metropolitan).
Statistics
editAs of 2014[update], it pastorally served 29,700 Catholics (23.1% of 128,800 total) on 131,831 km² in 16 parishes and 24 missions with 18 priests (12 diocesan, 6 religious), 35 lay religious (10 brothers, 25 sisters), 3 seminarians.
Parishes
editThe diocese has fifteen parishes with regular liturgical services held in the following locations, with churches dedicated to particular saints:[1]
- Geraldton (Cathedral of St Francis Xavier), Greenough (St Peter), and Rangeway (St John)
- Bluff Point (St Lawrence) and Wonthella (St Patrick)
- Carnarvon (St Mary Star of the Sea) and Exmouth (St John)
- Dongara (Our Lady Star of the Sea) and Leeman (Mary Queen of Peace)
- Karratha (St Paul), Dampier (St Peter), and Wickham (Our Lady of the Pilbara)
- Leonora (Sacred Heart), Laverton (Christ the Redeemer), and Leinster
- Morawa (Holy Cross)
- Mt Magnet (St Brigid), Meekatharra (Christ the King), and Cue (St Patrick)
- Mullewa (Our Lady of Mt Carmel) and Mingenew (St Joseph)
- Newman (St Joseph)
- Northampton (Our Lady in Ara Coeli), Kalbarri (Our Lady Help of Christians), and Nanson (Our Lady of Fatima)
- Port Hedland (St Cecilia)
- South Hedland (St John the Baptist)
- Three Springs (St Paul), Perenjori (St Joseph), Coorow (Our Lady Queen of Peace), and Carnamah (St Andrew)
- Tom Price (St Thomas) and Paraburdoo (St Theresa)
Bishops
editEpiscopal ordinaries
editThe following individuals have been elected as Bishops of Geraldton:[2]
Order Name Date enthroned Reign ended Term of office Reason for term end 1 William Bernard Kelly † 21 March 1898 26 December 1921 23 years, 280 days Died in office 2 Richard Ryan, Congregation of the Mission (C.M.) 30 January 1923, previously Apostolic Vicar of Kimberley in Western Australia (1894–1909) 10 March 1926 3 years, 39 days Appointed Bishop of Sale (Australia) (10 March 1926 – 16 June 1957) 3 James Patrick O'Collins † 11 February 1930 23 December 1941 11 years, 315 days Appointed Bishop of Ballarat (Australia) (23 December 1941 – 1 May 1975) 4 Alfred Gummer † 24 February 1942 5 April 1962 20 years, 40 days Died in office 5 Francis Xavier Thomas † 18 June 1962 31 July 1981 19 years, 43 days Retired as Bishop Emeritus of Geraldton 6 William Foley † 13 July 1981 26 October 1983 2 years, 105 days Elevated as Metropolitan Archbishop of Perth (26 October 1983 – 10 February 1991) 7 Barry Hickey 22 March 1984 23 July 1991 7 years, 123 days Elevated as Metropolitan Archbishop of Perth (23 July 1991 – 20 February 2020), also Vice-President of Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (5 May 2006 – 4 May 2012) 8 Justin Joseph Bianchini 25 March 1992 15 May 2017 32 years, 239 days Retired as Bishop Emeritus of Geraldton 9 Michael Morrissey 15 May 2017 incumbent 7 years, 188 days
Other priest of this diocese who became bishop
edit- Bryan Gallagher †, appointed Bishop of Port Pirie in 1952
Catholic Education
edit| Crest | School | Location | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School | Geraldton | Primary K–6 | |
| St Lawrence's School | Bluff Point | Primary K–6 | |
| St John's School | Rangeway | Primary K–7 | |
| St Paul's School | Karratha | Primary K–7 | |
| Our Lady of Mt Carmel | Mullewa | Primary K–7 | |
| St Mary's School | Northampton | Primary K–7 | |
| St Mary's Star of the Sea Catholic School | Carnarvon | Combined Primary and Secondary, K–10 | |
| St Cecilia's Catholic Primary School | Port Hedland | Primary K–7 | |
| Nagle Catholic College | Geraldton | Secondary Day school, 7–12 | |
| St Luke's College | Karratha | Secondary Day school, 8–12 | |
| Christian Brothers Agricultural School | Tardun | Secondary Day school, 8–10 |
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "Parishes of the Garaldton Diocese". Catholic Diocese of Geraldton. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
- ^ "Diocese of Geraldton". The Hierarchy of the Catholic Church. 20 February 2011. Retrieved 9 October 2011.