Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockhampton

The Diocese of Rockhampton is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Australia. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Brisbane. Erected in 1882, it covers Central Queensland.

Diocese of Rockhampton

Dioecesis Rockhamptoniensis
Location
CountryAustralia
TerritoryCentral Queensland
Ecclesiastical provinceProvince of Brisbane
Coordinates23°23′07″S 150°30′21″E / 23.38528°S 150.50583°E / -23.38528; 150.50583
Statistics
Area415,000 km2 (160,000 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics
(as of 2004)
Increase 372,000
Increase 95,000 (Decrease 25.5%%)
ParishesSteady 39
Information
DenominationCatholic Church
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
Established29 December 1882
CathedralSt Joseph's Cathedral
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopMichael McCarthy
Bishops emeritusBrian Heenan
Map
Website
Catholic Diocese of Rockhampton

History

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The Diocese of Rockhampton was excised from the Archdiocese of Brisbane on 29 December 1882. Prior to this, the Brisbane archdiocese had responsibility for the entire state of Queensland, but the creation of the Rockhampton diocese split the state with responsibilities for the southern part of Queensland to remain with the Brisbane archdiocese while the northern part of Queensland became the responsibility of the new Rockhampton diocese.[1][2] The Diocese of Townsville was excised from the Diocese of Rockhampton in 1930, reducing Rockampton's coverage to Central Queensland, while Townsville took responsibility for the areas further to the north.[3]

Bishops

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Ordinaries

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The following individuals have been elected as Roman Catholic Bishops of Rockhampton:[4]

Order Name Date enthroned Reign ended Term of office Reason for term end
1 John Cani 3 January 1882 3 March 1898 16 years, 59 days Died in office
2 Joseph Higgins 21 September 1899 3 March 1905 5 years, 163 days Appointed Bishop of Ballarat
3 James Duhig 16 September 1905 27 February 1912 6 years, 164 days Elevated as Coadjutor Archbishop of Brisbane
4 Joseph Shiel 11 May 1913[5] 7 April 1931 18 years, 231 days Died in office
5 Romuald Denis Hayes, SSC 12 January 1932 25 October 1945 13 years, 286 days Died in office
6 Andrew Gerard Tynan 31 March 1946 3 June 1960 14 years, 64 days Died in office
7 Francis Roberts Rush 7 November 1960 5 March 1973 12 years, 118 days Elevated as Archbishop of Brisbane
8 Bernard Joseph Wallace 24 January 1974 8 May 1990 16 years, 104 days Resigned and appointed Bishop Emeritus of Rockhampton
9 Brian Heenan 20 November 1992 1 October 2013 31 years, 346 days Retired and appointment Bishop Emeritus of Rockhampton[6]
10 Michael McCarthy 29 May 2014 present 10 years, 155 days Current[7]

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

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Cathedral

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Parishes

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The diocese is divided into four separate deaneries that administer individual parishes:[8]

Education

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The diocese operates many Catholic schools via its Rockhampton Catholic Education Office.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Diocese History". Catholic Diocese of Rockhampton. Archived from the original on 1 July 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  2. ^ "ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS IN QUEENSLAND". The Argus. Melbourne. 21 December 1881. p. 7. Retrieved 20 July 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ "Archives". Roman Catholic Diocese of Townsville. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  4. ^ "Diocese of Rockhampton". The Hierarchy of the Catholic Church. 14 February 2024. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  5. ^ "THE ENTHRONEMENT". Morning Bulletin. No. 15, 155. Queensland, Australia. 12 May 1913. p. 8. Retrieved 6 October 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ "Bishop". Catholic Diocese of Rockhampton. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  7. ^ "Our Bishop". Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockhampton. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  8. ^ "Diocesean profile: Parishes". Diocese of Rockhampton. 2008. Archived from the original on 2 September 2011. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
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