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.
Its cathedral episcopal see is St Francis Xavier Cathedral, in Geraldton.
History
Established 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
As of 2014, 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
The 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
Episcopal ordinaries
The 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 | 34 years, 164 days | Retired as Bishop Emeritus of Geraldton |
| 9 | Michael Morrissey | 15 May 2017 | incumbent | 9 years, 113 days |
Other priest of this diocese who became bishop
- Bryan Gallagher †, appointed Bishop of Port Pirie in 1952
Catholic Education
| 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 |
Sources and external links
- Catholic Diocese of Geraldton
- GCatholic, with Google map & satellite photo – data for most sections
References
- 1."Parishes of the Garaldton Diocese". Catholic Diocese of Geraldton. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
- 2."Diocese of Geraldton". The Hierarchy of the Catholic Church. 20 February 2011. Retrieved 9 October 2011.