The Diocese of Lismore is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in New South Wales, Australia. The diocese was established in 1887, initially as the Diocese of Grafton, and then changed to the current name in 1900. The Diocese of Lismore covers the North Coast and is also responsible for the Church of St Agnes on Lord Howe Island. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Sydney.
Ordinaries
Bishops of Grafton
Bishops of Grafton:[1]
| Order | Name | Date installed | Term ended | Term of office | Reason for term end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeremiah Joseph Doyle | 13 May 1887 | 4 June 1909 | 22 years, 22 days | Died in office |
Bishops of Lismore
Bishops of Lismore:[1]
| Order | Name | Date installed | Term ended | Term of office | Reason for term end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Carroll | 2 December 1909 | 8 May 1949 | 39 years, 157 days | Died in office |
| 2 | Patrick Joseph Farrelly | 8 May 1949 | 1 September 1971 | 22 years, 116 days | Retired and was appointed Bishop Emeritus of Lismore |
| 3 | John Steven Satterthwaite | 1 September 1971 | 1 December 2001 | 30 years, 91 days | Retired and was appointed Bishop Emeritus of Lismore |
| 4 | Geoffrey Jarrett | 1 December 2001 | 22 February 2017 | 15 years, 83 days | Retired and was appointed Bishop Emeritus of Lismore[2] |
| 5 | Greg Homeming | 22 February 2017 | present | n/a |
Coadjutor bishops
- Patrick Joseph Farrelly (1931–1949)
- John Steven Satterthwaite (1969–1971)
- Geoffrey Hylton Jarrett (2000–2001)
Other priests of this diocese who became bishops
- Terence Bernard McGuire, appointed Bishop of Townsville in 1930
- Norman Thomas Gilroy, appointed Bishop of Port Augusta in 1934; future Cardinal
- Thomas Absolam McCabe, appointed Bishop of Port Augusta in 1938
- Thomas William Muldoon, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney, in 1960
Cathedral
The Cathedral of St Carthage's was commissioned by Bishop Jeremiah Doyle c. 1890. Designed in 1892 by Herbert Wardell (the son of notable Anglo – Australian architect and civil engineer William Wardell), the cathedral is modelled in Gothic Revival style. The foundation stone was laid in 1892 and construction began in early 1904, with the sanctuary, transepts and nave completed by mid-1907 when the first liturgical mass was held. A public appeal was held to raise £2,000 for the peal of twelve bells from Dublin, that were installed in the bell tower by 1911. A large pipe organ completed the project and in 1919, with all debts dissolved, St Carthage's Cathedral received its solemn dedication by the Apostolic Delegate, Archbishop Cattaneo.[3]
In 2007, the cathedral was seriously damaged by hail storms in the region.[4][5][6] An appeal to restore the cathedral commenced in 2007, with initial plans to construct the spire initially designed by Wardell.[3] However, when commissioning the works in 2009, the main focus of the project was on roof slates, stained glass windows, and lead downpipes; with completion of the stone steeple ruled out.[6][7]
Other information
The Catholic Education Office which is responsible for 46 co-educational schools in the Diocese, is located in Lismore.[8] The Aboriginal Catholic Ministry is located in Macksville. The Diocese also offers a number of health and aged care services ranging from child care to nursing homes to natural family planning services.[9]
The diocese also has a community of Marist Brothers, another of Presentation Sisters and a convent of Carmelite Nuns.
References
- 1.[1.2]"Diocese of Lismore". The Hierarchy of the Catholic Church. Retrieved 9 May 2009.
- 2."Bishop Geoffrey Hylton Jarrett [Catholic-Hierarchy]".
- 3.[3.2]Jarrett, Geoffrey (22 February 2007). "On the Centenary of St Carthage's Cathedral: A pastoral letter" (PDF). Lismore Diocese. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
- 4."Locals count cost after Lismore hail storm". ABC News. Australia. 10 October 2007. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
- 5.Ramachandran, Arjun (10 October 2007). "Hailstorm lashes Lismore". The Sydney Morning Herald. AAP. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
- 6.[6.2]Feain, Dominic (16 April 2010). "Cathedral hits new safety heights". Northern Star. Australia. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
- 7."Essential Renovation and Conservation Work Commenced on St. Carthage's Cathedral". Catholic Diocese of Lismore, NSW (Press release). Australia. 29 July 2009. Archived from the original on 13 February 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
- 8."Catholic Education in the Diocese of Lismore". Lismore Catholic Education Office. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
- 9."Health and Aged Care Services". Diocese of Lismore. Retrieved 8 May 2009.