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Diocese of Toowoomba

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Diocese of Toowoomba
Dioecesis Tuumbanus
St Patrick's Cathedral, Toowoomba, 2014
St Patrick's Cathedral, Toowoomba, 2014
Location
Country Australia
Territory Darling Downs and
South West regions of Queensland
Ecclesiastical province Province of Brisbane
Metropolitan Brisbane
Coordinates 27°33′41″S 151°57′53″E / 27.56139°S 151.96472°E
Statistics
Area 487,456 km2 (188,208 sq mi)
Population
Total
Catholics 		(as of 2004)
232,900
65,912 ( 28.3%%)
Parishes 35
Information
Denomination Roman Catholic
Rite Latin Rite
Established 28 May 1929
Cathedral St Patrick's Cathedral, Toowoomba
Patron saint Mary of the Southern Cross, Blessed Virgin Mary
Secular priests 50
Current leadership
Pope Leo XIV
Bishop Kenneth Howell
Bishops emeritus Robert McGuckin
William Morris
Map
Website
Roman Catholic Diocese of Toowoomba

Diocese of Toowoomba — The Roman Catholic Diocese of Toowoomba is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Brisbane, established in 1929, covering the Darling Downs and south west regions of Queensland, Australia.

The diocese covers an area of 487,000 square kilometres (188,000 sq mi). with 48 priests and 57 members of religious orders. There are 77,400 Catholics among the 276,700 total population within the diocese's borders.

St Patrick's Cathedral is the seat of the Catholic Bishop of Toowoomba.

History

In 1929, the Diocese of Toowoomba was excised from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane.[1]

Recent history

Bishop Bill Morris was appointed in 1992 to head the Toowoomba diocese. In 2006 he released a pastoral letter[2] calling for discussion of the ordination of married men and the ordination of women to compensate for the lack of priests in his large diocese.[3]

An apostolic visitation of the diocese was conducted by Charles J. Chaput OFM Cap., then Archbishop of Denver,[4] during April 2007. Discussions continued between Morris and the Vatican for several years.

On 1 May 2011, Bishop Morris announced his early retirement at age 67, stressing the fact that he had not resigned. On 2 May 2011, the Holy See removed Morris from pastoral care of the diocese, attracting international press coverage. The Holy See appointed Brian Vincent Finnigan, Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane, to serve as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese.[5]

On 14 May 2012, it was announced that Pope Benedict XVI had named the Reverend Monsignor Robert McGuckin as bishop-elect of the Toowoomba diocese. He was installed on 11 July.

On 24 May 2023, Pope Francis announced Bishop Kenneth Howell would be the Bishop of the Diocese of Toowoomba, after accepting the resignation of Bishop Robert McGuckin.[6]

Bishops

Ordinaries

The following have served as Bishops of Toowoomba:[7]

Other priest of this diocese who became bishop

  • John Alexius Bathersby, appointed Bishop of Cairns in 1986, and subsequently Archbishop of Brisbane.

Parishes

There are currently 35 parishes in the diocese and 42 diocesan priests, organized across five territorial deaneries:

Toowoomba Eastern Deanery:

  • St Matthew's (Crows Nest)
  • St Joseph's (Helidon)
  • St Mary MacKillop (Highfields)
  • St Patrick's Cathedral
  • St Thomas More's
  • St Theresa's

Toowoomba Western Deanery:

  • St Francis de Sales' (Millmerran)
  • Sacred Heart (Cambooya)
  • St Stephen's (Pittsworth)
  • Holy Name (Toowoomba North)
  • St Monica's (Oakey)
  • St Anthony's (Harristown)
  • Sacred Heart (Wilsonton)
  • Our Lady of Lourdes (Newtown)

Southern Downs Deanery:

  • St Mary's (Warwick)
  • St Mary's (Goondiwindi)
  • Our Lady of the Southern Cross (Inglewood)
  • Sts James and John (Clifton)
  • St Mary's (Wallangarra)
  • Holy Cross (Killarney)
  • St Patrick's (Allora)
  • St Joseph's (Stanthorpe)
  • Sacred Heart (Texas).

Northern Downs Deanery:

  • St Joseph's (Dalby)
  • St Mary's (Taroom)
  • St Mary of the Angels' (Tara)
  • Holy Cross (Miles)
  • Immaculate Conception (Jandowae)
  • Our Lady Help of Christians (Chinchilla)

Western Deanery:

  • Sacred Heart (Cunnamulla)
  • St Finbarr's (Quilpie)
  • St Mary's (Wallumbilla)
  • Balonne Catholic Parish (St George)
  • St Mary's (Charleville)
  • St Columba's (Mitchell)
  • All Saints' (Roma)

Schools

The diocese has the following schools:

  • Our Lady of the Southern Cross College, Dalby
  • St. Mary's College, Toowoomba
  • St Ursula's College, Toowoomba
  • St Joseph's College, Toowoomba
  • St. John's College, Roma
  • St. Patrick's School, Mitchell
  • St. Mary's School, Charleville
  • St. Finbarr's School, Quilpie
  • Sacred Heart School, Cunnamulla
  • St Saviour's College, Toowoomba
  • Downlands Sacred Heart College, Toowoomba
  • Mary MacKillop Catholic College, Toowoomba

Heritage listings

The diocese has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Sexual abuse

In February 2014 the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, a royal commission of inquiry initiated in 2013 by the Australian Government and supported by all of its state governments,[10] began an investigation into allegations of child sexual abuse and the response by the Diocesan Catholic Education Office.[11] The former Bishop of Toowoomba, Bill Morris, admitted that "there had been a number of significant systemic failings which led to the failure to properly deal with" the abuse of thirteen young girls at a Toowoomba Catholic primary School in 2007–08.[12]

See also

  • Roman Catholicism in Australia

Canonical status and jurisdiction

Roman Catholic Diocese of Toowoomba is a diocese of the catholic church of the Catholic Church.[13]

References

  1. Back to citation "Our Story". Archdiocesan Profile. Archdiocese of Brisbane. Archived from the original on 13 May 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  2. Back to citation Morris, William Martin (17 November 2006). "Advent Pastoral letter" (PDF). Diocese of Toowoomba. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
  3. Back to citation Livingstone, Tess; Gearing, Amanda (2 May 2011). "Bishop of Toowoomba, William Morris, claims unfair dismissal by Pope". The Australian. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
  4. Back to citation "Call to ordain women". The Courier-Mail. Australia. 4 January 2007. Archived from the original on 11 April 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
  5. Back to citation "Diocese of Toowoomba". Apostolic Nunciature to Australia (Press release). Canberra, Australia. 2 May 2011. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
  6. Back to citation "Resignations and Appointments, 24.05.2023". The Holy See. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  7. Back to citation "Diocese of Toowoomba". The Hierarchy of the Catholic Church. 21 May 2011. Archived from the original on 11 October 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
  8. Back to citation "St Patricks Cathedral (entry 600844)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  9. Back to citation "Bishop's House (entry 600845)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  10. Back to citation "Letters Patent". Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Archived from the original on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
  11. Back to citation "Case Study 6, February 2014, Brisbane". Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. 2014. Archived from the original on 16 May 2015. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  12. Back to citation "Royal Commission Toowoomba Hearing concludes > Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne: Church in Melbourne, Australia > News - Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne: Church in Melbourne, Australia". Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
  13. Back to citation Roman Catholic Diocese of Toowoomba, official website

Further reading

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