Roman_Catholic_Diocese_of_Armidale
Roman Catholic Diocese of Armidale
Latin Catholic territory in Australia
The Diocese of Armidale is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in Australia. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Sydney. The Diocese of Armidale was established in 1869 and covers the New England and Barwon River regions of New South Wales.
Diocese of Armidale Dioecesis Armidalensis | |
|---|---|
Cathedral of St Mary and St Joseph, Armidale; consecrated in 1912 | |
| Location | |
| Country | Australia |
| Territory | New England and Barwon River regions of New South Wales |
| Ecclesiastical province | Sydney |
| Coordinates | 30°30′58″S 151°39′50″E |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 91,500 km2 (35,300 sq mi) |
| Population - Total - Catholics | (as of 2006) 146,769 43,223 ( 29.4%) |
| Parishes | 25 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | 28 November 1869 |
| Cathedral | Saints Mary and Joseph Catholic Cathedral |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | sede vacante |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Anthony Fisher OP |
| Website | |
| armidale.catholic.org.au | |
Saints Mary and Joseph Catholic Cathedral is the cathedra of the Bishop of Armidale, presently vacant after Michael Kennedy was appointed to the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle.[1][2]
Erected 28 November 1869.[3] The first bishop, Timothy O'Mahony, was forced to resign over allegations of alcoholism and fathering a child, although he was eventually cleared by a church investigation.[4]
| Order | Name | Title | Date installed | Term ended | Term of office | Reason for term end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Timothy O'Mahony | Bishop of Armidale | 1869 | July 1877 | 7–8 years | Resigned from Rome |
| 2 | Elzear Torreggiani | Bishop of Armidale | November 1879 | January 1904 | 24–25 years | Died in office |
| 3 | Patrick O'Connor | Coadjutor Bishop of Armidale | May 1903 | January 1904 | 0–1 year | Succeeded as Bishop of Armidale |
| Bishop of Armidale | January 1904 | July 1932 | 27–28 years | Died in office | ||
| 4 | John Coleman | Coadjutor Bishop of Armidale | September 1929 | July 1932 | 2–3 years | Succeeded as Bishop of Armidale |
| Bishop of Armidale | July 1932 | December 1947 | 14–15 years | Died in office | ||
| 5 | Edward Doody | Bishop of Armidale | 25 April 1948 (1948-04-25) | 9 April 1968 (1968-04-09) | 19 years, 350 days | Died in office |
| 6 | James Darcy Freeman | Bishop of Armidale | December 1968 | 1971 | 2–3 years | Elevated as Archbishop of Sydney |
| 7 | Henry Kennedy | Bishop of Armidale | February 1972 | 26 April 1991 (1991-04-26) | 18–19 years | Retired |
| 8 | Kevin Manning | Bishop of Armidale | 10 July 1991 (1991-07-10) | 10 July 1997 (1997-07-10) | 6 years, 0 days | Elevated as Bishop of Parramatta |
| 9 | Luc Julian Matthys | Bishop of Armidale | March 1999 | December 2011 | 11–12 years | Retired as Emeritus Bishop of Armidale |
| 10 | Michael Kennedy | Bishop of Armidale | February 2012 | February 2023 | 10–11 years | Appointed to Maitland–Newcastle. |
James Darcy Freeman was elevated to Cardinal in 1973, concurrent with Archbishop of Sydney.
Coadjutors are included above.
Other priests of the diocese who became bishops
- Jeremiah Joseph Doyle, appointed Bishop of Grafton in 1887
- John Steven Satterthwaite, appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Lismore in 1969
- Gerard Joseph Hanna, appointed Bishop of Wagga Wagga in 2002
The diocesan cathedral is dedicated to Saint Mary and Saint Joseph and is located in Dangar Street, Armidale, opposite Armidale Central Park and diagonally opposite the Anglican cathedral. It was built in 1911 of Pyrmont stone and Armidale polychrome brick.[6] It was solemnly dedicated on 12 December 1919.[citation needed]
As of November 2014[update], there are currently 25 parishes located in Diocese of Armidale:
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- "Diocese of Armidale". The Official Directory of the Catholic Church in Australia. National Council of Priests of Australia. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
- "Bishop Kennedy appointed Bishop of Maitland-Newcastle". Australian Catholics Bishops Conference Media Blog. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
- "Diocese of Armidale". The Hierarchy of the Catholic Church. 19 February 2011. Retrieved 6 January 2007.
- J. J. Farrell, Archbishop Vaughan and the resignation of Bishop O'Mahony, first bishop of Armidale, Journal of the Australian Catholic Historical Society 15 (1993), 7-23; C.J. Duffy, O'Mahony, Timothy (1825–1892), Australian Dictionary of Biography.
- "The ten Catholic Bishops of Armidale". The Armidale Star. 8 February 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- "The Catholic Cathedral of St Mary and St Joseph, Armidale". Organ Historical Trust of Australia. 2007. Retrieved 25 September 2011.