Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes

Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes
Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes
Dioecesis Vilcanniensis-Forbesinus

Sacred Heart cathedral in Broken Hill; consecrated in 1905
Location
Country Australia
Territory Far West region of New South Wales
Metropolitan Archdiocese of Sydney
Coordinates 33°22′45″S 148°00′33″E / 33.37917°S 148.00917°E / -33.37917; 148.00917
Statistics
Area 414,398 km2 (160,000 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics
(as of 2004)
decrease 118,257
decrease 35,904 (increase 30.4%)
Parishes steady 20
Information
Denomination Roman Catholic
Rite Latin Rite
Established 10 May 1887 as the Diocese of Wilcania; 28 July 1917 as the Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes
Cathedral Sacred Heart, Broken Hill
Current leadership
Pope Benedict XVI
Bishop Vacant
Metropolitan Archbishop George Cardinal Pell
Vicars General Kevin Michael Manning
Emeritus Bishops Douglas Joseph Warren
Christopher Henry Toohey
Website
Catholic Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes is a suffragan Latin rite diocese of the Archdiocese of Sydney, established in 1887, initially as the Diocese of Diocese of Wilcannia, and then changed to the current name in 1917. The diocese covers the Far West region of New South Wales in Australia.

Contents

History

In 1887 the Diocese of Wilcannia was erected by Pope Leo XIII from territory from the three now-neighbouring dioceses: Armidale, Bathurst, and Goulburn (now Canberra-Goulburn Archdiocese), making it one of the oldest dioceses in Australia. The name of the Diocese was changed in 1917 to the Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes to take account of the geographic centre of the large rural Diocese, as well as population growth in the area of Forbes and neighbouring Parkes. The Bishop's Office is in Forbes.

On 9 June 2009, Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Bishop Christopher Toohey due to reasons of personal health. In April 2011, Bishop Christopher Toohey released a personal statement admitting that, his behaviour during the early years of his ministry, with young adults in his pastoral care was "not consistent with that required of a good person". Although the specific behaviours were not mentioned, the church stated that any acts were not criminal in nature. To date, Bishop Toohey is the most senior member of the church to admit to inappropriate behaviour with young adults..[1] The Pope appointed Sydney Auxiliary Bishop Terence Brady as Apostolic Administrator from 2009 until 2011.[citation needed] In 2011 Reverend Father Kevin Michael Manning was appointed to succeed Brady.[citation needed]

Bishop of Wilcannia and Bishops of Wilcannia-Forbes

The following individual was elected as Bishop of Wilcannia:[2]

Order Name Date enthroned Reign ended Term of office Reason for term end
&100000000000000010000001 John Dunne 13 May 1887 25 December 1916 &1000000000000002900000029 years, &10000000000000226000000226 days Died in office

The following individuals have been elected as Bishop of Wilcannia-Forbes:[2]

Order Name Date enthroned Reign ended Term of office Reason for term end
&100000000000000010000001 William Hayden 13 March 1918 11 February 1930 &1000000000000001100000011 years, &10000000000000335000000335 days Elevated as Archbishop of Hobart
&100000000000000020000002 Thomas Martin Fox 9 June 1931 10 July 1967 &1000000000000003600000036 years, &1000000000000003100000031 days Died in office
&100000000000000030000003 Douglas Joseph Warren 26 September 1967 30 March 1994 &1000000000000002600000026 years, &10000000000000185000000185 days Retired and appointed Bishop Emeritus of Wilcannia-Forbes
&100000000000000040000004 Barry Francis Collins 30 March 1994 15 November 2000 &100000000000000060000006 years, &10000000000000230000000230 days Died in office
&100000000000000050000005 Christopher Henry Toohey 9 July 2001 9 June 2009 &100000000000000070000007 years, &10000000000000335000000335 days Resigned and appointed Bishop Emeritus of Wilcannia-Forbes

In absence of an elected Bishop, the following individuals have been appointed as Apostolic Administrator of Wilcannia-Forbes:[citation needed]

  • Terence John Gerard Brady - Apostolic Administrator (2009-2011)
  • Kevin Michael Manning - Apostolic Administrator (2011- )

Cathedral

Sacred Heart Cathedral, Broken Hill has been the Cathedral of the Diocese since 1905, though the bishops of Wilcannia had their residence in Broken Hill since 1889. The Cathedral parish has some 5,500 parishioners, most of whom live in Broken Hill.

Parishes

Boundaries

With 414,398 sq km in its territory, the Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes is the largest diocese in New South Wales. More than half of the State is part of its territory. The Diocese comprises the territory in New South Wales west of a line from the River Murray 16 kilometres west of Tocumwal, to the Murrumbidgee River near Darlington Point, to the Lachlan River 32 kilometres down from Euabalong but excluding the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area; thence to the eastern boundary by the Lachlan River including the whole of the Forbes Shire. The eastern boundary is the Eurow-Nyrang Mountains, the Harvey Range, a line from the junction of the Brummagen Creek and the Macquarie River to a point on the Macquarie River 16 kilometres north of Warren, thence north in a straight line crossing the Barwon River, 16 kilometres west of Walgett, to the Queensland border, including Carinda, Lightning Ridge and Goodooga.

Schools in the Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes

  • Condobolin St Joseph's Primary School
  • Deniliquin St Michael's Parish School
  • Forbes St Laurence's Primary School
  • Forbes Red Bend Catholic College
  • Hay St Mary's Primary School
  • Hillston St Joseph's Primary School
  • Narromine St Augustine's Primary School
  • Nyngan St Joseph's Primary School
  • Parkes Holy Family Primary School

See also

References

  1. ^ "Retired bishop admits to 'inappropriate behaviour'" (transcript). Lateline (Australia). 28 April 2011. http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2011/s3203005.htm. Retrieved 28 April 2011. 
  2. ^ a b "Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes". The Hierarchy of the Catholic Church. 21 May 2011. http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dwilc.html. Retrieved 4 January 2007. 

External links