- Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes
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Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes
Dioecesis Vilcanniensis-Forbesinus
Sacred Heart cathedral in Broken Hill; consecrated in 1905Location 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 Statistics Area 414,398 km2 (160,000 sq mi) Population
- Total
- Catholics(as of 2004)
118,257
35,904 (
30.4%)Parishes 
20Information 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 TooheyWebsite 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]
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Order Name Date enthroned Reign ended Term of office Reason for term end 1 John Dunne 13 May 1887 25 December 1916 29 years, 226 days Died in office
The following individuals have been elected as Bishop of Wilcannia-Forbes:[2]
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Order Name Date enthroned Reign ended Term of office Reason for term end 1 William Hayden 13 March 1918 11 February 1930 11 years, 335 days Elevated as Archbishop of Hobart 2 Thomas Martin Fox 9 June 1931 10 July 1967 36 years, 31 days Died in office 3 Douglas Joseph Warren 26 September 1967 30 March 1994 26 years, 185 days Retired and appointed Bishop Emeritus of Wilcannia-Forbes 4 Barry Francis Collins 30 March 1994 15 November 2000 6 years, 230 days Died in office 5 Christopher Henry Toohey 9 July 2001 9 June 2009 7 years, 335 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
- Balranald St Joseph's Primary School
- Bourke St Ignatius Primary School
- Brewarrina St Patrick's Primary School
- Broken Hill Sacred Heart Parish Primary School
- Cobar St John's Primary School
- 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
See also
References
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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
Province of Sydney Archdiocese of Sydney · Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle · Diocese of Armidale · Diocese of Bathurst · Diocese of Lismore · Diocese of Wagga Wagga · Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes · Diocese of Wollongong · Diocese of Parramatta · Diocese of Broken BayProvince of Melbourne Province of Brisbane Province of Perth Province of Adelaide Immediately subject to
the Holy See/PatriarchArchdiocese of Hobart · Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn · Military Ordinariate of Australia · Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saints Peter and Paul · Maronite Eparchy of Saint Maron of Sydney · Melkite Catholic Eparchy of St Michael, Archangel · Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of Saint Thomas the Apostle
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