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Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns

Diocese of Cairns

Dioecesis Cairnensis
Location
Country Australia
TerritoryFar North region of Queensland
Ecclesiastical provinceBrisbane
MetropolitanBrisbane
Coordinates16°55′00″S 145°46′21″E / 16.91667°S 145.77250°E / -16.91667; 145.77250
Statistics
Area377,000 km2 (146,000 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		(as of 2006)
Increase 235,396
Increase 59,912 (Decrease 25.5%%)
ParishesSteady 24
Information
DenominationRoman Catholic
RiteLatin Rite
Established1877 as Vicariate Apostolic of Queensland;
10 May 1887 as Vicariate Apostolic of Cooktown;
8 July 1941 as Diocese of Cairns
CathedralSt Monica's Cathedral, Cairns
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopJoe Caddy
Bishops emeritusJames Foley
Map
Website
Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns is located in the state of Queensland, Australia. It is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Brisbane. The diocese was erected as a vicariate apostolic in 1877 and was elevated to a diocese in 1941. Its territorial remit is Far North Queensland.[1]

St Monica's Cathedral is the seat of the Catholic Bishop of Cairns. On 6 June, 2024, it was announced that Joe Caddy, formerly Vicar general of the Archdiocese of Melbourne, has been appointed as bishop of Cairns.[2]

History

Following the discovery of gold near Cooktown in 1872 and the establishment and growth of sugar production during the 1870s, the Bishop of Brisbane, James Quinn, visited Cooktown in 1874. The first church was opened a year later.[3] Quinn had earlier been petitioning the Roman Curia to create a vicariate in north Queensland to minister to Catholics in the region and to evangelise the Aborigines, with the Vicariate Apostolic of Queensland officially created on 27 January 1877 by Pope Pius IX. The Vicariate consisted of all the land in Queensland north of the line starting at Cape Hinchinbrook and then west to the border with South Australia (now Northern Territory). The Very Reverend Adolphus Lecaille, then the Vicar-General in the Diocese of Perth in Western Australia, was appointed the first Apostolic Pro-Vicar of the Queensland vicariate with Reverend Father Tarquin Tanganelli as the rector. Lecaille was to be based in Cooktown while Tanganelli was to be based at the Hodgkinson Minerals Area to minister to the needs of the miners and establish churches there. Due to a breakdown in communication, the news of the new Vicariate does not appear to have reached Australia until the arrival of Tanganelli and two other Italian priests in November 1877 to serve in the Vicariate. Lecaille (who was then based in Geraldton in Western Australia) never took up his appointment in Queensland.[4][5][6][7]

An initial attempt to install Italian priests from the Pontifical Seminary of the Apostles Saints Peter and Paul of Rome was a failure; mainly due to cultural and language issues with both the indigenous and predominantly Irish lay population.[3] Quinn, from Ireland, appointed one of his fellow countryman, John Cani as the first Pro-Vicar who served up until Quinn's death in 1882 when Cani returned to Brisbane before being appointed as the first Bishop of Rockhampton. A short term under Monsignor Paul Fortini followed, marked by his clash with the laity in Herberton which he then placed under interdict in 1883; this meant that sacraments could not be celebrated in that town. Fortini was recalled to Rome.[3]

A stable period followed under the pastoral care of the Augustinians. The number of parishioners grew from approximately 2,000 (in 1884) to about 4,000 (in the 1890s); and to approximately 10,000 Catholics (by 1914) spread across eight church districts with 13 priests.[8][9] The growth of pastoral industries and mining in the interwar years led to the expansion of the Vicariate west across the Atherton Tablelands and the creation of an additional nine parishes; and eventual establishment as a suffragan diocese in 1941.[9]

Ordinaries

The following individuals have been elected as Roman Catholic Bishop of Cairns, or any of its precursor titles:[10]

Order Name Title Date enthroned Reign ended Term of office Reason for term end
1 Adolphus Lecaille † Pro-Vicar Apostolic of Queensland February 1877 November 1877 10 months Did not take possession [11]
2 Tarquino Tanganelli † Pro-Vicar Apostolic of Queensland May 1878 August 1878 4 months [11]
3 John Cani † Pro-Vicar Apostolic of Queensland 30 January 1877[3] 3 January 1882 4 years, 338 days Elevated to Bishop of Rockhampton
4 Paul Fortini † Pro-Vicar Apostolic of Queensland 12 February 1882 15 January 1884 1 year, 337 days Recalled[3] to Rome and appointed Vicar Apostolic Emeritus of Queensland
5 John Hutchinson, OSA † Pro-Vicar Apostolic of Queensland 15 January 1884 13 May 1887 3 years, 118 days Elevated to Vicar Apostolic of Cooktown
Vicar Apostolic of Cooktown 13 May 1887 28 October 1897 10 years, 168 days Died in office
6 James Murray, OSA † Vicar Apostolic of Cooktown 28 March 1898 13 February 1914 15 years, 322 days Died in office
7 John Heavey, OSA † Vicar Apostolic of Cooktown 3 May 1914 14 July 1941 27 years, 72 days Elevated to Bishop of Cairns
Bishop of Cairns 14 July 1941 12 June 1948 6 years, 334 days Died in office
8 Thomas Cahill † Bishop of Cairns 11 November 1948 13 April 1967 18 years, 153 days Elevated to Archbishop of Canberra (and Goulburn)
9 John Torpie † Bishop of Cairns 14 September 1967 5 August 1985 17 years, 325 days Retired and appointed Bishop Emeritus of Cairns
10 John Bathersby † Bishop of Cairns 17 January 1986 3 December 1991 5 years, 320 days Elevated to Archbishop of Brisbane
11 James Foley Bishop of Cairns 16 July 1992 21 August 2022 30 years, 36 days Retired and Appointed Bishop Emeritus of Cairns
12 Joe Caddy Bishop of Cairns 22 August 2024 — 95 days

Parishes

The diocese is divided into three separate deaneries that administer individual parishes:[12]

  1. The Northern deanery is formed of the following parishes Cairns (St Monica's Cathedral), Edmonton (St Therese's in Bentley Park), Earlville (Our Lady Help of Christians), Gordonvale (St Michael), West Cairns (St Francis Xavier's in Manunda), Mossman & Port Douglas (St Augustine's in Mossman, and St Mary's in Port Douglas), North Cairns (Mother of Good Counsel), Northern Beaches (Holy Cross in Trinity Park, Sacred Heart in Freshwater, and St Augustine's in Stratford), and Parramatta Park (St Joseph's).
  2. The Southern deanery is based on the Cassowary Coast with parishes at Babinda (St Rita's), Innisfail (Mother of Good Counsel), Mourilyan & South Johnstone (Christ the King at Mourilyan, and St Rita's at South Johnstone), Silkwood (St John's), and Tully (St Clare of Montefalco in Tully, Our Lady Star of the Sea in Cardwell, and Holy Spirit at Wongaling Beach).
  3. The Western deanery extends west of the Tablelands with parishes: Atherton (St Joseph), Cooktown (St Mary), Dimbulah (St Anthony), Georgetown (St Patrick), Gulf Savannah (Our Lady Help of Christians), Herberton (St Patrick), Malanda (St James), Mareeba (St Thomas of Villanova in Mareeba, and St Christopher's in Kuranda), Millaa Millaa (St Rita), Ravenshoe (St Teresa of the Child Jesus in Ravenshoe, and Holy Rosary at Mount Garnet), Weipa (St Joseph), and Thursday Island (including Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church on Thursday Island, St Joseph's on Hammond Island, Holy Family on Horn Island, and St Stephen at Bamaga).

See also

References

  1. ^ University, Find & Connect Web Resource Project, The University of Melbourne and Australian Catholic. "Catholic Diocese of Cairns - Organisation - Find & Connect - Queensland". www.findandconnect.gov.au. Archived from the original on 2 May 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ "New Bishop of Cairns".
  3. ^ a b c d e Dunn, Geoffrey (Rev) (17 February 2010). "The Journey to 1941". Diocese History. Catholic Diocese of Cairns: 1. Archived from the original on 11 September 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  4. ^ "QUEENSLAND". Advocate. Vol. VI, no. 463. Victoria, Australia. 17 November 1877. p. 6. Archived from the original on 5 September 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ "The Rev. Dr. Martinean and the Brahmo Somaj". The Queenslander. Vol. XII, no. 116. Queensland, Australia. 3 November 1877. p. 10. Archived from the original on 5 September 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ "History of the Diocese". Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns. Archived from the original on 15 July 2019. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  7. ^ "History". Catholic Education, Diocese of Cairns. Archived from the original on 4 September 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  8. ^ "CHURCH IN NORTH QUEENSLAND". The Catholic Advocate. Vol. III, no. 138. Queensland, Australia. 31 January 1914. p. 24. Archived from the original on 18 January 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ a b Dunn, Geoffrey (Rev) (17 February 2010). "The Journey to 1941". Diocese History. Catholic Diocese of Cairns: 2. Archived from the original on 11 September 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  10. ^ "Diocese of Cairns". The Hierarchy of the Catholic Church. 21 May 2011. Archived from the original on 11 November 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
  11. ^ a b "Catholic Diocese of Cairns". Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns. Archived from the original on 19 July 2019. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  12. ^ "Parish information". Diocese of Cairns. 4 July 2011. Archived from the original on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
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