| Diocese of Sandhurst Dioecesis Sandhurstensis |
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|---|---|
Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo |
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| Location | |
| Country | Australia |
| Ecclesiastical province | Melbourne |
| Metropolitan | Archdiocese of Melbourne |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 45,178 km2 (17,443 sq mi) |
| Population - Total - Catholics |
(as of 2004) 341,850 91,400 ( 26.7%) |
| Parishes | 41 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Rite | Latin Rite |
| Established | 30 March 1874 |
| Cathedral | Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Benedict XVI |
| Bishop | vacant |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Denis Hart |
| Website | |
| Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst | |
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst is a suffragan Latin rite diocese of the Archdiocese of Melbourne, erected in 1874, covering the central and north-east regions of Victoria, Australia, including Bendigo.
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The Diocese of Sandhurst was established on 30 March 1874, from the Diocese of Melbourne. At the same time, the Diocese of Melbourne was made an Archdiocese of Melbourne and the Diocese of Sandhurst became one of its suffragan. Both are within the Ecclesiastical Province of Melbourne.
By 1911, the diocese had Augustinian Fathers, Marist Brothers, Sisters of Mercy, Sisters of St. Brigid, Sisters of St. Joseph, Presentation Sisters, Faithful Companions of Jesus and Good Shepherd Sisters.[1]
Construction of the Sacred Heart Cathedral began in 1885, under Bishop Crane. Its organ was installed in 1905, under Stephen Reville. The cathedral was completed in 1977, under Bernard Stewart. Sacred Heart Cathedral is one of the largest Neo-Gothic or Gothic Revival cathedrals in Australia and its construction was largely made possible by the estate of the Paderborn-born German pioneer priest Henry Backhaus, the first Roman Catholic priest on the goldfields of Bendigo.
At present the Diocese has no incumbent Bishop. Mons. Francis Marriott continues as administrator of the Sacred Heart Cathedral and Chancellor of the Diocese.
The following individuals have been elected as Roman Catholic Bishops of Sandhurst:[2]
| Order | Name | Date enthroned | Reign ended | Term of office | Reason for term end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martin Crane, OSA † | 4 August 1874 | 21 October 1901 | 27 years, 78 days | Died in office |
| 2 | Stephen Reville, OSA † | 21 October 1901 | 18 September 1916 | 14 years, 333 days | Died in office |
| 3 | John McCarthy † | 14 February 1917 | 18 August 1950 | 33 years, 185 days | Died in office |
| 4 | Bernard Denis Stewart † | 18 August 1950 | 21 April 1979 | 28 years, 246 days | Retired and appointed Bishop Emeritus of Sandhurst |
| 5 | Noel Desmond Daly † | 21 April 1979 | 1 July 2000 | 21 years, 71 days | Resigned and appointed Bishop Emeritus of Sandhurst |
| 6 | Joseph Grech † | 8 March 2001 | 28 December 2010 | 9 years, 295 days | Died in office |
| 7 | presently vacant | n/a | n/a |
It comprises the area north of the Great Dividing Range, south of the Murray River and east of the Loddon River, an area of 45,178 sq km (17,450 sq mls). The diocese is divided into 41 parishes and has 74 priests, 109 religious sisters and 5 brothers. Its seat is at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Bendigo, which was until 1891 called Sandhurst.
The diocese is a suffragan of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Melbourne, in the Ecclesiastical Province of Melbourne. The diocese had a Catholic population of about 86,000 in 2006.
There are 50 Catholic schools in the diocese – 40 primary, 9 secondary and one P–10 school – catering for 7,700 primary and 5,850 secondary students. Bendigo's oldest Catholic church is St Kilian's.[3]
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