| Archdiocese of Sydney Archidioecesis Sydneyensis |
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St Mary's Cathedral Sydney |
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| Location | |
| Country | Australia |
| Territory | South-western Sydney, Canterbury-Bankstown, Inner West, most of Sydney's northern suburbs, lower north shore, eastern suburbs, St George, Sutherland, and the northern part of the Macarthur region |
| Ecclesiastical province | Sydney |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 1,264 km2 (488 sq mi) |
| Population - Total - Catholics |
(as of 2004) 1,993,236 578,567 ( 29.0%) |
| Parishes | 139 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Rite | Latin Rite |
| Established | 1834 as the Vicariate Apostolic of New Holland and Van Diemen’s Land; 5 April 1842 as the Diocese of Sydney; 22 April 1842 as the Archdiocese of Sydney |
| Cathedral | St. Mary's Cathedral |
| Patron saint | Our Lady Help of Christians |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Benedict XVI |
| Archbishop | George Cardinal Pell |
| Auxiliary Bishop | Julian Charles Porteous Terence Brady Peter Comensoli |
| Emeritus Bishops | David Cremin Geoffrey Robinson Edward Bede Clancy |
| Website | |
| Archdiocese of Sydney | |
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney is a Latin rite metropolitan archdiocese, located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Erected in 1842 and directly responsible to the Holy See, the Archdiocese is responsible for the suffragan dioceses of Armidale, Bathurst, Broken Bay, Lismore, Maitland-Newcastle, Parramatta, Wagga Wagga, Wilcannia-Forbes and Wollongong. The Military Ordinariate of Australia, as well as the Eastern Rite Melkite Catholic Eparchy of St Michael, Archangel and the Maronite Diocese of St Maroun are also attached to the archdiocese.
St. Mary’s Cathedral is the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, currently His Eminence Cardinal George Pell, AC.
The Archdiocese of Sydney is involved in many different agencies within Sydney to provide services, care and support to people in need, including aged care; education; health care; prayer, worship and liturgy; solidarity and justice; vocations and seminary; youth and young adults ministry.[1]
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The Vicariate Apostolic of New Holland and Van Diemen’s Land was erected in 1834. The Diocese of Sydney (Dioecesis Sydneyensis) was elevated on 5 April 1842. Just two weeks later, the Diocese was elevated to an Archdiocese (on 22 April 1842) and a Metropolitan See.
In 1819, two Priests were officially authorised by the British Government to minister to the Catholics of the Australian Colony. Until 1834, the territory now forming the Archdiocese of Sydney, and indeed that of the entire Australian Mainland and the Island of Tasmania, was a distant outpost of the Vicariate Apostolic of Mauritius.
On 12 May 1834, the Vicariate Apostolic of New Holland was erected and Father John Bede Polding, an English Benedictine was appointed as Vicar Apostolic with jurisdiction over what is now the Commonwealth of Australia. On 28 February 1842, the Diocese of Sydney was erected with Bishop Polding as its Residential Bishop. Some weeks later (14 April 1842) Sydney was made a Metropolitan See, with Hobart and Adelaide as suffragans. At that time, the Archdiocese of Sydney included the whole of the Eastern portion of the Continent, comprising what are now known as the States of New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland.
At present, the Archbishop of Sydney is Metropolitan of all the Dioceses of New South Wales, with the exception of portions of the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn, which are geographically situated outside the Australian Capital Territory. The suffragan Dioceses are: Maitland (1847), Armidale (1862), Bathurst (1865), Lismore (1887), Wilcannia-Forbes (1887), Wagga Wagga (1917), Wollongong (1951), Parramatta (1986) and Broken Bay (1986).[2]
The "Metropolitan Cathedral of St Mary" is the cathedral church of the Archdiocese of Sydney and the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, His Eminence Cardinal George Pell, AC. The cathedral is dedicated to "Mary, Help of Christians", Patron of Australia.
St Mary’s holds the title and dignity of a minor basilica, bestowed upon it by Pope Pius XI in 1930.
St Mary's is the largest church in Australia, though not the highest. It is located on College Street in the heart of the City of Sydney where, despite the high rise development of the Sydney central business district, its imposing structure and twin spires make it a landmark from every direction. In 2008, St Mary's Cathedral became the focus of World Youth Day 2008 and was visited by Pope Benedict XVI.
A foundation stone for the cathedral was laid in 1821 by Governor Lachlan Macquarie and completed in 1851. When this cathedral was destroyed by fire in June 1865, plans were put in place for the construction of the current cathedral. Constructed in the Geometric Decorated Gothic Revival style based on the designs of William Wardell, a foundation stone for the current cathedral was laid in 1868, with a dedication Mass held in 1882. Further construction of the nave commenced in 1913 and was dedicated in 1928. The richly decorated crypt was completed in 1961 and the most recent additions, two pinnacled spires, were commenced in 2000 and completed in advance of World Youth Day 2008.
St Mary's Cathedral College, located adjacent to the Cathedral, was founded in 1824 and is a secondary day school that caters for approximately 750 boys from Years 5 to 12 and is ministered by the Congregation of Christian Brothers.
St Mary's Cathedral Choir, the oldest musical institution in Australia, is formed of approximately forty choristers and sings at High Mass every Sunday and on special holy days.
The following individuals have been elected as Archbishop of Sydney, with a number elected as Cardinals, as well receiving civilian honours. Their highest title is shown here:[2]
| Order | Name | Title | Date enthroned | Reign ended | Term of office | Reason for term end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Polding, OSB | Bishop of Sydney | 5 April 1842 | 22 April 1842 | 17 days | Elevated to Archbishop of Sydney |
| Archbishop of Sydney | 22 April 1842 | 16 March 1877 | 34 years, 328 days | Died in office | ||
| 3 | Roger Vaughan, OSB | Coadjutor Archbishop of Sydney | 28 February 1873 | 16 March 1877 | 4 years, 16 days | Elevated to Archbishop of Sydney |
| Archbishop of Sydney | 16 March 1877 | 17 August 1883 | 6 years, 154 days | Died in office | ||
| 3 | Patrick Cardinal Moran | Archbishop of Sydney | 14 March 1884 | 17 August 1911 | 27 years, 156 days | Elevated to Cardinal-Priest of Santa Susanna |
| Cardinal of Santa Susanna | 27 July 1885 | 26 years, 21 days | Died in office | |||
| 4 | Michael Kelly | Coadjutor Archbishop of Sydney | 16 July 1901 | 17 August 1911 | 10 years, 32 days | Elevated to Archbishop of Sydney |
| Archbishop of Sydney | 17 August 1911 | 8 March 1940 | 28 years, 204 days | Died in office | ||
| 5 | Sir Norman Cardinal Gilroy, KBE | Coadjutor Archbishop of Sydney | 1 July 1937 | 8 March 1940 | 2 years, 251 days | Elevated to Archbishop of Sydney |
| Archbishop of Sydney | 8 March 1940 | 9 July 1971 | 31 years, 123 days | Elevated to Cardinal-Priest of Santi Quattro Coronati | ||
| Cardinal of Santi Quattro Coronati | 18 February 1946 | 25 years, 141 days | Retired and appointed Archbishop Emeritus of Sydney | |||
| 6 | Sir James Cardinal Freeman, KBE | Archbishop of Sydney | 9 July 1971 | 12 February 1983 | 11 years, 218 days | Elevated to Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria Regina Pacis in Ostia mare |
| Cardinal of Santa Maria Regina Pacis in Ostia mare | 5 March 1973 | 9 years, 344 days | Retired and appointed Archbishop Emeritus of Sydney | |||
| 7 | Edward Cardinal Clancy, AC | Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney | 25 October 1973 | 24 Nov 1978 | 3 years, 30 days | Elevated to Archbishop of Canberra (and Goulburn) |
| Archbishop of Sydney | 12 February 1983 | 26 March 2001 | 18 years, 42 days | Elevated to Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria in Vallicella | ||
| Cardinal of Santa Maria in Vallicella | 28 June 1988 | 12 years, 271 days | Retired and appointed Archbishop Emeritus of Sydney | |||
| 8 | George Cardinal Pell, AC | Archbishop of Sydney | 26 March 2001 | present | 10 years, 340 days | Elevated to Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria Domenica Mazzarello |
| Cardinal of Maria Domenica Mazzarello | 21 October 2003 | 8 years, 131 days | n/a |
There are around 577,000 Catholics in the Archdiocese, with a total population of 2,085,000. The Catholic population is 27.7% of the total. There are 139 parishes, in the pastoral care of around 246 diocesan priests. There are some 480 priests in total, including religious priests, working within the Archdiocese, including those on lesser duties and retired priests. There are 1,238 religious sisters and 275 religious brothers and 5 permanent deacons.
While Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal Clancy, established the Seminary of the Good Shepherd in the Sydney suburb of Homebush, in 1996. It serves men who are in formation for diocesan priesthood for the Archdiocese of Sydney and a number of dioceses from the province of New South Wales and beyond. The Seminary of the Good Shepherd replaced St Patrick’s College, Manly.[3]
Part of the Archdiocese of Sydney's initiatives for young adults is the social networking site Xt3. Standing for 'Christ in the Third Millennium', Xt3 is a content-driven social networking site launched at World Youth Day 2008, held in Sydney.[4][5]
The Catholic sexual abuse scandal in Australia is part of the wider Catholic sexual abuse scandal which are a series of convictions, trials and ongoing investigations into allegations of sex crimes committed by Catholic priests and members of religious orders.[6]
Across the Archdiocese of Sydney, in 2007, Ross Murrin, 52, a former Sydney Catholic school teacher and Marist brother, accused of indecently assaulting eight male Year 5 students at a Daceyville school in south-east Sydney in 1974, plead guilty to some of the 21 charges.[7]
On 19 July 2008, before a congregation of 3,400 assembled in St Mary's Cathedral, Pope Benedict XVI lamented that child sex abuse had taken place and the pain it caused. He also condemned those responsible for it and demanded punishment for them. However, he did not state or imply that the institutional church, or any of its leaders, accepted any responsibility for what had taken place. His statement reads:[8]
"Here I would like to pause to acknowledge the shame which we have all felt as a result of the sexual abuse of minors by some clergy and religious in this country. I am deeply sorry for the pain and suffering the victims have endured and I assure them that, as their pastor, I too share in their suffering. ... Victims should receive compassion and care, and those responsible for these evils must be brought to justice. These misdeeds, which constitute so grave a betrayal of trust, deserve unequivocal condemnation. I ask all of you to support and assist your bishops, and to work together with them in combating this evil. It is an urgent priority to promote a safer and more wholesome environment, especially for young people."
On 21 July 2008, before flying out of Australia, Pope Benedict met at St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney, with two male and two female victims of sex abuse by priests. He listened to their stories and celebrated Mass with them.[9] The Premier of New South Wales, Morris Iemma, said that "Hopefully it will be a sign of righting the wrongs of the past and of a better future and better treatment by the church of the victims and their families."[10][11] Mark Fabbro, a victim of abuse and member of the Catholic Abuse Survivors Collective, said that while he was “happy to receive the apology, we still consider it indirect and insufficient”. Chris MacIsaac of the victims' rights advocacy group Broken Rites said the Pope had taken his apology further than his previous comments on the issue as he has "never put it quite so strongly before", but expressed disappointment that the Pope had not made his apology directly to sexual abuse victims. One Australian victim of sexual abuse by a Catholic priest has stated in the media: Dealing with the church itself was a hell of a lot more traumatic than dealing with the abuse.[12]
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