Anglican Diocese of Rockhampton

The Anglican Diocese of Rockhampton is a diocese in the Province of Queensland and one of the 23 dioceses of the Anglican Church of Australia. The diocese covers an area of approximately 57 million hectares, roughly twice the size of New Zealand and four times the size of England and Wales. The diocese contains nearly the whole central regions of Queensland. The population of the diocese is 216,000 of whom approximately 48,000 indicate that they are Anglicans. The diocese has 20 parishes and ministry districts, with the largest parish bigger than the State of Victoria.[1] The cathedral church of the diocese is St Paul's Cathedral in Rockhampton. The most recent Bishop of Rockhampton was the Right Reverend Godfrey Fryar who retired in December 2013.

History

The Diocese of Rockhampton traces its history unbroken through the beginnings of the Anglican Church in Australia back to the establishment of Christianity in England in the first and second centuries. The Rockhampton diocese was formed in 1892 from the Diocese of Brisbane and its first bishop was Bishop Nathaniel Dawes.[2] The diocese celebrated its centenary in 1992.

Region

The diocese reaches across central Queensland, between the Diocese of Brisbane to the south and the Diocese of North Queensland to the north. It stretches from the east coast of Australia to the Northern Territory border, with its northern border being a straight line just north of the town of Moranbah and its southern region including the localities of Boyne Island, Biloela, Moura, Tambo and Blackall. Named after its main city of Rockhampton the diocese also includes the cities and towns of Gladstone, Yeppoon, Gracemere, Mt Morgan, Middlemount, Dysart, Blackwater, Springsure, Emerald, Clermont, Barcaldine, Longreach, Winton, Bedourie and Boulia.[3]

Bishops of Rockhampton

First Bishop 1892–1908 Nathaniel Dawes
Second Bishop 1909–1920 George Halford
Third Bishop 1921–1927 Philip Cricktranslated to Bishop of Ballarat
Fourth Bishop 1928–1946 Fortesque Ash
Fifth Bishop 1947–1958 James Alan George Housden translated to Newcastle, 1958
Sixth Bishop 1959–1963 Theodore McCall translated to Wangaratta, 1965
Seventh Bishop 1964–1971 Donald Shearman later Bishop of Grafton
Eighth Bishop 1971–1980 John Grindrod translated from Riverina. Translated to Anglican Diocese of Brisbane, 1980
Ninth Bishop 1981–1996 George Arthur Hearn
Tenth Bishop 1996–2003 Ronald Stone
Eleventh Bishop 2003 - 2013 Godfrey Fryar previously Assistant Bishop of Canberra and Goulburn
Twelfth Bishop 2014 - David Robinson

Ministries

Chaplaincies: hospital, correctional centre, police, Mission to Seafarers

Aboriginal and Islander Anglican Ministry: Woorabinda, Murri Wodja

Anglican Regional Ministry

References

  1. ↑ Diocese of Rockhampton website.
  2. ↑ The Australian Anglican Directory 2009, p. 5.
  3. ↑ Diocese of Rockhampton Year Book 2009-2010, p. 3.

External links