Roman Catholic Diocese of Sale

Diocese of Sale
Dioecesis Saliensis
Location
Country Australia
Territory South Eastern and Gippsland regions of Victoria
Metropolitan Archdiocese of Melbourne
Coordinates 38°06′40″S 147°03′47″E / 38.11111°S 147.06306°E
Statistics
Area 44,441 km2 (17,159 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics
(as of 2004)
Increase 372,979
Increase 92,746 (Increase 24.9%)
Parishes Decrease 25
Information
Denomination Roman Catholic
Sui iuris church Latin Church
Rite Roman Rite
Established 10 May 1887
Cathedral St Mary's Cathedral, Sale
Current leadership
Pope Francis
Bishop Sede vacante
Website
Roman Catholic Diocese of Sale

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sale is a suffragan Latin Church diocese of Archdiocese of Melbourne, established in 1887, covering the south east of Victoria, Australia.

The Bishopelect of Sale is Patrick O'Regan, appointed to the role on 4 December 2014 and scheduled to be consecrated and installed as a bishop by the Archbishop of Melbourne, Denis Hart on 26 February 2015 at a ceremony in Sale.[1]

History

The Diocese of Sale was erected by Pope Leo XIII on 26 April 1887. The first bishop, James Francis Corbett, was a priest of the Diocese of Limerick, Ireland, who was responsible for the Mission (later Parish) of St Kilda and Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Melbourne at the time of his appointment. It was in St Mary's Church East St Kilda that Corbett was consecrated bishop by Archbishop Thomas Carr of Melbourne on 25 August 1887. Bishop Corbett consecrated St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne, on account of his superior vocal ability.

The second Bishop of Sale, Patrick Phelan, saw to the establishment of a school system in the Diocese. The fourth bishop, Patrick Lyons, presided over the 1959 change to the boundaries of the Diocese, which saw the parishes of Berwick, Cranbourne, Pakenham, Iona, Maryknoll, Koo Wee Rup, Dalyston and Korrumburra incorporated into Sale. These areas were excised from the Melbourne Archdiocese and while they were mainly rural areas at the time, it is these parishes which have seen rapid growth and are now considered outer suburbs of the Melbourne metropolitan area.

Ordinaries

Church of the Immaculate Conception at Omeo; consecrated in 1903

The following individuals have served as Roman Catholic Bishop of Sale:[2]

Order Name Date enthroned Reign ended Term of office Reason for term end
1 James Francis Corbett 13 May 1887 29 May 1912 25 years, 16 days Died in office
2 Patrick Phelan 2 November 1912 5 January 1925 12 years, 64 days Died in office
3 Richard Ryan C.M. 10 March 1926 16 June 1957 31 years, 98 days Died in office
4 Patrick Lyons 16 June 1957 13 August 1967 10 years, 58 days Died in office
5 Arthur Fox 29 November 1967 25 February 1981 13 years, 88 days Retired and appointed Bishop Emeritus of Sale
6 Eric D'Arcy 25 February 1981 24 October 1988 7 years, 242 days Elevated to Archbishop of Hobart
7 Jeremiah Coffey 8 April 1989 2 January 2008 18 years, 269 days Retired and appointed Bishop Emeritus of Sale
8 Christopher Prowse 18 June 2009 19 November 2013 4 years, 154 days Appointed Archbishop of CanberraGoulburn

Cathedral

St Mary's Cathedral, Sale is the cathedral church of the diocese, under the patronage of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Purpose-built as a cathedral, St Mary's boasts a Romanesque onyx high altar, notable stained glass windows and a large statue of Mary Help of Christians as its features. Four of Sale's bishops are buried in the cathedral: Bishop Corbett lies in the main section of the church beneath the front rows of pews on the right hand side and Bishops Ryan, Lyons and Fox are interred in the Lady Chapel.

Boundaries

The diocese covers the southeastern part of Victoria, from the eastern suburbs of Melbourne to the New South Wales border, including all of Gippsland.

See also

References

  1. "Bishop Patrick Michael O’Regan". Catholic Hierarchy. 18 December 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  2. "Diocese of Sale". The Hierarchy of the Catholic Church. 21 May 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2011.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Diocese of Sale.