Archdiocese of Hobart Archidioecesis Hobartensis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | Australia |
| Territory | Tasmania |
| Ecclesiastical province | Immediatelyexempt to theHoly See |
| Coordinates | 42°53′09″S147°19′35″E / 42.88583°S 147.32639°E /-42.88583; 147.32639 |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 67,914 km2 (26,222 sq mi) |
Population
|
|
| Parishes |  27 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | 5 April 1842 as the Vicariate Apostolic of Hobart; 22 April 1842 as the Diocese of Hobart; 3 August 1888 as the Archdiocese of Hobart |
| Cathedral | St Mary's Cathedral, Hobart |
| Patron saint | Saint Patrick |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| Archbishop | Anthony Ireland |
| Map | |
 | |
| Website | |
| hobart.catholic.org.au | |
TheArchdiocese of Hobart is aLatin Church ecclesiastical territory orarchdiocese of theCatholic Church in Australia located inHobart and coveringTasmania,Australia.
Immediatelyexempt to theHoly See, the area covered was initially administered by theVicariate Apostolic of New Holland and Van Diemen's Land. In 1842, the Vicariate Apostolic of Hobart was erected; elevated as a diocese a few weeks later; and as an archdiocese in 1888.
St Mary's Cathedral is the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of Hobart, currentlyAnthony Ireland, installed on the 12th of August, 2025.
Established 5 April 1842 as theVicariate Apostolic of Hobart and became Diocese of Hobart on 22 April 1842.On 3 August 1888 as the Archdiocese of Hobart.
The following individuals have been appointed as Bishops of Hobart or any of its precursor titles:[1]
| Order | Name | Title | Date enthroned | Reign ended | Term of office | Reason for term end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Willson † | Bishop of Hobart | 22 April 1842 | 16 February 1866 | 23 years, 300 days | Resigned and appointedBishop Emeritus of Hobart |
| 2 | Daniel Murphy † | Coadjutor Bishop of Hobart | 14 November 1865 | 8 March 1866 | 114 days | Succeeded as Bishop of Hobart |
| Bishop of Hobart | 8 March 1866 | 3 August 1888 | 22 years, 148 days | Elevated as Archbishop of Hobart | ||
| Archbishop of Hobart | 3 August 1888 | 29 December 1907 | 19 years, 148 days | Died in office | ||
| 3 | Patrick Delany † | Coadjutor Archbishop of Hobart | 15 June 1893 | 29 December 1907 | 14 years, 197 days | Succeeded as Archbishop of Hobart |
| Archbishop of Hobart | 29 December 1907 | 7 May 1926 | 18 years, 129 days | Died in office | ||
| 4 | William Barry † | Coadjutor Archbishop of Hobart | 7 April 1919 | 8 May 1926 | 7 years, 31 days | Succeeded as Archbishop of Hobart |
| Archbishop of Hobart | 8 May 1926 | 13 June 1929 | 3 years, 36 days | Died in office | ||
| 5 | William Hayden † | 11 February 1930 | 2 October 1936 | 6 years, 234 days | Died in office | |
| 6 | Justin Simonds † | 18 February 1937 | 6 September 1942 | 5 years, 200 days | Appointed as Coadjutor Archbishop ofMelbourne | |
| 7 | Ernest Victor Tweedy † | 7 December 1942 | 20 September 1955 | 12 years, 287 days | Resigned and appointed Archbishop Emeritus of Hobart | |
| 8 | Guilford Clyde Young † | Coadjutor Archbishop of Hobart | 10 October 1954 | 20 September 1955 | 345 days | Succeeded as Archbishop of Hobart |
| Archbishop of Hobart | 20 September 1955 | 16 March 1988 | 32 years, 178 days | Died in office | ||
| 9 | Eric D'Arcy † | 24 October 1988 | 26 July 1999 | 10 years, 275 days | Retired and appointed Archbishop Emeritus of Hobart | |
| 10 | Adrian Leo Doyle | Coadjutor Archbishop of Hobart | 10 November 1997 | 26 July 1999 | 1 year, 258 days | Succeeded as Archbishop of Hobart |
| Archbishop of Hobart | 26 July 1999 | 19 July 2013 | 13 years, 358 days | Retired and appointed Archbishop Emeritus of Hobart | ||
| 11 | Julian Porteous | 17 September 2013 | 12 August 2025 | 12 years, 71 days | Resigned and appointed Archbishop Emeritus of Hobart | |
| 12 | Anthony Ireland | Archbishop of Hobart | 12 August 2025 | present | 107 days | Incumbent |
The above table also includes coadjutors, all of whom later served in this see. There was another coadjutor, with appointment not taking effect: Thomas Butler †, appointed Coadjutor Bishop on 13 Mar 1860.
St Mary's Cathedral, Hobart is the cathedral for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hobart.
| Parish | Location | Church name | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellerive-Lindisfarne Parish | Bellerive | Corpus Christi | |
| Lindisfarne | Church of the Incarnation | ||
| Rokeby | John Paul II | ||
| Bridgewater-Brighton Parish | Bridgewater | St Paul's | |
| Pontville | St Matthew's | ||
| Cathedral Parish | Hobart | St Mary's Cathedral | |
| New Town | Sacred Heart | ||
| Central Tasmania Parish | New Norfolk | St Peter's | |
| Ouse | Immaculate Conception | ||
| Bothwell | St Andrew's | ||
| Tunnack | St Brigid's | ||
| Ellendale | St Colman's | ||
| Oatlands | St Paul's | ||
| Claremont Parish | Claremont | St Bernard's | |
| Glenorchy Parish | Glenorchy | St John's | |
| Chigwell | St Monica's | ||
| Hobart Parish | Hobart | St Joseph's | |
| Huon Valley Parish | Cygnet | St James | |
| Geeveston | St Joseph | ||
| Ranelagh | St Mary of the Cross Catholic Church | ||
| Dover | St Mary Our Hope | ||
| Kingston Channel Parish | Kingston Beach | Christ the Priest | |
| Kettering | Church of the Holy Spirit | ||
| Kingston | St Aloysius | ||
| Alonnah | St Brendans | ||
| Snug | St Mary's | ||
| Moonah-Lutana Parish | Moonah | St Therese's | |
| Richmond Parish | Richmond | St John the Evangelist |  |
| Dodges Ferry | Community Centre Hall | ||
| Triabunna | St Anne's | ||
| Colebrook | St Patrick's | ||
| Sorell | St Thomas' | ||
| Sandy Bay Parish | Sandy Bay | Holy Spirit | |
| St Canice | |||
| Taroona | St Pius X | ||
| South Hobart Parish | South Hobart | St Francis Xavier's |
| Parish | Location | Church name | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campbell Town Parish | Campbell Town | St Michael's | |
| Swansea | Our Lady of the Perpetual Succour | ||
| Ross | Our Lady of the Sacred Heart | ||
| Flinders Island Parish | Whitemark | St Paul's | |
| George Town Parish | George Town | Our Lady Star of the Sea | |
| Karoola | Sacred Heart | ||
| Lilydale | St Anne's | ||
| Kings Meadows Parish | Youngtown | St Peter's | |
| Longford | St Augustine's | ||
| Launceston Parish | Launceston | Church of the Apostles |  |
| West Launceston | Carmelite Monastery | ||
| Newstead | Sacred Heart | ||
| Invermay | St Finn Barr's | ||
| Prospect Vale | St Patrick's College Chapel | ||
| Meander Valley Parish | Westbury | Holy Trinity |  |
| Deloraine | Holy Redeemer | ||
| Scottsdale Parish | Scottsdale | St Patrick's | |
| Ringarooma | Sacred Heart | ||
| Bridport | St Mary's | ||
| St Mary's Parish | Bicheno | Bicheno Community Church | |
| St Marys | St Mary of the Assumption | ||
| Mangana | Our Lady of the Sacred Heart | ||
| St Helens | St Helena & St Stanislaus | ||
| Fingal | St Joseph's | ||
| West Tamar Parish | Riverside | St Francis of Assisi | |
| Glengarry | St Canice | ||
| Beaconsfield | St Francis Xavier |
| Parish | Location | Church name |
|---|---|---|
| Burnie-Wynyard Parish | Burnie | St Mary's Star of the Sea |
| Marist Regional College Chapel | ||
| Somerset | Sacred Heart | |
| Wynyard | St Brigid's | |
| Yolla | St Joseph's | |
| Circular Head Parish | Smithton | St Peter Chanel |
| Stanley | Our Star of the Sea | |
| King Island Parish | Currie, King Island | Our Lady Star of the Sea |
| Mersey Leven Parish | Devonport | Our Lady of Lourdes |
| Sheffield | Holy Cross Church | |
| Ulverstone | Sacred Heart | |
| Port Sorell | St Joseph's Mass Centre | |
| Penguin | St Mary's | |
| Latrobe | St Patrick's | |
| West Coast Parish | Queenstown | St Joseph's |
| Strahan | Holy Trinity (parish makes use of Anglican parish church of the same name) | |
| Zeehan | St Fursaeus | |
| Rosebery | St Joseph's |
Notre Dame Priory is aBenedictinemonastery in Colebrook,Tasmania, Australia, founded in 2017 which is part of the Archdiocese.
In 2007 Gregory Ferguson, aMarist priest, was sentenced to two years jail (eligible for parole after 12 months) for offences in 1971 against two boys aged 13 at Marist College, Burnie, Tasmania. On 13 December 2007 he was sentenced to an additional three years' jail for offences against a third boy.[2]
While in 2008, a jury found former priest Roger Michael Bellemore guilty on three counts of maintaining a sexual relationship with a young person under the age of 17 years in the 1960s and 1970s, while he was at the same College.[3]
In 2015,ArchbishopJulian Porteous was notified that a complaint had been filed with the office of Tasmania's Anti-discrimination Commissioner in relation to the distribution in all Tasmanian Catholic schools of a booklet,Don't Mess with Marriage, stating marriage should be a "heterosexual union between a man and a woman" and changing the law would endanger a child's upbringing. The complaint was filed by a transgender activist and Federal Greens candidateMartine Delaney. The complaint was called "'an attempt to silence' the Church over same-sex marriage" by Archbishop Porteous.[4] The complaint was treated as a possible breach of theAnti-Discrimination Act 1998 (Tas), and sparked fierce debate on the issues of freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and tolerance. The complaint was ultimately withdrawn.[5]
It has been reported that, "The real problem with the Porteous case was that it was unresolved".[6]
