Metropolitan Archdiocese of Brisbane Archidioecesis Metropolitae Brisbanensis | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms of the Archdiocese of Brisbane | |
| Location | |
| Country | Australia |
| Territory | South east region ofQueensland, includingGreater Brisbane |
| Ecclesiastical province | Brisbane |
| Coordinates | 27°27′56″S153°02′41″E / 27.46556°S 153.04472°E /-27.46556; 153.04472 |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 65,000 km2 (25,000 sq mi) |
Population
|
|
| Parishes | 103 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | 12 April 1859 as the Diocese of Brisbane; 10 May 1887 as the Archdiocese of Brisbane |
| Cathedral | Cathedral of St Stephen |
| Patron saint | Mary MacKillop |
| Secular priests | 245 |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Shane Anthony Mackinlay |
| Auxiliary Bishops | Position vacant[1] |
| Bishops emeritus | Mark Coleridge, Brian Vincent Finnigan Joseph John OudemanOFMCap |
| Map | |
 | |
| Website | |
| bne.catholic.net.au | |
TheMetropolitan Archdiocese of Brisbane is aLatin Churchmetropolitan archdiocese of theCatholic Church in Australia centred inBrisbane and covering thesouth east region ofQueensland, Australia.
Part of the Ecclesiastical Province of Brisbane, the region covered was initially administered by theArchdiocese of Sydney. In 1859 the Diocese of Brisbane was erected, and elevated as an archdiocese in 1887. The archdiocese is the metropolitan of thesuffragan dioceses ofCairns,Rockhampton,Toowoomba andTownsville.
TheCathedral of St Stephen is theseat of the Archbishop of Brisbane. On 12 May 2012,Mark Coleridge was installed as the sixth Archbishop of Brisbane, the seventh Bishop of Brisbane.[2][3] On 11 September 2025,Shane Mackinlay was installed as the seventh Archbishop of Brisbane, the eighth Bishop of Brisbane.[4]
Mary MacKillop is the patroness saint of the Archdiocese of Brisbane.[5]
The Diocese of Brisbane was established in 1859, with responsibility for the entire state of Queensland. Prior to its establishment, Queensland was part of theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney.[6]
On 27 January 1877,Pope Pius IX excised the northern part of the Diocese of Brisbane from Cape Hinchinbrook and then west to the border withSouth Australia (now theNorthern Territory) to create theVicariate Apostolic of Queensland (later theDiocese of Cairns.[7]
On 29 December 1882, theDiocese of Rockhampton was excised from the Archdiocese of Brisbane. The new Rockhampton diocese had responsibility for northern Queensland while the Brisbane archdiocese retained responsibility for southern Queensland.[8][9]
In 1929, theDiocese of Toowoomba was excised from the Archdiocese of Brisbane.[6]
The following people have been appointed as archbishops of Brisbane or any of its precursor titles:[10]
| Order | Name | Title | Date enthroned | Reign ended | Term of office | Reason for term end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Quinn † | Bishop of Brisbane | 14 April 1859 | 18 August 1881 | 22 years, 126 days | Died in office |
| 2 | Robert Dunne † | Bishop of Brisbane | 3 January 1882 | 10 May 1887 | 5 years, 127 days | Elevated asArchbishop of Brisbane |
| Archbishop of Brisbane | 10 May 1887 | 13 January 1917 | 29 years, 248 days | Died in office | ||
| 3 | James Duhig † | Coadjutor Archbishop of Brisbane | 27 February 1912 | 13 January 1917 | 4 years, 321 days | Succeeded as Archbishop of Brisbane |
| Archbishop of Brisbane | 13 January 1917 | 10 April 1965 | 48 years, 87 days | Died in office | ||
| 4 | Patrick Mary O'Donnell † | Coadjutor Archbishop of Brisbane | 8 November 1948 | 10 April 1965 | 16 years, 153 days | Succeeded as Archbishop of Brisbane |
| Archbishop of Brisbane | 10 April 1965 | 5 March 1973 | 7 years, 329 days | Retired and titledArchbishop Emeritus of Brisbane | ||
| 5 | Francis Roberts Rush † | Archbishop of Brisbane | 5 March 1973 | 3 December 1991 | 18 years, 273 days | Retired and titled Archbishop Emeritus of Brisbane |
| 6 | John Bathersby † | Archbishop of Brisbane | 3 December 1991 | 14 November 2011 | 19 years, 346 days | Retired and titled Archbishop Emeritus of Brisbane |
| 7 | Mark Coleridge | Archbishop of Brisbane | 11 May 2012 | 11 September 2025 | 13 years, 123 days | Retired and titled Archbishop Emeritus of Brisbane |
| 8 | Shane Mackinlay | Archbishop of Brisbane | 11 September 2025 | 77 days |
Coadjutors are included in the table above.
Thegothic revival cathedral is located on a site bounded byElizabeth,Charlotte andEdward Streets, in the Australian city of Brisbane. Built between 1864 and 1922, with extensions made in 1989, the cathedral was established withJames Quinn as its first bishop. Quinn planned to construct a large cathedral to accommodate a growing congregation. On 26 December 1863, theFeast of Saint Stephen, Quinn laid thefoundation stone for a grand cathedral designed byBenjamin Backhouse. Backhouse's original design was changed and downsized numerous times over the course of the cathedral's completion, mainly for economic reasons.
In 1927, there was a plan to replace St Stephen's with a newHoly Name Cathedral to be built inFortitude Valley, Brisbane. However, funding was only sufficient to build the crypt. Eventually the project was abandoned, the crypt demolished and the land sold.
The archdiocese contributes around $2.5 billion to the economy through its schools and other institutions, providing employment to 22,000 people.[12]
The archdiocese manages 98 parishes and 144 Catholic schools. It also provides services to 12,992 aged care and disability clients, support for 8362 seniors to live at home, support to 23,000 victims of domestic violence and help for 4,000 people with mental illness.[12]
