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Diocese of Maitland–Newcastle

Maitlanden(sis)-Novocastren(sis)

The Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle is a Latin Church suffragan see covering the Hunter and Mid North Coast regions of New South Wales. Erected in 1847 as the Diocese of Maitland and renamed in 1995, it has been led by Bishop Michael Kennedy since 2023.

The see

Rank
Suffragan diocese
Tradition
Latin Church
Erected
25 June 1847
Latin
Maitlanden(sis)-Novocastren(sis)
Patron
Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Annuario code
001002110

The see in figures

Catholics
159,150
Population
666,292
Catholic shareof the people living within its bounds
23.9%
Priests
59
Catholics per priest
2,697
Extent
33,757 km²
Catholics per km²
4.7

Figures as recorded in the register, from the Annuario Pontificio and the see's own published statements. Shares and ratios are computed from the two figures shown beside them.

The bishop

Bishop
Michael Kennedy
Born
13 May 1968
Birthplace
Wagga Wagga

A see whose chair stands empty is recorded as vacant rather than filled with a guess. On what a bishop is, see the bishop.

The cathedral

Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hamilton stands in Maitland–Newcastle, the church that holds the cathedra from which this see takes its name.

On what a cathedral is, see the cathedral; every see church on earth is gathered at the cathedrals.

The province of Sydney

A suffragan of Archdiocese of Sydney.

The sees of this province:

On how the Church is ordered into provinces, see the diocese.

History

The Hunter and Mid North Coast regions of New South Wales are served by the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle, a Latin Church suffragan of the Archdiocese of Sydney. Founded in 1847 as the Diocese of Maitland, it took its present name in 1995. Michael Kennedy is its bishop. The diocese is regarded as one of the epicentres of the Catholic sexual abuse scandal in Australia: scores of priests and religious brothers were convicted of crimes against children, and two senior figures, Father Thomas Brennan and Brother William Wade, were convicted of concealing child sexual abuse.

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Sources

The see's own website · Wikipedia

Compiled from the published statements of the see and the references of the Holy See, among them the Annuario Pontificio. Corrections: hello@catholicintelligence.com.