| Jurisdiction: | Diocese |
| Sandhurst | |
| Latin: | Dioecesis Sandhurstensis |
| Province: | Melbourne |
| Coordinates: | -36.7547°N 144.2853°W |
| Area Km2: | 45,178 |
| Population: | 341,850 |
| Population As Of: | 2004 |
| Catholics: | 91,400 |
| Catholics Percent: | 26.7 |
| Parishes: | 41 |
| Denomination: | Catholic Church |
| Sui Iuris Church: | Latin Church |
| Rite: | Roman Rite |
| Established: | 30 March 1874 |
| Cathedral: | Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo |
| Bishop: | Shane Mackinlay |
| Bishop Title: | Bishop |
| Metro Archbishop: | Peter Comensoli |
| Emeritus Bishops: | Les Tomlinson |
| Map: | Bistum Sandhurst.svg |
The Diocese of Sandhurst is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in Australia. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Melbourne. The Diocese of Sandhurst was erected in 1874 and covers the central and north-east regions of Victoria, including Bendigo.
Sacred Heart Cathedral in Bendigo is the seat of the Bishop of Sandhurst. On 3 February 2012, the Vatican announced the appointment of Les Tomlinson as the seventh Bishop of Sandhurst. He was installed in a liturgical ceremony on 1 March 2012.
On 23 July 2019, Fr Shane Mackinlay was announced as the next Bishop of Sandhurst.[1]
The Diocese of Sandhurst was established on 30 March 1874, from the Diocese of Melbourne. When the Diocese of Melbourne was made an archdiocese, the Diocese of Sandhurst became one of its suffragans. Both dioceses are within the Ecclesiastical Province of Melbourne.[2]
By 1911, the diocese had Augustinian Fathers, Marist Brothers, Sisters of Mercy, Sisters of St. Brigid, Sisters of St. Joseph, Presentation Sisters, Faithful Companions of Jesus and Good Shepherd Sisters.
Construction of the Sacred Heart Cathedral began in 1885 under Bishop Crane. Its organ was installed in 1905, under Stephen Reville. The cathedral was completed in 1977 under Bernard Stewart. Sacred Heart Cathedral is one of the largest Neo-Gothic or Gothic Revival cathedrals in Australia and its construction was largely made possible by the estate of the Paderborn-born German pioneer priest Henry Backhaus, the first Roman Catholic priest on the goldfields of Bendigo.
Bishops of Sandhurst:[3]
| Order | Name | Date enthroned | Reign ended | Term of office | Reason for term end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Crane, OSA † | 4 August 1874 | 21 October 1901 | Died in office | ||
| Stephen Reville OSA † | 21 October 1901 | 18 September 1916 | Died in office | ||
| John McCarthy † | 14 February 1917 | 18 August 1950 | Died in office | ||
| Bernard Denis Stewart † | 18 August 1950 | 21 April 1979 | Retired and appointed Bishop Emeritus of Sandhurst | ||
| Noel Desmond Daly † | 21 April 1979 | 1 July 2000 | Resigned and appointed Bishop Emeritus of Sandhurst | ||
| Joseph Grech † | 8 March 2001 | 28 December 2010 | Died in office | ||
| 1 March 2012 | 23 July 2019 | 7 years, 142 days | Retired and appointed Bishop Emeritus of Sandhurst | ||
| Shane Mackinlay | 16 October 2019 | current | |||
Following the death in office of Joseph Grech, Monsignor Frank Marriott, the administrator of Sacred Heart Cathedral, was appointed to serve as administrator of the diocese. On 3 February 2012, Monsignor Marriott announced that Pope Benedict XVI had appointed Les Tomlinson as the next bishop. Tomlinson's installation took place on 1 March 2012.[4]
The diocese comprises the area north of the Great Dividing Range, south of the Murray River and east of the Loddon River, an area of 45,178 km2 (17,450 sq mls). The diocese is divided into 41 parishes and has 74 priests, 109 religious sisters and 5 brothers. The diocese had a Catholic population of about 86,000 in 2006.
There are 50 Catholic schools in the diocese – 40 primary, nine secondary and one P–10 school – catering for 7,700 primary and 5,850 secondary students. Bendigo's oldest Catholic church is St Kilian's.[5]
Saint Augustine's Church, Myers Flat, is the oldest Roman Catholic church building in the Diocese of Sandhurst. The church was built by John O'Brien and consecrated by Monsignor Hayes in 1864.