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Diocese of Broken Bay

The Diocese of Broken Bay is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in Australia. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Sydney.

The current apostolic administrator of the diocese is Archbishop Anthony Randazzo who was previously the bishop ordinary. Randazzo was appointed the fourth bishop of the diocese on 7 October 2019. Following a meeting with Pope Leo XIV in March 2026, Randazzo was appointed as the prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts on 25 March 2026. He intends to remain the apostolic administrator of the diocese for three months before moving to Rome.

History

The Diocese of Broken Bay was erected on 8 April 1986. Prior to this date, the area was considered within the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Sydney.

According to Roman Catholic Church records, in 1822 Governor Thomas Brisbane granted land near Pittwater to Father John Joseph Therry for the purposes of establishing a church. However, attempts to establish a church in 1859 were postponed due to the scarcity of Catholics. A church in Manly was established in 1873 and another in Careel Bay in 1875. In 1876, Manly was the site of the first parish established in the area, followed by Gosford (1888) and Pymble (1889). Together these three parishes covered most of the present diocese until 1910. By 1885, work on St Patrick's College, Manly had commenced and was completed in 1888.

The diocese covers and includes both bush and coastal communities. Symbolising the diocese is the lighthouse, based on the historic lighthouse at Barrenjoey.

Bishops of Broken Bay

The following men have been Bishop of Broken Bay:

Cathedral

On 10 February 2008, Our Lady of the Rosary in Waitara was inaugurated as the cathedral of the diocese, succeeding Corpus Christi, the parish church of St Ives.

Derivative agencies and offices

The Diocese of Broken Bay operates a number of agencies and offices to manage various functions of the diocese such as Catholic outreach and evangelism, family support, disability support and education.

  • Office for Safeguarding and Professional Standards (Chancery) responsible for the administration and management of professional standards, child protection, and safeguarding responsibilities within the diocese.
  • CatholicCare (Diocese of Broken Bay) belonging to Catholic Social Services Australia responsible for the provision and administration of services for families, children, and people with disabilities as well as foster care and out-of-home services.
  • Catholic Development Fund (CDF) responsible for the management of funds belonging to the diocese and acts as its official treasury service for funds to religious, charitable and educational services. The CDF is considered a charitable institution under the Australian Taxation Office's definitions.
  • Office of Evangelisation responsible for Catholic outreach and the promotion of the diocese as well as individual parishes, members, and communities.
  • Catholic Schools Office responsible for the administration and oversight of private Catholic schools within the diocese, currently 44 in total (36 primary schools and 8 high schools).
  • Bishop David L Walker Library responsible for the provision and management of information resources, especially that relating to Roman Catholicism and relevant teachings.

Parishes

Schools

the diocese was responsible for overseeing the management of 43 schools in its regions (36 Catholic primary schools and 7 Catholic secondary schools) with around 15,000 students. The schools in the diocese are:

Primary
Secondary
Primary and secondary

See also

References

External links