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Anglican Diocese of North West Australia

Coordinates: 28°46′44.1″S 114°36′52.6″E / 28.778917°S 114.614611°E / -28.778917; 114.614611
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the Catholic Church in North West Australia, see Roman Catholic Diocese of Geraldton and Roman Catholic Diocese of Broome.

Diocese of North West Australia
Coat of arms
Coat of arms
Location
CountryAustralia
Territory
Ecclesiastical provinceWestern Australia
MetropolitanArchbishop of Perth
Headquarters
  • 101 Cathedral Avenue
  • Geraldton WA 6530
Coordinates28°46′44.1″S 114°36′52.6″E / 28.778917°S 114.614611°E / -28.778917; 114.614611
Information
DenominationAnglican
Established1910 (1910)
CathedralCathedral of the Holy Cross, Geraldton
LanguageEnglish
Current leadership
Parent churchAnglican Church of Australia
BishopDarrell Parker
Dean
  • Lachlan Edwards
  • (since 2022)
Website
Anglican Diocese of North West Australia
Logo of the Diocese
Logo of the Diocese

The Anglican Diocese of North West Australia (known as the Anglican Diocese of Northern Australia until 1961) is a diocese of the Anglican Church of Australia, founded in 1910. It is situated in the northern part of the state of Western Australia.

As part of the Province of Western Australia, it covers those parts of the state north of Perth including Geraldton, Karratha, Broome and Kununurra, and is geographically the largest Anglican diocese in Australia and the largest land-based diocese in the world. The diocese has 18 parishes and three Mission to Seafarers’ ministries; the cathedral church of the diocese is the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Geraldton.

The incumbent bishop of the diocese is Darrell Parker, formerly vicar of St Paul's Tamworth. He was elected as the 8th bishop in September 2022, replacing Gary Nelson, who retired on 15 May 2022.[1][2] Parker was consecrated in St Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney on 3 February 2023 and installed as bishop in the diocesan cathedral on 15 February 2023.[3]

History

[edit]

Anglican ministry in Western Australia has belonged to a series of dioceses, changing over time as Australia was colonised. In 1829, when the Swan River Colony was established, episcopal supervision was provided by the Diocese of Calcutta. This changed in 1836 to the newly formed Diocese of Australia, and then again in 1847 to the Diocese of Adelaide. It was only in 1856 that Western Australia became independent in the form of the Diocese of Perth.[4]

This state of affairs continued until the start of the 20th century, when facing the difficulties of administrating such a large area, a report was published in 1903 saying:

"It seems probable that ultimately Western Australia will contain four dioceses. A Missionary Dioceses in the North, a Diocese of Perth, a Diocese of Kalgoorlie, and a South-Western Diocese."[5]

The creation of the Diocese of Bunbury occurred in 1904, which assumed oversight of the North West in 1906. Then in 1910, after the raising of £10,000 (the minimum amount required for the endowment of a Bishopric),[6] the Diocese of Northern Australia was created.[7] Its first Bishop was Gerald Trower, who was enthroned in 1910 at St George's Church, Carnarvon, by Bishop Riley of Perth.[8] Broome was the original the seat of the diocese, from 1910 to 1965, with the Church of the Annunciation the pro-cathedral.[9]

When it was established, the southern most boundary of the dioceses extended down only as far south as Denham, in Shark Bay. In 1928, in an effort to provide the struggling dioceses with more stable base of operations, boundaries between the North West, Perth, and Kalgoorlie dioceses were redrawn. The territories of Northampton, Geraldton, Greenough, and Mullewa-Yalgoo were granted from the Diocese of Perth, with Mount Magnet, Cue, Meekatharra, Wiluna and Sandstone from the Dioceses of Kalgoolie.[4]

The diocese became known by the present name in 1961.[10]

Structure

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Geographically, the diocese is the largest Anglican diocese in the world, covering 2 million km2 of Western Australia, the majority of which is above the 26th parallel of latitude.[7] The population of the area is about 150,000 people.[11]

The diocese has 18 parishes and three Mission to Seafarers’ ministries and the cathedral church of the diocese is the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Geraldton.

Due to the fluid nature of our region, we're proud to be a "missionary" diocese. We journey with everyone who comes and goes as part of work or tourism, and see a congregation turnover rate of around 100% every two years. Our region is dependent on support by individuals, parishes, dioceses, and Christian organisations across Australia who are committed to gospel ministry in small, remote, and isolated towns and communities in North West Australia.[12]

Cathedral

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The cathedral church of the diocese is the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Geraldton located in Cathedral Avenue, Geraldton.[13]

The cathedral building was built in 1964 to a design by architects McDonald and Whitaker. The building has a star shaped footprint and is said to resemble Coventry Cathedral in England.[14][15] Internally the cathedral has extensive stained glass and an organ built by Allen Organ Company.[16]

This section is an excerpt from Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Geraldton § Deans.[edit]

The following individuals have served as Deans of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross:[17]

No Name Start End Notes
1 Leslie Wilson 1964 1965
2 Gerard Dickinson 1966 1969
3 Brian Kyme 1969 1974 Later Assistant Bishop of Perth (1982–1999).
4 Eric Kerr 1975 1985
5 Alan Lewis 1985 1989
6 Dennis Reynolds 1989 1992
7 Dennis Warburton 1992 1995
8 Kenneth Rogers 1995 2002
9 Jeremy Rice 2006 2014
10 Peter Grice 2015 2020 Afterwards Bishop of Rockhampton (2021).[18]
11 Lachlan Edwards 2022 Present Previously Rector of Christ Church, Lavender Bay.[19]

List of bishops

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This section is an excerpt from Anglican Bishop of North West Australia.[edit]
Bishops of Perth including North West Australia (until 1906)
No From Until Incumbent Notes
1 1857 1875 Mathew Hale Translated to Brisbane.
2 1876 1893 Henry Parry Died in office.
3 1894 1914 Charles Riley Became Archbishop of Perth.
Bishop of Bunbury including North West Australia (until 1910)
1 1904 1917 Frederick Goldsmith Previously Dean of Perth; resigned and returned to England.
Bishops of North West Australia
1 1910 1927 Gerard Trower Translated from Nyasaland.
2 1928 1965 John Frewer Previously a canon of the Diocese of Bunbury.
3 1965 1981 Howell Witt Translated to Bathurst.
4 1981 1992 Ged Muston Previously an assistant bishop in the Diocese of Melbourne.
5 1992 2003 Tony Nichols
6 2003 2011 David Mulready
7 2012 2022 Gary Nelson Installed 26 May 2012. Retired 15 May 2022.
8 2023 Present Darrell Parker Installed on 15 February 2023. Formerly Vicar of St Paul's, Tamworth, New South Wales.

Assistant bishops

[edit]

Bernard Buckland was Regional Bishop for The Kimberleys[20] (assistant bishop) until his retirement on 14 March 1997.[21]

Churchmanship

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The diocese is noted for its low church conservative Evangelical stance; no women serve as priests.[22]

Anglican realignment

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The Diocese of North West Australia was the second in the Anglican Church of Australia, after the Anglican Diocese of Sydney, to recognize the Anglican Church in North America as a "member church of the Anglican Communion, in full communion with Diocese of North West Australia", according to a motion passed in October 2014.[23]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Russell Powell (12 February 2012). "Nelson heads north by northwest". Sydney Anglicans. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  2. ^ "Dear North West Partners" (PDF). North West Network. Anglican Diocese of North West Australia. July 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  3. ^ "New NW Bishop". North West Network. Anglican Diocese of North West Australia. 6 September 2022. Archived from the original on 11 September 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  4. ^ a b Martin, Gary; Harris, Khim (2022). Boldly Proclaiming Christ: A History of Geraldton Anglican Cathedral. Diocese of North West Australia. p. 27
  5. ^ Hawtrey, C. L. M. (1949). The Availing Struggle: A Record of the Planting and Development of the Church of England in Western Australia 1829 to 1947. pp. 104–105.
  6. ^ "CHURCH NEWS". Western Mail. Vol. XXI, no. 1, 068. Western Australia. 16 June 1906. p. 38. Retrieved 4 August 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^ a b Williams, A.E. (July 1989). West Anglican Way: The growth of the Anglican Church in Western Australia from its early beginnings. Western Australia: Province of Western Australia of the Anglican Church of Australia. pp. 4, 237–238. ISBN 0731668014.
  8. ^ Bartlett, Joan (2004). Argyle, Judith (ed.). Journey: A History of the Anglican Diocese of Bunbury, Western Australia, 1904-2004. Anglican Diocese of Bunbury. pp. 70–72. ISBN 0959836691.
  9. ^ "Anglican Church of the Annunciation" (PDF). Municipal Inventory of Heritage Places 2019. Shire of Broome. pp. 58–59. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 January 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  10. ^ Diocese of North West Australia Act 1961
  11. ^ Diocese of Northwest Australia
  12. ^ "Our structure". Anglican Diocese of North West Australia. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  13. ^ Downes, Joan, ‘‘The Cathedral Church of the Holy Cross, Geraldton, Western Australia.’’
  14. ^ Tourism Western Australia, Cathedral of The Holy Cross Archived 3 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ Australian Anglican Historical Images Archived 28 April 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  16. ^ "Allen's Organs in WA". Archived from the original on 9 April 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  17. ^ Martin, Gary; Harris, Khim (2022), Boldly proclaiming Christ : a history of Geraldton Anglican Cathedral, Anglican Church Nort West Australia, retrieved 5 August 2024
  18. ^ Henderson-Brooks, Tom (18 July 2020). "Episcopal Announcement" (PDF). Anglican Church Central Queensland. Anglican Diocese of Rockhampton. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  19. ^ "New Dean of Geraldton". Anglican Diocese of North West Australia. 15 July 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  20. ^ "Ancestors of Regional Bishop for the Kimberleys Bernard Russell Buckland".
  21. ^ "Proceedings Of The Eleventh General Synod" (PDF). 1998. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  22. ^ Angela Grutzner, The Australian Anglican Directory (Melbourne: Publishing Solutions, 2009): 13.
  23. ^ Diocese of NW Australia recognizes ACNA as "a member church of the Anglican Communion", Anglican Church League Website, 5 October 2014
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