Anglican Diocese of North West Australia

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 and Broome 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.

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
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 incumbent bishop of the diocese is the Right Reverend Darrell Parker, formerly Vicar of St Paul's Tamworth, was elected as the 8th bishop in September 2022, replacing Gary Nelson who had retired[1] retired on 15 May 2022.[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]

Structure and churchmanship

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. The diocese is noted for its low church conservative Evangelical stance; no women serve as priests.[4]

History

The diocese covering 2 million km² of Western Australia, north of Perth, is geographically the largest Anglican diocese in Australia and the largest land-based diocese in the world. The population of the area of about 150,000 people.[5] The Diocese of Perth was established in 1857, but the Diocese of Northern Australia (which became known by the present name in 1961)[6] was not brought into existence until 1910.[7] Broome was the original the seat of the Diocese, from 1910 to 1965, with the Church of the Annunciation the pro-cathedral.[8]

Cathedral

The cathedral church of the diocese is the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Geraldton located in Cathedral Avenue, Geraldton.[9]

The cathedral building was built in 1964 to a design by architects McDonald and Whitaker. The brick modernist style building has a star shaped footprint and is said to resemble Coventry Cathedral in England.[10][11] Internally the cathedral has extensive stained glass and an organ built by Allen Organ Company.[12]

Deans of the Cathedral have included:

List of bishops
This section is an excerpt from Anglican Bishop of North West Australia.[edit]
Bishops of North West Australia
No From Until Incumbent Notes
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 Darrell Parker Installed on 15 February 2023. Formerly Vicar of St Paul's, Tamworth, New South Wales.

Assistant bishops

Bernard Buckland was Regional Bishop for The Kimberleys[15] (assistant bishop) until his retirement on 14 March 1997.[16]

Structure

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.

Anglican realignment

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.[17]

See also

References
  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. Angela Grutzner, The Australian Anglican Directory (Melbourne: Publishing Solutions, 2009): 13.
  5. Diocese of Northwest Australia
  6. Diocese of North West Australia Act 1961
  7. Bruce Kaye, A Church without Walls: being Anglican in Australia (Melbourne: Harper Collins, 1995): 43.
  8. "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.
  9. Downes, Joan, ‘‘The Cathedral Church of the Holy Cross, Geraldton, Western Australia.’’
  10. Tourism Western Australia, Cathedral of The Holy Cross Archived 3 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  11. Australian Anglican Historical Images Archived 28 April 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  12. "Allen's Organs in WA". Archived from the original on 9 April 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  13. "Stop Press" (PDF). Northwest Network. No. 91. Anglican Diocese of North West Australia. March 2013. p. 6. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  14. "New Dean of Geraldton". North West Network. Anglican Diocese of North West Australia. 6 September 2022. Archived from the original on 11 September 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  15. "Ancestors of Regional Bishop for the Kimberleys Bernard Russell Buckland".
  16. "Proceedings Of The Eleventh General Synod" (PDF). 1998. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  17. 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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