Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney is a Latin Church metropolitan archdiocese, located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Erected in 1842 and directly responsible to the Holy See, the archdiocese is responsible for the suffragan dioceses of Armidale, Bathurst, Broken Bay, Lismore, Maitland-Newcastle, Parramatta, Wagga Wagga, Wilcannia-Forbes and Wollongong. The Military Ordinariate of Australia, as well as the Eastern Rite Melkite Catholic Eparchy of St Michael, Archangel and the Maronite Diocese of St Maroun are also attached to the archdiocese.

St Mary’s Cathedral is the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney. The current archbishop is Anthony Fisher.

The Archdiocese of Sydney is involved in many different agencies within Sydney to provide services, care and support to people in need, including aged care; education; health care; prayer, worship and liturgy; solidarity and justice; vocations and seminary; youth and young adults ministry.

History

Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with more than 1.25 billion members worldwide. One of the oldest religious institutions in the world, it has played a prominent role in the history of Western civilisation.Headed by the Bishop of Rome, known as the Pope, its doctrines are summarised in the Nicene Creed. The Catholic Church is also notable within the Western Christian tradition for its celebration of the seven sacraments.

The Catholic Church teaches that it is the one true church founded by Jesus Christ, that its bishops are the successors of Christ's apostles, and that the Pope is the successor to Saint Peter. The Church maintains that the doctrine on faith and morals that it declares as definitive is infallible. The Latin Church, the autonomous Eastern Catholic Churches and religious institutes such as the Jesuits, mendicant orders and enclosed monastic orders, reflect a variety of theological emphases in the Church.

Sydney

Sydney /ˈsɪdni/ is the state capital of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds the world's largest natural harbour, and sprawls towards the Blue Mountains to the west. Residents of Sydney are known as "Sydneysiders". Sydney is the second official seat and second official residence of the Governor-General of Australia, the Prime Minister of Australia and the Cabinet of Australia.

The Sydney area has been inhabited by indigenous Australians since the Upper Paleolithic period. The first British settlers arrived in 1788 to found Sydney as a penal colony, the first European settlement in Australia. Since convict transportation ended in the mid-19th century, the city has transformed from a colonial outpost into a major global cultural and economic centre.

The population of Sydney at the time of the 2011 census was 4.39 million, 1.5 million of which were born overseas, representing many different nationalities and making Sydney one of the most multicultural cities in the world. There are more than 250 different languages spoken in Sydney and about one-third of residents speak a language other than English at home.

Anthony Fisher

Anthony Colin Fisher OP (born 10 March 1960) is an Australian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church and a friar of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans). As of 12 November 2014, he serves as the ninth Catholic Archbishop of Sydney. He served as the third Bishop of Parramatta from 4 March 2010 to 12 November 2014, having previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Sydney.

Fisher holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in history with first-class honours and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Sydney. He was a practicing solicitor with the law firm Clayton Utz prior to joining the Dominicans. He subsequently studied for a Bachelor of Theology degree with first-class honours at Yarra Theological Union, a member institution of the Melbourne College of Divinity (now called the University of Divinity). He later obtained a Doctor of Philosophy in bioethics from University College, Oxford while residing at Blackfriars Hall.

Early life and education

Fisher was born the eldest of five children in Crows Nest, Sydney, to Gloria Maguregui – a Spanish Basque who migrated with her family to Australia from China and the Philippines in the 1950s – and Colin Fisher, a pharmacist from Ashfield. He was baptised at St Therese's Church, Lakemba and attended the parish school in 1965 and 1966. The Fisher family lived in Belmore, Canterbury and Wiley Park before moving to Longueville and Manly.

Archbishop of Sydney

Archbishop of Sydney may refer to: