# Roman Catholic Diocese of Toowoomba

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Toowoomba: is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Brisbane, established in 1929, covering the Darling Downs and south west regions of Queensland, Australia.
St Patrick's Cathedral is the seat of the Catholic Bishop of Toowoomba. The diocese covers an area of 487,000 square kilometres (188,000 sq mi). with 48 priests and 57 members of religious orders. There are 77,400 Catholics among the 276,700 total population within the diocese's borders.

## History

In 1929, the Diocese of Toowoomba was excised from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane.

### Recent history

Bishop Bill Morris was appointed in 1992 to head the Toowoomba diocese. In 2006 he released a pastoral letter calling for discussion of the ordination of married men and the ordination of women to compensate for the lack of priests in his large diocese.
An apostolic visitation of the diocese was conducted by Charles J. Chaput OFM Cap., then Archbishop of Denver, during April 2007. Discussions continued between Morris and the Vatican for several years.
On 1 May 2011, Bishop Morris announced his early retirement at age 67, stressing the fact that he had not resigned. On 2 May 2011, the Holy See removed Morris from pastoral care of the diocese, attracting international press coverage. The Holy See appointed Brian Vincent Finnigan, Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane, to serve as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese.
On 14 May 2012, it was announced that Pope Benedict XVI had named the Reverend Monsignor Robert McGuckin as bishop-elect of the Toowoomba diocese. He was installed on 11 July.
On 24 May 2023, Pope Francis announced Bishop Kenneth Howell would be the Bishop of the Diocese of Toowoomba, after accepting the resignation of Bishop Robert McGuckin.

## Bishops
### Ordinaries

The following have served as Bishops of Toowoomba:
    Order Name Date enthroned Reign ended Term of office Reason for term end 1James Byrne28 May 192911 February 19388 years, 259 daysDied in office 2Joseph Basil Roper13 July 193814 October 195214 years, 93 daysResigned and appointed Bishop Emeritus of Toowoomba 3William Joseph Brennan7 August 195311 September 197522 years, 35 daysDied in office 4Edward Francis Kelly, MSC19 December 197520 November 199216 years, 337 daysRetired and appointed Bishop Emeritus 5William Morris20 November 19922 May 201118 years, 163 daysRetired and appointed Bishop Emeritus 6Robert McGuckin11 July 201224 May 202310 years, 317 daysRetired and appointed Bishop Emeritus 7Kenneth Howell24 May 2023present1 year, 158 days

### Other priest of this diocese who became bishop

* John Alexius Bathersby, appointed Bishop of Cairns in 1986, and subsequently Archbishop of Brisbane.

## Parishes

There are currently 35 parishes in the diocese and 42 diocesan priests.

## Schools

The diocese has the following schools:
* Our Lady of the Southern Cross College, Dalby
* St. Mary's College, Toowoomba
* St Ursula's College, Toowoomba
* St Joseph's College, Toowoomba
* St. Mary's School, Charleville
* St. Finbarr's School, Quilpie
* St Saviour's College, Toowoomba
* Downlands Sacred Heart College, Toowoomba
* Mary MacKillop Catholic College, Toowoomba

## Heritage listings

The diocese has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
* corner of James and Neil Streets, Toowoomba: St Patrick's Cathedral
* 73 Margaret Street, Toowoomba: Bishop's House

## Sexual abuse

In February 2014 the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, a royal commission of inquiry initiated in 2013 by the Australian Government and supported by all of its state governments, began an investigation into allegations of child sexual abuse and the response by the Diocesan Catholic Education Office. The former Bishop of Toowoomba, Bill Morris, admitted that "there had been a number of significant systemic failings which led to the failure to properly deal with" the abuse of thirteen young girls at a Toowoomba Catholic primary School in 2007–08.