The Catholic Diocese of Parramatta
“A new Diocese is like an infant born of the Catholic Church. It carries the genuine characteristics of the mother; its faith, its spirituality, its discipline, its mission. But it also has its individual features, in our case, the features native to the Catholic community in western Sydney.”
The words of the first Bishop of Parramatta, Most Rev Bede Heather, on the establishment of the Diocese on 8 April, 1986.
Today, the Catholic Diocese of Parramatta is home to more than 319,000 Catholics in one of the fastest growing areas of New South Wales, Australia.
A Suffragan Diocese of the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney, the Catholic Diocese of Parramatta is west of Sydney and covers 4,289 square kilometres, reaching from Dundas Valley, west to Katoomba, south to Luddenham, and north to Richmond.
The Diocese is made up of 49 Parishes, each with an average number of 6,515 parishioners. In addition, 41,000 students attend one the 77 Catholic schools of the Diocese. The Diocese is also home to six congregational schools.
Parramatta was chosen as the seat of the Diocese due to its role in the early European settlement of Australia, its size as a commercial and administrative centre and its pivotal position in the communications that link the west with other parts of Sydney. It is contemporary urban Australia in miniature. It has a parish as old as St Matthew’s Windsor (established in 1832), and burgeoning suburbs in the environs of Blacktown, St Marys, Penrith, Richmond and Castle Hill.
The Diocese of Parramatta takes in seven local government divisions: Baulkham Hills Shire, Blacktown City, City of the Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury Shire, Municipality of Holroyd, Parramatta City and Penrith City, as well as parts of Wollondilly and Liverpool.
As well as nurturing the spiritual lives of the hundreds of thousands of Catholics in its care, the Diocese supports thousands more in the local community. Its Catholic Education system is committed to giving every student a quality education, while its agencies and ministries work alongside local people from all walks of life, as well as organisations committed to enhancing the way of life we enjoy in Western Sydney.
Religious congregations: the lifeblood of our communityReligious congregations have always made an irreplaceable contribution to the work of God in the Catholic Diocese of Parramatta.
Sisters and Brothers work in social ministries with the unemployed, refugees, youth, homeless people, people with AIDS, women suffering from domestic violence, single mothers, the aged, mentally ill people; in a variety of health care services; in spiritual direction, retreat work and counselling; in social justice ministries; in parish work.
In the Parramatta Diocese, there are representatives from 11 congregations of clerical religious, from 32 congregations or secular institutes of women and from five congregations of religious brothers.
Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life currently represented in the Catholic Diocese of Parramatta are:
Augustinians OSA - Order of Saint Augustine
Augustinian Recollect Sisters AR - Teaching; Pastoral Work.
Brigidines CSB -Sisters of St Brigid. Pastoral care; Parish work; Catechetics; Teaching; Administration
Capuchin Franciscan Friars OFM -Cap Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. Parish; Industrial Chaplaincy; Formation; Migrant and Hospital Chaplaincy; Retreats
Carmelite Fathers OCarm - Parish
Christian Brothers CFC - Congregation of Christian Brothers. Primary & Secondary Education; Youth ministry; Prison Chaplaincy
Columban Fathers SSC - St Columban's Mission Society
Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart OLSH
De La Salle Brothers FSC - Brothers of the Christian Schools. Primary & Secondary Education; Families in crisis
Divine Word Missionaries SVD -Society of the Divine Word. Parish; Ethnic Chaplaincy
Dominican Friars OP - Order of Preachers
Dominican Sisters of Eastern Australia - OP Education in and through diverse ministries
Dominican Sisters of Malta OP - Nursing; Teaching
Franciscan Friars OFM - Order of Friars Minor. Chaplaincy, Social Work
Franciscan Missionaries of Mary FMM - Nursing; Hostel; Home for Aged; Pastoral Work
Good Samaritan Sisters SGS - Institute of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan of the Order of St Benedict. Education: Primary, Secondary; Parish; Ministry to handicapped; Adult Faith Formation; Adult Literacy; Clerical Assistance; Conference, Retreat Centre; Social Welfare; Nursing
Good Shepherd Sisters RGS - Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd. Diverse ministries to those "lost and hurt and left behind in our society."
Holy Faith Sisters CHF - Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Faith. Primary, Secondary, Tertiary Education; Pastoral
Holy Spirit Fathers CSSp - Congregation of the Holy Spirit. Parish duties
Jesuits SJ - The Society of Jesus. Secondary Education; Chaplaincies; Tertiary Theological Education
Josephites RSJ - Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart. Education: Primary, Secondary, Adult; Motor Mission; Music; Pastoral; Parish; Nursing; Welfare; Spirituality
Josephites - Perthville RSJ - Congregation of Sisters of the ANZ Federation of Sisters of St Joseph. Little Company of Mary LCM Spiritual Formation
Loreto Sisters IBVM - Institute of Blessed Virgin Mary. Spiritual Formation; Pastoral; Education; Women's Groups
Marist Brothers FMS - Marist Brothers of the Schools. Education: Primary, Secondary, Tertiary; Spirituality; Welfare; Youth Ministry; Novitiate
Marist Fathers SM - Society of Mary. Adult Education; Chaplaincy; Family Ministry; Spiritual Direction
Marist Missionary Sisters SMSM - Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary. Provincial Administration; Hospitality
Marist Sisters SM - Congregation of Mary. Education: Primary & Secondary; Adult; Special; CCD; Pastoral: Parish; Refugees; Disadvantaged; Nursing: Hospital; Community; Care of Elderly
Missionary Sisters of Mary, Queen of the World CMR - Audio-visual; Catechetics; Nursing; Youth; Teaching
Order of Friars Minor Conventual OFMConv -Novitiate; Parish Duties
Patrician Brothers FSP - Congregation of the Brothers of St Patrick. Primary & Secondary Education; Pastoral and Parish work; Adult Education
Paulists MSSP - Missionary Society of St Paul. Chaplain, Maltese Community
Poor Clares OSC - Order of St Clare. Administration; Spiritual Direction; Franciscan Spirituality; Welfare
Presentation Sisters - Lismore Congregation PBVM - Society of Australian Congregations of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Education: Primary; Chaplaincy: Inter-Church Trade & Industry Mission; Migrants
Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary SSM - Secular Institute of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary. Provincial Administration; Education: Youth, Adult; Catechetics; Pastoral; Retreats; Our Lady's Shrine; Schoenstatt Spirituality
Sisters of Charity RSC - Congregation of the Religious Sisters of Charity of Australia. Education; Music; Parish visitation; Health; Welfare
Sisters of Holy Family of Nazareth CSFN Education; Pastoral Care; Solo Parents; Care of Aged; Child Care
Sisters of Mercy - Parramatta Congregation RSM - Education: Primary, Secondary, Tertiary; Music, Drama; Child Care; Crisis Centre; Pastoral: Parish, Migrants; Unemployed; Counselling, Spiritual Formation
Sisters of Mercy - Adelaide Congregation RSM - Education; Social Welfare; Pastoral
Redemptorists CSsR - Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. Parish Missions; Formation of Laity; Youth and Young Adult Apostolate; Publications; Lecturing
Sacred Heart Missionaries MSC - Society of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart
Salesian Sisters FMA Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. Don Bosco Youth Centre; Retreats
Salesians SDB - Salesians of Don Bosco. Youth Centres, Camps, Hostels; Chaplaincy; Schools; Parishes
SCD Brothers SCD Sisters SCD - Society of Christian Doctrine (Secular Institute). Catechetical
Schoenstatt Fathers - Schoen The Secular Institute of Schoenstatt Fathers. Christian Formation: Youth, Men, Women, Families; Pastoral; Schoenstatt Movement
Sisters of Mercy - Goulburn Congregation RSM - Chaplaincy
Sisters of Mercy - North Sydney Congregation RSM - Social Welfare; Hospital: Pastoral Care; Religious Affairs
Sisters of Mercy - Singleton Congregation RSM - Nursing; Education; Social Work
Sisters of Mercy - Townsville Congregation RSM - Nursing; Education; Pastoral
Sisters of Mercy - Wilcannia-Forbes Congregation RSM -Family; Education
Society of Christ SChr
Sons of Divine Providence FDP
St John of God Brothers OH -Hospitaller Order of St John of God. Psychiatric Hospital
Tyburn Nuns OSB - Adorers of the Sacred Heart. Prayer
Ursuline Sisters of the Roman Union OSU Education