Roman Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle

Prior to the establishment of the diocese, the Hunter Region was under the administration of the Sydney Archdiocese. The Church defines a diocese as 'a portion of the people of God, which is entrusted to a bishop' or, as 'a community of Christ's faithful in communion of faith and sacraments with their bishop.' The three most notable priests assigned to the Hunter Region, Therry, Dowling & Lynch strived to build churches, schools and establish Catholic parishes.[4] Six Catholic parishes established were East Maitland 1835 (the first Catholic church built north of Sydney was the first St Joseph's Church in 1835), Newcastle 1838, West Maitland 1841, Singleton 1845, Taree 1846, Raymond Terrace 1852.

During 1840 and 1845 Archbishop Bede Polding visited the whole Hunter Valley and laid foundation stones for churches at Wollombi and St John's at Campbell's Hill. The foundation stone was moved to West Maitland where St John the Baptist Church opened in 1846.

By Papal Brief dated 27 May 1847, the Titular See of East Maitland was created with Most Reverend Charles Henry Davis nominated as Bishop. Bishop Davis was also the Auxiliary Bishop to the Archbishop of Sydney and lived in Sydney, never visiting his Titular See in East Maitland, therefore the Titular See of East Maitland remained under the administration of the Archdiocese of Sydney until Most Reverend James Murray was nominated Bishop of Maitland in 1865, taking possession of St John the Baptist Church West Maitland as his Cathedral on 1 November 1866.

From 1866 the diocese extended to include Port Macquarie, Tamworth, Gunnedah, Walgett and Coonamble. In 1887 the Diocese of Maitland reduced in size by exclusion of Coonamble, Gunnedah and Tamworth districts.

In 1933, after servicing the diocese for 87 years, the old cathedral building became inadequate for the needs of the parish and the diocese. In July 1933, Bishop Edmund Gleeson CSsR, officially announced that the Catholic Hall in Maitland would be converted to a Pro-Cathedral suitable as a place of worship. On 26 November 1933 the Catholic Hall was opened as the Pro-Cathedral and St John's officially closed.

In 1966 boundaries were again altered to exclude Kendall parish to Lismore but include the parishes of Belmont, Swansea, Toronto, Booragul, Teralba, which is the present boundaries of the diocese.

In 1989 the Pro-Cathedral suffered damage as a result of an earthquake and was closed. Discussions were then held and it was decided to convert the Pro-Cathedral to its former use as a hall and to re-open St John's as a Chapel for the Central Maitland area. On 24 June 1994 Bishop Leo Clarke conducted the ceremony of the Dedication of a Church and thus St John's became a Chapel for the area. The 1989 earthquake was also a catalyst to consolidate the diocesan administration offices on one site. This was achieved in 1995 by purchasing the Sisters of Mercy Convent at Hamilton and the former Sacred Heart Parish Primary School, Hamilton.

By Papal Brief dated 14 June 1995, the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle was created and on 16 July 1995, the Sacred Heart Church in Hamilton became the Sacred Heart Cathedral for the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle.[5]

The Diocese was the focus of the Hunter Special Commission of Inquiry [6] and case-study 43 in the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. [7]

In 2020, the Bishop of Maitland-Newcastle William Wright, Father William Burston and Father Maurice Cahill spoke to investigative journalist Sarah Ferguson in the first episode of Revelation about the paedophile priest Father Vincent Ryan. Wright attracted controversy by saying 'the protection of the children is incredibly important but so is respecting the dialogue between a person and their God.' Wright went on to tell Ferguson he would rather go to prison than break the confessional seal.

Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hamilton is a beautiful and welcoming place of worship which acts as both the Hamilton Parish church and the Cathedral for the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle.

The Sacred Heart Cathedral building was opened in 1930 as the parish church of Hamilton and was consecrated by Bishop Edmund Gleeson in 1941, before becoming Sacred Heart Cathedral on 16 July 1995.

Very much a church of the people, the Sacred Heart Church's foundations were dug with the physical aid of parishioners. The church was built virtually, brick by brick, on the dream of Monsignor Victor Francis Peters and through the generosity of parishioners who, in the midst of the Great Depression, bought bricks for an average of twopence each. A donation of ten pounds was the norm and in total, 700,000 bricks were used.

Monsignor Peters was influenced by the architecture of the Cathedral in Thurles in Ireland; the Cathedral Church of Philadelphia in USA and the brick work in front of the Pisa church in Italy. The foundation stone was laid on 23 September 1928. The first brick was laid on 1 February 1929 and the last brick just ten months later on 1 December 1929.

Sixty years later, the earthquake of 1989 caused considerable damage particularly to the belltower. The original concrete dome was replaced by one of copper and the original dome now stands as a memorial to those who lost their lives in the earthquake.[10]

The following parishes are situated within the Diocese:[11]

The diocese has been referred to as the "epicentre of Catholic clerical sexual abuse in Australia" due to a number of paedophile priests with extensive abuse records being jailed since 1997.[12]

The following priests and religious brothers from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle have been convicted of child sexual abuse or had allegations of child sexual abuse against them substantiated by the Diocese or their religious order:

PRIESTS

• Father Vincent Gerard Ryan - Spent over 17 years in prison for child sexual abuse [13][14] [15] Served another 14 months.[16]
• Father David O'Hearn - Prison, convicted of child sexual abuse [17] [18]
• Father John Sidney Denham - Prison, convicted of child sexual abuse [19] [20]
• Father James 'Jim' Fletcher - Convicted of child sexual abuse, deceased [21] [22]
• Father Thomas Brennan - Convicted of child sexual abuse, concealing child sexual abuse, deceased [23] [24]
• Father Albert Davis - Allegations of child sexual abuse substantiated by Diocese, deceased [25] [26]
• Father Denis McAlinden - Allegations of child sexual abuse substantiated by Diocese, deceased [27] [28]
• Father Francis Donovan - Allegations of child sexual abuse substantiated by Diocese, deceased [29]
• Father Kenneth Hodgson - Allegations of child sexual abuse substantiated by Diocese, deceased [30]
• Father Peter Brock - Allegations of child sexual abuse substantiated by Diocese, deceased [31]
• Father Peter Quirk - Allegations of child sexual abuse substantiated by Diocese, deceased
• Father William Cantwell - Allegations of child sexual abuse substantiated by Diocese, deceased [32] [33] [34]

RELIGIOUS BROTHERS

Marist Order

• Brother William 'Christopher' Wade - Prison, convicted of child sexual abuse [35] [36]
• Brother William Francis 'Romuald' Cable - Prison, convicted of child sexual abuse [37] [38]
• Brother John 'Dominic' O'Sullivan - Prison, convicted of child sexual abuse [39] [40]
• Brother John 'Dominic' Gleeson - Convicted of child sexual abuse, deceased [41] [42]
• Brother Peter Pemble - convicted of child sexual abuse [43] [44] [45]
• Brother Terry Gilsenan - convicted of child sexual abuse [46] [47]
• Brother John 'Nestor' Littler - convicted of child sexual abuse, deceased [48] [49]
• Brother Donald Newtown - Allegations of child sexual abuse substantiated by Marist Brothers, deceased [50]
• Brother Noel 'Leon' Mackey - Allegations of child sexual abuse substantiated by Marist Brothers, deceased [51]
• Brother Oswin McKinney - Allegations of child sexual abuse substantiated by Marist Brothers, deceased [52][53]
• Brother Thomas 'Patrick' Butler - Allegations of child sexual abuse substantiated by Marist Brothers, deceased [54] [55] [56]

St John of God

• Brother Bernard Kevin McGrath - Prison, convicted of child sexual abuse [57] [58] [59] [60]
• Brother John Clegg - Prison, convicted of child sexual abuse [61] [62]
• Brother William Lebler - convicted of child sexual abuse, deceased [63] [64] [65]
• Brother Rodger Maloney - convicted of child sexual abuse, deceased [66] [67]
• Brother John Joseph 'Bede' Donnellan - Allegations of child sexual abuse substantiated by St John of God, deceased [68] [69] [70] [71]

Catholic Teachers and Employees

• Anthony Bambach - Prison, convicted of child sexual abuse
• Edward 'Ted' Hall - Prison, convicted of child sexual abuse
• John Gahan - Prison, convicted of child sexual abuse

• Roman Catholicism in Australia

• Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle