Diocese of Wangaratta
Coat of arms
Coat of arms
Location
Ecclesiastical provinceVictoria
Coordinates36°21′18″S 146°19′17″E / 36.35500°S 146.32139°E / -36.35500; 146.32139
Information
RiteAnglican
CathedralHoly Trinity Cathedral
Current leadership
BishopClarence Bester
Dean
  • Ken Goodger
  • (since 2014)
Website
wangaratta-anglican.org.au

The Diocese of Wangaratta is a diocese of the Anglican Church of Australia. It is situated in the north-eastern part of the state of Victoria, Australia. Its geographic remit includes the cities of Wangaratta, Albury-Wodonga and Shepparton. The cathedral is the church of the Holy Trinity in Wangaratta. The diocese was erected in 1902, when Thomas Henry Armstrong was installed as the first Bishop of Wangaratta. The current bishop is Clarence Bester who was enthroned in 2020.

History

The diocese was founded in 1902.

In 2019, the diocese voted in favour of a motion authorizing a blessing rite for same-sex unions.[1] In November of 2020, the Appellate Tribunal, the church's highest court, ruled that a diocese may authorize blessing rites for same-sex unions, allowing the Wangaratta motion to go into effect.[2][3]

Cathedral

The cathedral church of the diocese is Holy Trinity Cathedral, Wangaratta. The land on which the church is built was donated to the parish by William Henry Clark, a pioneer of Wangaratta. The foundation stone was laid in 1908 by Bishop Arthur Green, the Bishop of Ballarat, and was dedicated on 24 August 1909. A second section was built between 1922 and 1924. The building was faced in locally quarried granite to a design by the English architect Walter Butler. The baptistery, designed by the church architect Louis Williams, was completed in 1965.

Holy Trinity Cathedral, Wangaratta

The cathedral houses eight change ringing bells. Cast in 1806 by John Rudhall, they are the oldest "complete" ring of bells in Australia.[4] They were originally housed in St. George's Church, Bolton, and were first rung in 1987 once a tower had been built to house them.[5] The current organ was built in 1902 by Henry Willis & Sons and is the fourth instrument to be housed in the cathedral.

Deans of Holy Trinity, Wangaratta

The Rector of the Parish of the Holy Trinity, Wangaratta (the cathedral parish), is designated as Dean of Holy Trinity Cathedral.

  • 1965–1972: Robert Beal (later Bishop of Wangaratta, 1985)
  • 1972 - 1989: David Laurie Thawley
  • 1989 - 1995: Donald McMonigle
  • 1995- 2003: Ray McInnes
  • 2003 - 2013: Michael O'Brien
  • 2014–present: Ken Goodger

Bishops of Wangaratta

This section is an excerpt from Anglican Bishop of Wangaratta.[edit]
Bishops of Wangaratta
No From Until Incumbent Notes
1 1902 1927 Thomas Armstrong Consecrated 24 February 1902.
2 1927 1942 Stephen Hart Previously Dean of Melbourne.
3 1943 1963 Thomas Armour Previously Dean of Newcastle; died in office.
4 1963 1969 Theodore McCall Translated from Rockhampton; died in office.
5 1969 1975 Keith Rayner AO Translated to Adelaide, then to Melbourne; also later Primate of Australia.
6 1975 1985 Max Thomas
7 1985 1994 Robert Beal Previously Dean of Wangaratta and Dean of Newcastle.
8 1995 1997 Paul Richardson Translated from Aipo Rongo, Papua New Guinea; later Assistant Bishop of Newcastle, England and, subsequently, a Roman Catholic priest.
9 1998 2008 David Farrer Later a vicar in the Church of England.
10 2008 2019 John Parkes Previously Dean of Brisbane.
11 2020 present Clarence Bester Consecrated 22 February 2020, enthroned 23 February 2020.

References

  1. ↑ "'Long overdue recognition' as a Victorian diocese votes to bless same-sex couples". www.abc.net.au. 1 September 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  2. ↑ "Australian tribunal clears way for same-sex marriage blessings". www.churchtimes.co.uk. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  3. ↑ "'A sign that God loves you and we welcome you': Anglican diocese allows blessings of same-sex marriages". www.abc.net.au. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  4. ↑ "Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers". dove.cccbr.org.uk. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  5. ↑ "Church bells ringing out across world". The Bolton News. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
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