New Archbishop of Brisbane

The Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese, Bishop Geoffrey Jarrett, has warmly welcomed the announcement of the appointment by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI of the Most Reverend Mark Coleridge as Metropolitan Archbishop of Brisbane.

Archbishop Coleridge already is a distinguished leader in the Church in Australia, and his appointment to Brisbane will be of great significance for the Archdiocese and the Catholic Church and community in Queensland.

As well as his experience as a priest for 38 years and a bishop for ten, Archbishop Coleridge is a theologian and teacher especially qualified in the fields of Sacred Scripture and the Church’s liturgical worship, in both of which he has taught extensively in Australia and overseas.

In the five years before appointment as a bishop he served in the Vatican as an official in the Secretariat of State, receiving the appointment of Chaplain to His Holiness. The Archbishop has also served as Chairman of the international editorial Committee responsible for the new English translation of the Roman Missal, which came into use throughout the parishes of Australia last December. He continues an international rôle as the Chairman of the Commission for the preparation of the forthcoming new Lectionary of scripture readings for the Mass.

Born and educated in Victoria, and ordained as a priest in Melbourne in 1974, Archbishop-elect Coleridge has led the Church in the Australian Capital and a wide area of country NSW since 2006, giving him also experience in public advocacy for human values and the common good with the federal government. The Archbishop-elect will be the first non-Queensland born Archbishop appointed in almost 50 years, since former Archbishop Patrick O’Donnell (1965-1973) who was born in Ireland.

The Apostolic Administrator, Bishop Jarrett of Lismore, continues in office as arrangements are made to welcome the Archbishop-elect and the plans are completed for Archbishop Coleridge’s installation in St Stephen’s Cathedral. An Installation Mass will be held in the Cathedral of St Stephen on Friday 11 May. 

On behalf of the Archdiocese of Brisbane and the province of Queensland our new Archbishop can be assured of a warm and happy welcome and a ready anticipation of his pastoral leadership in the Church and wider community.

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STATEMENT FROM MARK COLERIDGE
ARCHBISHOP-DESIGNATE OF BRISBANE

At a time in life when many are looking to retire, I have been called to take up the greatest challenge of my life. With few illusions about myself or the task that awaits me in Queensland, but with trust in the Lord who sends me, I pack my bags and head north once again. 
I am heartened that Pope Benedict and others have chosen me as Chief Pastor of the Archdiocese of Brisbane, and I am grateful to the Holy Father for the trust he has placed in me. Until recently, I never imagined that I would be appointed Archbishop of Brisbane, following in the footsteps of some remarkable men. Faced now with the call, I feel the need for a strength not my own. I will do my best, but that will not be enough. Yet the Lord equips those whom he sends in ways they could never equip themselves. Therefore, peacefully and without reserve I put my life in his hands and at the service of the Church in Brisbane and Queensland. That service will be a great privilege. 

I am deeply grateful for the grace of my six years as Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn, and I will leave with unforgettable memories of people and places from Canberra to Bega, from West Wyalong to Cooma, from Gundagai to Goulburn and beyond. I will always be a small part of the Archdiocesan story, but the Archdiocese will always be a large part of my own story. 

Until my installation in Brisbane on 11 May, I will remain the Archdiocesan Administrator. The Auxiliary Bishop will then assume that responsibility until the College of Consultors elects an Administrator who will be responsible for the affairs of the Archdiocese until my successor is installed. Statements like this and rites of installation are easy enough. It is harder to do what a bishop must do at a complex time like this in the Church when the future must be made, not just awaited. I commit all my energies and gifts to that apostolic task in Brisbane, looking more than ever to the Lord of Easter, Jesus Christ crucified and risen.

 

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ARCHBISHOP MARK BENEDICT COLERIDGE

Curriculum Vitae

• Birth: 25 September 1948, at Melbourne. The third of five children (four boys, one girl) of Bernard Coleridge and Marjorie Harvey (both deceased).
• Schooling: 
  Saint Joseph's School, Tranmere, Adelaide 
  Rostrevor College, Adelaide.
  Saint Kevin's College, Melbourne. Matriculated in 1965.
• University Studies
  University of Melbourne, Bachelor of Arts, 1966-68.
• Ecclesiastical Studies
  Corpus Christi College, Werribee, Glen Waverley and Clayton, 1969-74.
• Ordination to Priesthood
  St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne, 18 May 1974.
• Appointments
  • Deacon, East St. Kilda, August 1973 – February 1974. 
  • Assistant Priest, Drysdale 1974, Doncaster East 1975, Ashburton 1977, Pascoe Vale 1980. 
  • July 1980, Licentiate in Sacred Scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, completing the degree in June 1984. 
  • June – December 1984, the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Jerusalem. 
  • January 1985, Lecturer in Biblical Studies, Catholic Theological College, Melbourne. 
  • 1988 – 1992, Doctorate of Sacred Scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome. 
  • 1992 Appointed Lecturer in Biblical Studies and Deputy Master, Catholic Theological College. 
  • 1994 Appointed media spokesman for the Archdiocese of Melbourne. 
  • 1995 Appointed Master of Catholic Theological College. 
  • 1995 Elected President of the Fellowship of Biblical Studies and foundation President of the Forum of Australian Catholic Institutes of Theology. 
  • 1996 Elected Chair of the Board of Studies, Melbourne College of Divinity.
  • 1 January 1998, Official in the English-language office of the First Section of the Secretariat of State, Vatican City. 
  • 7 December 2001, Appointed Chaplain of His Holiness. 
  • 3 May 2002, Appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Melbourne and Titular Bishop of Teveste. 
  • 2002 Appointed Bishop of the Western Region. 
  • 2002 Appointed Episcopal Vicar for Education and member of the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria. 
  • 2002 Elected member of the Australian Bishops' Committee for Liturgy. 
  • 2003 Elected Secretary of the Australian Bishops' Committee for Liturgy. 
  • 2003 Elected member of the Australian Bishops' Committee for Education and member of the National Catholic Education Commission. 
  • 2004 Appointed member of the Pontifical Council for Culture. 
  • 2004 Appointed Chairman of the Roman Missal Editorial Committee of the International Commission for English in the Liturgy. 
  • 2006 Appointed Chairman of the International Commission for the Preparation of an English-language Lectionary. 
  • 2006 Elected Chairman of the Australian Bishops' Commission for Liturgy. 
  • 19 June 2006, Appointed Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn. 
  • 2008 Elected to the Post-Synod Council of the XII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on "The Word of God in Life and Mission of the Church".
  • 2009 Elected to the Permanent Committee of the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
  • 2011 Appointed member of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.
  • 2 April 2012, Appointed Metropolitan Archbishop of Brisbane.