Anglican Diocese of North West Australia


The Anglican Diocese of North West Australia is a diocese of the Anglican Church of Australia. The diocese covering 2 million km² of Western Australia, north of Perth, is geographically the largest Anglican diocese in Australia and the largest land-based diocese in the world. The population of the area of about 150,000 people.
The diocese has 18 parishes and three Mission to Seafarers’ ministries and the cathedral church of the diocese is the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Geraldton.

Churchmanship

The Diocese of North West Australia is noted for its low church conservative Evangelical stance and no women serve as priests.

History

The Diocese of Perth was established in 1857, but the Diocese of Northern Australia was not brought into existence until 1910. Broome was the original the seat of the Diocese, from 1910 to 1965, with the Church of the Annunciation the pro-cathedral.

Cathedral

The cathedral church of the diocese is the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, located in Cathedral Avenue Geraldton, Western Australia.
The cathedral building was built in 1964 to a design by architects McDonald and Whitaker. The brick modernist style building has a star shaped footprint and is said to resemble Coventry Cathedral in England. Internally the cathedral has extensive stained glass and an organ built by Allen Organ Company.

List of bishops

Bernard Buckland was Regional Bishop for The Kimberleys until his retirement on 14 March 1997.

Structure

Due to the fluid nature of our region, we’re proud to be a ‘missionary’ diocese. We journey with everyone who comes and goes as part of work or tourism, and see a congregation turnover rate of around 100% every two years. Our region is dependent on support by individuals, parishes, dioceses, and Christian organisations across Australia who are committed to gospel ministry in small, remote, and isolated towns and communities in North West Australia.

Anglican realignment

The Diocese of North West Australia was the second in the Anglican Church of Australia, after the Anglican Diocese of Sydney, to recognize the Anglican Church in North America as a "member church of the Anglican Communion, in full communion with Diocese of North West Australia", according to a motion passed in October 2014.