BALLARAT, DIOCESE OF. — In Australia, separated from the archdiocese of Melbourne and erected on 30 March 1847 as its suffragan.
The area of the territory, which lies in the western part of the State of Victoria, is 30,000 sq. km. The total population exceeds 321,319 inhabitants, of whom about 277,000 are Protestant, 46,891 Catholic, and about 200 Jewish. In the 40 parishes there are 94 diocesan priests, 24 religious priests, 19 brothers, and 365 sisters. There are 75 schools (with 6,639 pupils); two hospitals, two orphanages, and one old people’s home.
The vastness of the parishes, with a rural population of very low density, slows down pastoral care; another obstacle comes from the growth of urbanisation and the frequency of mixed marriages; a reason for hope, however, is the increased education of the young, due especially to the activity of religious institutes.