BATHURST, DIOCESI DI - Enciclopedia Cattolica, Vol. II, p. 589

Machine translation of the 1948–1954 Italian original. The original text is authoritative.

Bathurst, Diocese of (Canada)

In the province of New Brunswick, Canada, a suffragan of Moncton. Erected on 18 May 1860 at Chatham as a suffragan of Halifax, this diocese lost on 22 February 1936 the county of Kent, which was taken from it to form the new metropolitan see of Moncton. On 13 March 1938 a decree of the Sacred Consistorial Congregation changed the see from Chatham to Bathurst. The present diocese comprises the northern part of New Brunswick, namely the counties of Gloucester, Madawaska, Northumberland, Ristigouche and Victoria. It covers an area of 7,350 sq. km. and has 121,473 inhabitants, of whom 82,776 are Catholics; there are 85 parishes, served by 103 diocesan priests and 18 regular clergy (1948).

BIBL.: I. C. Mac Millan, *A history of the Church in Prince Edward Island*, Quebec 1905; L. O. Leary, *Chatham, Diocese of* in *Cath. Enc.*, III, p. 642; AAS, 28 (1936), pp. 285-89 and 30 (1938), p. 227 sq.; *Le Canada ecclésiastique*, Montréal 1930, pp. 453-61; *The Official Catholic Directory*, part 3, New York 1947, pp. 75-76 sq.

Bathurst, Diocese of (Australia)

Erected by separation from Sydney (Australia) and declared a suffragan see by a papal bull of 20 June 1865; its boundaries were adjusted by another bull of 10 May 1887.

The diocese lies in the State of New South Wales and covers an area of 6,430 sq. km.

According to the *Australasian Catholic Directory* for 1948, pp. 170-77, there are 32,260 Catholics and about 132,000 Protestants. There are 21 parishes, 124 churches, 57 diocesan priests, 12 religious priests, 18 brothers, and 336 sisters. The numerous Catholic schools, attended by 6,187 pupils, largely determine the future development of the diocese.

BIBL.: R. De Martinis, *Jus Pontificium de Prop. Fide*, VI, I, Rome 1894, pp. 431-32; *Leonis XIII Acta*, 7 (1887), pp. 92-95; M. C. p. 40.