BRISBANE, ARCHDIOCESE OF. — The ecclesiastical district, erected as a suffragan diocese of Sydney (Australia) on 12 April 1859, was elevated to the rank of metropolitan see on 10 May 1887. In 1929 the diocese of Toowoomba was detached from it, with a consequent modification of the boundaries with that of Rockhampton.
The area of the territory, which includes a part of the State of Queensland (from the borders of New South Wales to the 25th parallel of south latitude, and to the west as far as the Great Dividing Range, the Main R. and Auburn R.), is 48,270 sq. km. According to the approximate census of 1938, the total population was 430,000. According to the data in the *Australasian Catholic Directory* of 1948 (pp. 313–27), Catholics number 121,000, while the rest are almost all Protestants. There are 191 priests, 85 brothers (Marists and Christian Brothers), 949 sisters from 17 different congregations; 85 parishes and 171 churches equipped with various works and numerous elementary and secondary schools, which educate 16,920 pupils; 5 hospitals, 2 orphanages, and 7 charitable institutions. The diocesan organ is the *Catholic Leader*.
The Catholic community stands out for its educational and charitable organization, the fruit of long-standing sacrifices of every kind. The regional seminary, opened in 1939, promises even greater achievements in the near future.