GERALDTON, DIOCESI di. – In Australia (Western Australia). The territory of this diocese was discovered in 1848 and erected as a suffragan diocese of Adelaide on 30 January 1898; in 1913 it was made suffragan to Perth.
The first Catholics were Irish, who were visited occasionally by a Benedictine priest coming from Perth. The first bishop, Mgr William B. Kelly (1857–1921), devoted himself tenaciously to organizing his vast diocese; the work was continued by his successors. There are a few Aboriginal people there, for whom two institutions have been established at Tardun. The total population is 28,752, of whom 8,082 are Catholics. There are 14 parishes, 33 churches, 16 diocesan priests, 2 religious priests, 18 brothers, and 123 sisters. In the various schools (28), 1,310 pupils are educated. There is also a hospital.