SANDHURST, DIOCESE of. — It is situated in the State of Victoria (Australia) and was erected on 30 March 1874 from territory detached from the Archdiocese of Melbourne, of which it was declared a suffragan.
The boundaries were defined on 10 May 1887. The capital, S., is now called Bendigo, from which the Anglican bishop takes his title. It has an area of sq. km.
27,792, with a population exceeding 185,000 inhabitants, of whom 35,833 are Catholics and the others almost all Protestants of various denominations. There are 55 diocesan priests and 10 religious; 10 brothers and 254 sisters. Parishes 30, churches 124, stations 39. Primary schools 29, secondary schools 16; 1 orphanage.
BIBL.: P. Moran, History of Catholic Church in Australia, Sidney s. a., pp. 843–48; Australasian Catholic Directory, there 1952, pp. 295–302. Saverio Paventi