Roman Catholic Diocese of Ballarat

Diocese of Ballarat Dioecesis Ballaratensis
St Patrick's Cathedral, Ballarat
Location
Country	Australia
Ecclesiastical province	Melbourne
Metropolitan	Archdiocese of Melbourne
Coordinates	37°34′18″S 143°51′00″E / 37.57167°S 143.85000°E / -37.57167; 143.85000
Statistics
Area	58,000 km2 (22,000 sq mi)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2006) 384,000 97,900 ( 25.2%)
Parishes	52
Information
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Rite	Latin Rite
Established	30 March 1874
Cathedral	St Patrick's Cathedral
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Paul Bird CSsR
Metropolitan Archbishop	Denis Hart
Emeritus Bishops	Peter Connors
Website
Catholic Diocese of Ballarat

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Ballarat, based in Ballarat, Australia, is a diocese in the ecclesiastical province of Melbourne. It is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Melbourne and was established in 1874. Its geography covers the west, Wimmera and Mallee regions of Victoria. The cathedra is in St Patrick's Cathedral, Ballarat.

The Diocese of Ballarat was established on 30 March 1874, from the Diocese of Melbourne. At the same time, the Diocese of Melbourne was made an archdiocese while Ballarat became one of its suffragans.

Bishop Peter Connors retired as Bishop of Ballarat on 1 August 2012 and Father Paul Bird CSsR was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to succeed him. He was ordained bishop on 16 October 2012. Bishop Paul Bird (born 17 July 1949) is a member of the missionary Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorist).

The following individuals were elected as Roman Catholic Bishop of Ballarat:

The diocese is bounded by the South Australian border (the Archdiocese of Adelaide and the Diocese of Port Pirie), the Murray River (the Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes) and the Southern Ocean. To the east is the Diocese of Sandhurst and the Archdiocese of Melbourne. The diocese has 52 parishes, 39 clergy and four parish leaders. The seat of the diocese is St Patrick's Cathedral, Ballarat.