The Holy Father has appointed Monsignor Joseph John Caddy as Bishop of Cairns, ending a two-year vacancy in the see.
Bishop-elect Caddy has been Vicar General for the Archdiocese of Melbourne since 2019 and has a strong pastoral and administrative background, working as a parish priest, prison chaplain and social services administrator.
His appointment has been welcomed by many in the Diocese of Cairns, which hasn’t had a Bishop since the resignation of Bishop James Foley in early 2022.
“I welcome Bishop-Elect, Joe Caddy. His appointment is timely as we have waited and prayed for a ‘prayerful & pastoral Bishop,” said Fr Kerry Crowley, Diocesan Administrator for the Diocese of Cairns.
“I am certain the people, religious, priests and agencies of the diocese will wholeheartedly welcome Bishop-Elect Caddy.
“He brings with him a wealth of experience in pastoral care and is a passionate advocate for social justice, and I am sure will be a great asset for the diocese.”
The Diocese of Cairns was erected as a vicariate apostolic in 1877 and was elevated to a diocese in 1941. It covers around 380,000 square kilometres of north Queensland, an area the size of Japan.
“It is a huge area however I am sure Fr Joe will be a wonderful shepherd for the community,” said Bishop Anthony Randazzo, Bishop of Broken Bay. “Please join me as we pray for Bishop-Elect Joe Caddy.”
Bishop-Elect Caddy was born on 14 January 1960 and carried out his ecclesiastical studies at Corpus Christi Seminary in Melbourne. He was awarded a licentiate in social sciences from the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome.
He was ordained a priest on 25 August 1990 for the archdiocese of Melbourne. He served as a parish priest at Maidstone until 1993 and served as a prison chaplain for more than a decade.
He became administrator of CatholicCare of the Archdiocese of Melbourne in 2004 and served in that role until 2017. He was appointed episcopal vicar for social services in 2016 and Vicar General in 2019. He also served as parish priest for various parishes during this time.
In June 2018, Bishop-Elect Caddy was recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list and awarded an Order of Australia Medal (AM) in the General Division for ‘significant service to the community through a range of social welfare initiatives and policy reforms, and to the Catholic Church in Australia’.
‘I am deeply humbled by this appointment and wish to express my deepest thanks to all the Clergy and faithful of Melbourne, with whom I have shared all of my priestly ministry. It has been an absolute privilege for me to minister with you,” said Bishop-Elect Caddy.
‘I also offer my personal thanks for the support and encouragement of Archbishop Peter Comensoli over these past five years as his Vicar General and Episcopal Vicar for Social Services.’
Bishop-Elect Caddy is expected to begin in his new role in mid-August.
“The news of the appointment of Father Joe Caddy as the next bishop of Cairns will be greeted by the Catholic community in Cairns with great joy and a sense of expectation and renewed hope,” said Australian Catholic Bishops Conference President, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB.
“Fr Joe brings to this new mission and ministry a wealth of experience and many gifts which he will now put at the service of the people of his new diocese.
“He has, in recent years, served as Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Melbourne, and prior to this has been deeply involved in parish ministry and in the life and mission of the social outreach arm of the archdiocese. His many pastoral gifts will be deeply appreciated in Cairns.”
The details of Bishop-Elect Caddy’s consecration and installation will be announced in the coming days.