Fr George Kolodziej SDS appointed Bishop of Bunbury
On Monday, 6 January 2025, Pope Francis appointed Perth based Fr George Kolodziej SDS as the fifth Bishop of Bunbury. He succeeds Bishop Gerard Holohan in the role. Bishop Holohan led the diocese for 22 years until his retirement at the age of 75.
Fr George, 56, was born in Dobra, southern Poland, and has been the Superior of the Salvatorians in Australia since October 2018.
Fr George directs the Salvatorian Spirituality Centre in Perth and is a member of the Council of Catholic Religious Australia and the Council of Priests of the Archdiocese of Perth. He has served as a chaplain for Catholic Education Western Australia since January 2019.
Fr George’s engagement with the Salvatorians began when he entered the novitiate in September 1987. He made his perpetual profession in the Society of the Divine Saviour (SDS) in September 1992. Ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal Franciszek Macharski, Archbishop of Krakow, in 1994, he was appointed to the Australian region of the Salvatorians, where he undertook pastoral work in the Archdiocese of Perth and the Diocese of Bunbury.
Having served in the parish of Greenmount and Chisholm Catholic College, he was elected Vice Superior of the Salvatorian Region of Australia in December 1999.
In December 2000, Fr George began ministry in the Diocese of Broken Bay, serving as school chaplain at St Leo’s Catholic College (2001–2008), assistant priest at Pymble Parish (2001–2003), East Gosford Parish (2003–2008) and later parish priest of Pittwater Parish (2008–2018). He also held leadership roles, including as a member of the Council of Priests and the College of Consultors for the Diocese of Broken Bay.
He was active in youth ministry, organising World Youth Day pilgrimages and serving on the Australian National World Youth Day Committee. In 2017, he joined the Salvatorian Formation Commission and served as a spiritual father at the Salvatorian Formation House in Melbourne.
Fr George holds master’s degrees in theology and pastoral care/psychotherapy, along with a postgraduate diploma in addiction studies. As a psychotherapist at a rehabilitation centre on the NSW Central Coast, he provided counselling and support to men recovering from drug and alcohol addiction, combining his pastoral and professional expertise to guide individuals towards healing and recovery.
The ordination and installation service is expected to be held in March.
The Diocese of Bunbury was established in 1954 and covers south-west Western Australia with about one-sixth of the population of Western Australia. The diocese has 26 parishes and includes Bunbury, Busselton, Margaret River, and Albany.
Fr George is the second Salvatorian bishop to be appointed in Australia.