The Roman Catholic Diocese of Wollongong is a suffragan Latin Rite diocese of the Archdiocese of Sydney, established in 1951, covering the Illawarra and Southern Highlands regions of New South Wales, Australia. St Francis Xavier's Cathedral, Wollongong is the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Wollongong, currently Brian Mascord. History On 15 November 1951, Pope Pius XII announced that a new diocese would be created from the two archdioceses of Sydney and Canberra & Goulburn. To be named Wollongong, the diocese was officially established on 11 February 1952. Bishop Thomas McCabe was transferred from Port Pirie to become its first bishop and the historic Church of St Francis Xavier in Wollongong became the cathedral. At the time of establishment, there was a Catholic population of approximately 22,000 in 18 parishes. While the Wollongong diocese is relatively recent, the churches of Campbelltown (1835), Appin (1837), Wollongong (1838), Picton (1847), Kiama (1852), Camden (1859), Shellharbour (1861), Nowra (1863), The Oaks (1865), Albion Park (1867), Bulli (1886), Berrima (1889) and Milton-Ulladulla (1890) trace their Catholic legacy back to the early times of European settlement and to the era of Archbishop John Bede Polding, Australia's first bishop. Initially, the diocese was composed of parishes in the Illawarra, Shoalhaven and Southern Highland regions. In 1954 it was expanded to include Camden and Campbelltown and in 1975 the parishes of Batemans Bay, Moruya and Narooma reverted to the Archdiocese of Canberra & Goulburn. The boundaries of the diocese have since remained the same. The most recently established parish is Oran Park (founded on 22 June 2015), which meets the borders of the Archdiocese of Sydney and the Diocese of Parramatta. Created out of Camden Parish, Oran Park was founded to meet the needs of the rapidly expanding population in the region. In 1959 Pope John XXIII dedicated the diocese to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Bishops Bishops of Wollongong The following individuals have been elected as Bishop of Wollongong: Other priest of this diocese who became bishop Peter Andrew Comensoli, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney in 2011 Cathedral Parishes The diocese is divided into ten deaneries that administer individual parishes, dedicated to particular saints: Illawarra deanery with regular liturgical services held in the parishes of Albion Park (St Paul), Fairy Meadow (St John Vianney Co-Cathedral), Gwynneville (St Brigid), Unanderra (Immaculate Conception), Warrawong (St Francis of Assisi), West Wollongong (St Therese), and Wollongong (St Francis Xavier)