<P> The Catholic Church in Australia is part of the worldwide Catholic Church under the spiritual and administrative leadership of the Holy See . The religion arrived in Australia with the First Fleet in 1788 , and since the 1960s , has remained stable at around one quarter of the Australian population . In 2016 , there were 5,439,268 Australian Catholics , representing 23 % of the overall population , and the Church was the single largest non-government provider of education , health , community and aged care services . Australia has 32 dioceses and 1,363 parishes . It has more than 180 congregations of sisters , brothers and religious priests , working in diverse vocations ranging from education , to health care , poverty alleviation , social justice , and cloistered contemplation . The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference , the national episcopal conference of the Catholic bishops of Australia , is headed by the Archbishop of Brisbane , Mark Coleridge , and there are two living Australian cardinals : the current Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy , George Pell , and the retired Edward Cassidy . One Australian has been recognised as a saint by the Catholic Church : Mary MacKillop , who co-founded the Josephite religious institute of sisters in the 19th century . </P>
<P> The Catholic Church in Australia is part of the worldwide Catholic Church under the spiritual and administrative leadership of the Holy See . The religion arrived in Australia with the First Fleet in 1788 , and since the 1960s , has remained stable at around one quarter of the Australian population . In 2016 , there were 5,439,268 Australian Catholics , representing 23 % of the overall population , and the Church was the single largest non-government provider of education , health , community and aged care services . Australia has 32 dioceses and 1,363 parishes . It has more than 180 congregations of sisters , brothers and religious priests , working in diverse vocations ranging from education , to health care , poverty alleviation , social justice , and cloistered contemplation . The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference , the national episcopal conference of the Catholic bishops of Australia , is headed by the Archbishop of Brisbane , Mark Coleridge , and there are two living Australian cardinals : the current Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy , George Pell , and the retired Edward Cassidy . One Australian has been recognised as a saint by the Catholic Church : Mary MacKillop , who co-founded the Josephite religious institute of sisters in the 19th century . </P>
how many catholic churches are there in australia
how many catholic churches are there in australia
32 dioceses 1,363 parishes
32 dioceses 1,363 parishes