Joe Caddy AM (born 14 January 1960) is an Australian

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

. He is currently the bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns The Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns is located in the state of Queensland, Australia. It is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Brisbane. The diocese was erected as a vicariate apostolic in 1877 and was elevated to a diocese in 1941. It ...

. He was previously

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vica ...

of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne is a Latin Church, Latin Rite Metropolitan Diocese, metropolitan archdiocese in Melbourne, Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Erected initially in 1847 as the Diocese of ...

Early life

Joseph John Caddy was born on 14 January 1960 in Melbourne, the first of six children to John and Patricia (née McMahon) and raised in Ivanhoe East. He attended St Stephen's Primary School in Reservoir East and then Cathedral College, East Melbourne and Parade College, Bundoora for his secondary schooling under the guidance of the Christian Brothers. After graduating, he enrolled to study commerce at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

before entering Corpus Christi College Seminary at Clayton, Melbourne in 1984.

Priesthood

Caddy was ordained a priest for the

Archdiocese of Melbourne The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne is a Latin Rite metropolitan archdiocese in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Erected initially in 1847 as the Diocese of Melbourne, a suffragan diocese of Archdiocese of Sydney, the diocese was el ...

on 25 August 1990 at St Patrick’s Cathedral Melbourne, Victoria]. After serving as an assistant priest at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Maidstone, he went to Rome in 1993 to study for a Baccalaureate and later a Liceniate in Social Sciences at the

Pontifical Gregorian University Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...

. He returned to Melbourne and served as a prison chaplain. He was administrator of CatholicCare Victoria from 2004 to 2017. He served as parish priest of All Saints, Fitzroy from 2014 to 2016, before being appointed to St Mary's, Saint Kilda East from 2016 to 2019. He was appointed Episcopal Vicar for Social Services in 2016 and Vicar General in 2019, while also serving as parish priest of Saint Carthage's, Parkville from 2021. Caddy was appointed a

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

in the

2018 Queen's Birthday Honours The 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as p ...

Episcopacy

On 6 June 2024, Pope Francis announced Caddy had been appointed Bishop of

Cairns Cairns (; ) is a city in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. In the , Cairns had a population of 153,181 people. The city was founded in 1876 and named after William Cairns, Sir W ...

. The seat had been vacant since 2022 following the resignation of Bishop James Foley, after being diagnosed with

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

, in 2019. Caddy was ordained and installed as the eighth Bishop of Cairns at

St Monica's War Memorial Cathedral St Monica's Cathedral (also known as St Monica's War Memorial Cathedral) is the cathedral of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Cairns. It is located at 183 Abbott Street, Cairns City, Cairns, Queensland, Australia. The cathedral was des ...

on 15 August 2024, by Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caddy, Joe 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Australia Roman Catholic bishops of Cairns Living people 1960 births Clergy from Melbourne Members of the Order of Australia