Peter William Ingham (14 January 1941 – 26 April 2024) was 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 was the fourth

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

of the Diocese of Wollongong, serving from 2001 to 2018. From March 2020 until December 2020, he served as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Broome.

Early years

Ingram was born in

Crows Nest, New South Wales Crows Nest is a suburb on the lower North Shore (Sydney), North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is also part of the North Sydney region, 5 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the Local government in Austr ...

, to George and Marjorie (née Hyndes) Ingham. His early education was completed at St Leonard's Primary School in Naremburn and St Pius X College in Chatswood. He studied for the priesthood at St Columba's Seminary in Springwood and St Patrick's Seminary, Manly. He was ordained a priest by Cardinal Gilroy at St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney, on 18 July 1964. Ingham served as an assistant priest in Rosebery, Newtown, St Mary's and Auburn South (all New South Wales). He was the private secretary to Cardinal Freeman and secretary of the Archdiocese of Sydney. Ingham was nominated as a monsignor by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

in 1986. In 1990 he was appointed parish priest of St Charles

Ryde Ryde is an English seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight. The built-up area had a population of 24,096 according to the 2021 Census. Its growth as a seaside resort came after the villages of Upper Ryde and ...

. He was appointed an auxiliary bishop in the Sydney archdiocese on 24 May 1993 and consecrated on 12 July by Cardinal Edward Clancy as the Titular Bishop of Pudentiana.

Bishop of Wollongong

Ingham was appointed to his

bishopric In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

on 6 June 2001 and installed as the fourth Bishop of Wollongong on 25 July 2001. Ingham was a member of the Bishops Commission for Liturgy and the Bishops Commission for Mission and Faith Formation. In 2006 he was elected President of the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of

Oceania Oceania ( , ) is a region, geographical region including Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Outside of the English-speaking world, Oceania is generally considered a continent, while Mainland Australia is regarded as its co ...

. In October 2008 he participated in the 12th Synod of Bishops at the Vatican. In September 2009, Ingham was appointed by Pope

Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, his resignation on 28 Februar ...

to participate in the Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops, themed "The Church in Africa, at the Service of Reconciliation, Justice and Peace", that was held from 4 to 25 October at the Vatican. On 16 March 2007, Ingham dedicated the renovated St Francis Xavier's Cathedral, Wollongong, as a sacred place, not previously undertaken by church officials despite over 162 years of service at the location.

Retirement and death

Ingham announced his retirement on 30 November 2017. Brian Mascord was immediately appointed to succeed Ingham as Bishop of Wollongong and was installed on 22 February 2018. Ingham died on 26 April 2024, at the age of 83.

Apostolic administrator of Broome

On 11 March 2020, Archbishop of Perth Timothy Costelloe released a statement confirming Ingham had been appointed apostolic administrator of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Broome The Diocese of Broome is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in Australia. The diocese covers the Kimberley and Pilbara regions of Western Australia. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of t ...

after Bishop of Broome Christopher Saunders, who was being investigated by the Vatican for sex abuse allegations, "voluntarily stood aside from the ordinary administration of the diocese."

Honours

In 2022, Ingham 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

2022 Queen's Birthday Honours The 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 15 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 pa ...

for "significant service to the Catholic Church in Australia".

References

External links

Bishop Peter William Ingham at Catholic Hierarchy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ingham, Peter 1941 births 2024 deaths 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Australia Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II Clergy from New South Wales Members of the Order of Australia People educated at St Pius X College, Sydney Roman Catholic bishops of Broome Roman Catholic bishops of Sydney Roman Catholic bishops of Wollongong