Bishop of Bathurst
Michael Joseph McKenna was ordained and installed as the eighth Bishop of Bathurst on 26 June 2009 by His Eminence George Cardinal Pell; Emeritus Bishop, the Most Rev Patrick Dougherty (Bathurst); and Emeritus Bishop, the Most Rev Jeremiah Coffey (Sale, Victoria). He was the first Bishop of Bathurst in 89 years to be ordained within the Diocese. At the time of his appointment to Bathurst, he was Chaplain to the University of Melbourne and Administrator of All Saints’ Parish in Fitzroy, Victoria. Bishop Michael was originally a priest of the Diocese of Sale and held various positions from his ordination in 1983, including as Rector of Corpus Christi College in Melbourne and two terms as Secretary General of the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference. Bishop McKenna’s motto is ‘Legato Con Amore’ (Bound with Love). The Bishop’s membership of various Commissions, Committees and Panels includes: • Bishop Secretary/Treasurer Bishops NSW/ACT – 2012-2018 • Member of the ACBC’s Commission for Administration and Information – 2013-2018 • Chair of the ACBC’s Commission for Christian Unity and Inter-Religious Relations – 2018-2025 • ACBC’s Membership Panel – 2022-2025 • ACBC’s Episcopal Panel for Canon Law – 2015-2017; 2022-2025 • Executive of the NSW Ecumenical Council – 2021-2025 • Pope Francis appointed Bishop McKenna to the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue in 2020 (to 2025) • In 2021 the Bishop was appointed as Bishop at Large to the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission (to 2023).