THE Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane will be led by a bishop from outside the state for the first time in nearly 50 years. Melbourne-born and educated Mark Coleridge, 63, currently Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn, is to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Brisbane's Archbishop for 20 years, John Bathersby, in November last year.
Bishop of Lismore Geoffrey Jarrett took on the caretaker role of Apostolic Administrator of Brisbane from November 14.
Brisbane's last non-local archbishop was Irish-born Patrick O'Donnell, leader of the church in Brisbane from 1965 to 1973.
Archbishop Coleridge was ordained in 1974 and had a number of early appointments in Victoria, including a year as the media spokesman for the Archdiocese of Melbourne in the mid-1990s.
He is said to be very well regarded in the Vatican, where he served as an official in the Secretariat of State before he was appointed Bishop in 2001.
He served as chairman of the international editorial committee responsible for the new English translation of the Roman Missal, which came into use in Australian parishes last December.
Archbishop Coleridge said in a prepared statement he was, "heartened that Pope Benedict and others have chosen me as Chief Pastor of the Archdiocese of Brisbane."
"I will be following in the footsteps of some remarkable men," he said.
Archbishop Coleridge will be formally installed at a mass at St Stephen's Cathedral on May 11.