Bishop Peter Ingham

Bishop Peter grew up in Crows Nest and was educated by the Sisters of St Joseph at St Leonard’s and the Christian Brothers at St Pius X College Chatswood. In 1956 he entered St Columba’s Springwood where he completed his Leaving Certificate before beginning formation for the priesthood. In 1961 he transferred to St Patrick’s Manly where he was ordained a priest in 1964.

He served his first ten years as Assistant Priest in the Parishes of Rosebery, Newtown, St Marys and Auburn South. He was appointed Private Secretary to Cardinal Freeman (1974), General Secretary of the Archdiocese of Sydney in 1980, Parish Priest of Ryde 1990, Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney 1993, residing in Earlwood then Clemton Park.

In 2001 Pope John Paul II appointed him fourth Bishop of Wollongong. He is Pastor of St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral, St John Vianney’s Co-Cathedral and St Brigid’s Gwynneville Pastoral Region, of which Fr Ron is his Parish Administrator.

In the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Bishop Peter serves on two Bishops’ Commissions: for Liturgy; and for Mission and Faith Formation. In the State Province of Bishops, he represents the bishops on the Liaison Committee for Professional Standards.

As Bishop he works from the Marian Centre, the Catholic Church Offices in Market Street, Wollongong, with oversight of all that pertains to the whole Diocese which encompasses the Illawarra, the Shoalhaven, the Macarthur and the Southern Highlands.