The Oaks
We are a community of communities, drawn from many languages and cultures whoāthrough Baptism and the Holy Spiritāare committed to knowing, loving and serving Jesus Christ in the modern world.
Led by our local bishop, Brian Mascord, we are today some 191,000 baptised Catholics in the Illawarra, Macarthur, Shoalhaven and Southern Highlands regions of NSW, Australia.
Our diocese has been blessed with a rich diversityātraditional Aboriginal custodians, old settlers and newly-arrived migrants; rural, urban and industrial environments; coastal and highland settings; established townships and some of the fastest growing suburbs in Australia. Our diocese was established in 1951 from elements of the Archdiocese of Sydney and Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn. The first parishes in the dioceseāCampbelltown (1835), Appin (1837) and Wollongong (1838)ādate back to the early days of European settlement.
Although our diocese has a young history, the foundations of our Church go back 2,000 years to the person of Jesus Christ. The beauty and fullness of this Tradition has been handed down to usāand some3,000 other dioceses around the worldāin an unbroken line of popes from StPeter to Pope Francis. Together, we are one in Christ, seeking to be bearers of his saving love.
OUR MISSION
The purpose of our diocese is to propose Jesus Christ by fostering a communion of vibrant parish, school, welfare and religious communities that equip the faithful to carry out the mission of Christ in the world.
OUR VISION
The vision of our diocese is that everyone will encounter the love and mercy of the Father through Jesus Christ be accompanied by a community of believers and be equipped to share that encounter with others in the power of the Holy Spirit.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY
We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the Dharawal, Tharawal, Gundungurra and Yuin nations upon whose land our Catholic parishes, schools and agencies are built.
We recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Eldersāpast, present and emerging.

