Bishop Joseph Caddy AM
Biography of Bishop Joe Caddy AM
Eighth Bishop of Cairns
Joseph John Caddy was born on 14 January 1960, the first of six children to John and Patricia (née McMahon) Caddy who are both still living in the family home in Ivanhoe East where he was raised with his siblings Gerard, Anita, Delia, and Julian (all still living within the Archdiocese of Melbourne).
He had a Catholic education attending St Stephen’s Primary School in Reservoir East and then Cathedral College, East Melbourne and Parade College Bundoora for his secondary schooling under the guidance of the Christian Brothers.
Following his secondary education, he was accepted into the Commerce Faculty at the University of Melbourne before entering Corpus Christi College Seminary at Clayton, Melbourne in 1984. In 1988, he was awarded the degree of Bachelor of Theology by the Melbourne College of Divinity.
After ordination in 1990, Father Caddy was appointed, Assistant Priest at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Maidstone until 1993 when he went to Rome to study for a Baccalaureate and later a Liceniate in Social Sciences at the Pontifical Gregorian University.
On completion of his studies in Rome, Father Caddy returned to Melbourne where he served in a number of diocesan and national roles in social services. He was Chair of Catholic Social Services Australia from 2003 until 2013; served as a Prison Chaplain in Melbourne’s maximum security men’s prisons for eleven years from 2002 and held the role of Chief Executive Officer at CatholicCare Melbourne from 2004 to 2017.
In 2013, while continuing in the role of CEO at CatholicCare, he was appointed Parish Priest of All Saints Fitzroy where he remained until 2016 when he was appointed Parish Priest of St Mary’s, St Kilda East and Episcopal Vicar for Social Services and Justice. In 2019 he was appointed Vicar General in the Archdiocese of Melbourne and in 2021 Parish Priest of St Carthage’s Parish, Parkville while continuing in the role of Vicar General
In June 2018 Father Caddy was recognised in his appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia for “significant service to the community through a range of social welfare initiatives and policy reforms, and to the Catholic Church in Australia”
In June 2024 he was nominated by Pope Francis as the Bishop-elect for the Diocese of Cairns.
Coat of Arms
As is traditional, Bishop Caddy has adopted a personal coat of arms which he will use, usually impaled (joined) with the arms of the diocese, to identify and authenticate his official acts as Bishop of Cairns.
Bishop Caddy has adopted a coat of arms blazoned in the language of heraldry.
Arms: On a blue field a pelican in its piety (wounding its breast to draw blood with which to nourish its young) and at the top left, a carpenter’s set square and at top right, three gold passion nails meeting at the base.
Motto: Esurientes implevit bonis.
“He fills the hungry with good things” (Luke 1:53 and the Magnificat).
The Pelican in its piety wounding itself for the sake of its young symbolises self-sacrifice and has long been used in Christian traditions as a depiction of Jesus' sacrifice in dying on the cross. The symbol is taken from the arms of the Bishop’s Seminary, Corpus Christi College at Carlton in Victoria which is the Regional Seminary for Victoria and Tasmania. The eucharistic dimension is also reflected in the motto.
The carpenter’s square is an emblem of St Joseph and the three passion nails meeting at the tip are derived from the arms of the Caddy family from several locations in England, the Bishop’s family tracing itself back to Cornwall, which feature three piles engrailed meeting at the tip.
The combination of these two charges make these canting arms, arms parlant or arms which speak the name of the armiger, in this case Joseph Caddy.
Bishop-elect Joseph Caddy AM
Diocese of Cairns welcomes appointment of Bishop-elect Joe Caddy AM
Diocesan Administrator Fr Kerry Crowley has welcomed the appointment of the Very Reverend Joe Caddy AM VG as the 8th Bishop of Cairns. “I welcome Bishop-elect, Joe Caddy. His appointment is timely as we have waited and prayed for a ‘prayerful & pastoral Bishop”. Fr Joe’s background has been in grassroots ministry. He comes well-placed to grow the seeds already planted in the Cairns Diocese”.
Fr Caddy was ordained to the priesthood in the Archdiocese of Melbourne in 1990 and is currently the Vicar-General of the archdiocese.
“I am certain the people, religious, priests and agencies of the diocese will wholeheartedly welcome Bishop-elect Caddy,” Fr Crowley said.
“He brings with him a wealth of experience in pastoral care and is a passionate advocate for social justice, and I am sure will be a great asset for the diocese.”
Fr Caddy was born and raised in Melbourne. He holds a Bachelor of Theology from the Melbourne College of Divinity and degrees in Social Sciences from the Gregorian University in Rome, where he studied Catholic social teaching, social ethics and economics.
He served as CEO of CatholicCare (Greater Melbourne, Geelong and Gippsland) from 2004 to 2017, and was engaged in Victorian and national policy and program development in the areas of homelessness, juvenile justice, refugee and asylum seekers, disaster response, drug and alcohol treatment and local government.
In June 2018, Fr Joe was recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list when he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the General Division for “significant service to the community through a wide range of social welfare initiatives and policy reforms, the Catholic Church in Australia”.
As Vicar-General in the Archdiocese of Melbourne, he has taken a key role in revitalising the church and building the skills of clergy and lay people in the areas of leadership, pastoral care and administration.
Bishop James Foley retired as Bishop of Cairns in August 2022, having been appointed to the role in July 1992.
Services & Ministries
