Tasmania’s finest appointed Bishop of Ballarat

On the evening of 7 January 2026, Pope Leo XIV appointed Bellerive-Lindisfarne Parish Priest, Fr Mark William Freeman (66), as the Bishop of Ballarat, in Western Victoria. He will succeed Bishop Paul Bird CSsR who has shepherded the diocese since 2012.

Fr Mark received news of his appointment via a FaceTime call from the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Charles Balvo. It was agreed the announcement would be made on the anniversary of his parents’ wedding, in gratitude for the life and faith they nurtured in him.

“It is where it all began, really,” Fr Mark said.

He was ordained to the priesthood on 24 August 1984 at St Finn Barr’s Church Invermay, by Archbishop Sir Guilford Young, following his seminary formation at Corpus Christi College in Clayton, Victoria.

Congratulating Bishop-elect Freeman, Archbishop Tony Ireland of Hobart, said that the Archdiocese of Hobart is offering a significant gift to the Diocese of Ballarat:

“Fr Mark is one of Tasmania’s finest. He has served in every part of the Archdiocese and in its most senior leadership roles, providing wise counsel to three Archbishops, and carrying a living memory of the diocese. He will be a wonderful bishop for Ballarat. I wish him every blessing and success in his new ministry.”

Fr Mark said his greatest joy in priesthood has been listening to and sharing in the stories of faith and life of the People of God:

“I am very much looking forward to journeying together with the communities of faith that make up the Diocese of Ballarat,” he said.

Widely regarded as ‘a priest’s priest’, Fr Mark has served extensively in Clergy Life and Ministry and has led clergy retreats nationally.

“I am ready and willing to continue learning as I begin this new work in communion with the priests and people of Ballarat,” he said.

Fr Mark Freeman will be ordained to the episcopacy and installed as the ninth Bishop of Ballarat in mid-March 2026. Further details will be announced shortly.