Biography Archbishop Anthony J Ireland

Born in Melbourne on 28 April 1957, Archbishop Ireland grew up in Caulfield as the eldest of three children. His early education was shaped by his time at St Aloysius Catholic Primary School in Caulfield and De La Salle College in Malvern.

In 1981, he entered Corpus Christi College Provincial Seminary and went on to earn a Bachelor of Theology from the Melbourne College of Divinity.

Ordained to the priesthood at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Melbourne, on 19 September 1987, Archbishop Ireland has dedicated his life to pastoral ministry, theological education, and leadership within the Church.

Further theological formation took him to Rome, where he earned a Master of Arts in Spiritual Theology from the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas, a Licentiate in Sacred Theology (Moral Theology) from the Pontifical Gregorian University, and a Doctor of Sacred Theology from the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas which was awarded Summa cum Laude.

His pastoral assignments included six parishes three of which he served as parish priest. He served as Dean of the Peninsula Deanery. For more than twenty years, he lectured in Moral Theology at Catholic Theological College and tutored for many years at Corpus Christi Seminary, where he became Dean of Studies in 2005 and was appointed Rector the following year, a position he held until 2009.

Prior to his appointment as a bishop, he served as Episcopal Vicar for the Eastern Region of the Archdiocese and Episcopal Vicar for Health, Aged and Disability Care.

On 14 May 2021, Pope Francis appointed him Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne and Titular Bishop of Carinola, and he was ordained Bishop on 31 July 2021. In this role, he contributed to the governance of the Archdiocese of Melbourne as a member of the Council of Priests, the College of Consultors, the Curia, and the board of the Catholic Development Fund. Additionally, he has chaired the Mannix College Council and Catholic Capital Grants (Victoria) Ltd.

At the national level, he chairs the Episcopal Panel for Doctrine and Morals of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. He has also been a member of the Bishops Commission for Catholic Education and the National Catholic Education Commission.

Archbishop Ireland’s other contributions include serving as Spiritual Director to the St Vincent de Paul Society Victorian State Council for eight years and currently being a Conventual Chaplain ad honorem of the Order of Malta. He is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Pope Leo XIV appointed Archbishop Ireland as Archbishop of Hobart on 20 June 2025.