Bishop Mark Benedict Coleridge

Bishop Mark Coleridge is the Titular Bishop of Teveste and Auxiliary Bishop in the Western Region of the Archdiocese of Melbourne.

Curriculum Vitae:

Birth:
25th September, 1948, at Melbourne. The third of five children of Bernard Coleridge (deceased) and Marjorie Harvey (living).

Primary Education:
Saint Joseph's School, Tranmere, South Australia,
And Rostrevor College, Adelaide.

Secondary Education:
Rostrevor College, Adelaide, and Saint Kevin's College, Toorak, in the Archdiocese of Melbourne.

Ecclesiastical Studies:
Corpus Christi College Werribee, Glen Waverley and Clayton, 1969-74.

Ordination to Priesthood:
St. Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne, 18th May 1974,
by Bishop John A. Kelly.

Appointments:

• Deacon, East St. Kilda, August 1973 - February 1974.
• Assistant Priest, Drysdale, 14th December 1974. Doncaster East, 25th January 1975. Ashburton, 18th June, 1977. Pascoe Vale, 26th January 1980.
• From July, 1980, he studied for a Licence in Sacred Scripture at the Biblicum in Rome, completing this Degree in June 1984. From June to December 1984, he studied at the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Jerusalem.
• 8th January 1985, on staff of Catholic Theological College, resided at Glen Waverley North and subsequently at Armadale.
• 1st February, 1988, returned to Rome to complete his Doctorate in Sacred Scripture.
• Doctorate in Sacred Scripture, April 1992. He became the first diocesan priest from the Archdiocese of Melbourne to receive this Degree.
• Lecturer at Catholic Theological College from 1992, where he was Deputy Master and resided at Armadale.
• At the end of 1994 official media spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Melbourne.
• 1995 Master of CTC
• From 1995 President of the Fellowship of Biblical Studies, Melbourne and foundation President of the Forum of Australian Catholic Institutes of Theology.
• Chair of the Board of Studies of the Melbourne College of Divinity.
• In 1996, he was appointed Master of Catholic Theological College.
• In 1997, he resided at the Cathedral presbytery.
• 1st January, 1998, he worked in the Secretariat of State, Vatican City.
• 7th December, 2001, Chaplain of His Holiness.
• 3rd May 2002, Pope John Paul II appointed him Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Melbourne and Titular Bishop of Teveste
• 2002 Appointed Bishop of the Western Region (including Geelong)
• 2002 Appointed Episcopal Vicar for Education and member of the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria
• 2002 Elected member of the Australian Bishops' Committee for Liturgy
• 2003 Elected Secretary of the Australian Bishops' Committee for Liturgy
• 2003 Elected member of the Australian Bishops' Committee for Education and member of the National Catholic Education Commission
• 2004 Appointed member of the Pontifical Council for Culture
• 2004 Appointed Chairman of the Roman Missal Editorial Committee of the International Commission for English in the Liturgy
• 2006 Appointed Chairman of the International Commission for the Preparation of an English-language Lectionary
• 2006 Elected Chairman of the Australian Bishops' Commission for Liturgy
• 2006 Elected member of the Australian Bishops' Commission for Doctrine and Morals

The Coat of Arms

The coat of arms is inspired by the motto Sanguis et Aqua, 'Blood and Water', taken from the Gospel of Saint John: 'One of the soldiers pierced his side with a lance and immediately there flowed forth blood and water' - a text which is itself inspired by the prophet Ezekiel's vision of the river flowing from the side of the Jerusalem Temple, turning death to life. For John, the body of the Crucified Lord is the new Temple where God's glory dwells.

The blue of the shield is symbolic of the heavens where there stream the blood and water flowing from the side of Christ as an eternal promise that there is no wound which cannot become a fountain. Set in the upper part of the shield is the Lion of Saint Mark, symbolising not only the Evangelist, but also the Gospel of which he was a servant. In the lower half of the shield is the star representing Mary, the Morning Star. Set beneath the Cross and the Gospel of her Son, she is the first believer and Mother of the Church.

Teveste

Teveste is in north eastern Algeria, in the Atlas Mountains not far from the Tunisian border. The city had some importance even prior to Christianity. During the first century of our era the Legio III Augusta resided there before being transferred to Lambaesis. It was made a 'colonia' probably under the emperor Trajan. There is mention of a council held there by the Donatists. Among its saints were Saint Lucius, its bishop, who in 256 assisted at the Council of Carthage and died for the faith two years later; Saint Maximilianus, martyred in 295; Saint Crispina, martyred in 304, (to whom a large basilica is dedicated). It survives today as the modern city of Tebessa, with over 100,000 people and many remains of Roman and Christian times.