Vicar General
The Vicar General of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne is Very Rev Joseph Caddy AM.
The role of the Vicar General is to assist the Archbishop and Bishops in the governance of the diocese. The priest appointed to the Office is to be known for his sound doctrine, integrity, prudence and practical experience (Canon 478 §1).
Very Rev Joseph Caddy AM
Vicar General
Fr Joe was ordained to the priesthood for the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne in 1990. He completed a Bachelor of Theology from Melbourne College of Divinity and holds degrees in Social Sciences from the Gregorian University Rome, where he focused his studies on Catholic social teaching and social ethics and economics.
From 2002-2013 he served as a part-time Chaplain in the Catholic Prison Ministry team of the diocese, providing the Sunday worship service and pastoral care to prisoners and families of inmates in Melbourne’s men’s maximum-security prisons.
From 2004-2017, he served as Chief Executive Officer of CatholicCare (Greater Melbourne, Geelong and Gippsland), where he was previously Director of Policy and Advocacy. During his time as CEO, Fr Joe oversaw significant organisational changes including the successful integration of diocesan pastoral services including healthcare chaplaincy, prison ministry and youth justice into the operations of CatholicCare.
Fr Joe has served on the board of Catholic Social Services Australia and was Chairman from 2003-2017. He has served on a number of advisory committees including the board of the Council to Homeless Persons Vic (1999-2004), Board of Governors, Australian Council of Social Services (1999-2004); the Ministerial Advisory Committee for Victorian Communities (2005-2007); the Department of Human Services Ministerial Roundtable for Juvenile Justice (2001-2008); was Chair of the Quality of Life and Social Justice Centre at Australian Catholic University (2005-2012), and was a member ofthe Commonwealth Government’s Expert Panel on Constitutional Recognition of Local Government (2011).
From 2013-2016 he was Parish Priest of All Saints Catholic Parish in Fitzroy, before being appointed Parish Priest of St Mary’s, St Kilda East in August 2016.
In June 2018, Fr Joe was recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list and awarded an Order of Australia Medal (AM) in the General Division for ‘significant service to the community through a range of social welfare initiatives and policy reforms, and to the Catholic Church in Australia’.
In addition to his role as Vicar General, Moderator of the Curia, Fr Joe is the Episcopal Vicar for Social Services in the Archdiocese of Melbourne.