Canon Law – Public Juridic Person
Our governance structure comprises Catholic Healthcare – the Church entity. Catholic Healthcare was canonically established as a public juridic person by the Bishops of the Province of Sydney on 21 July 1994.
Our foundational responsibilities are enshrined in the Statutes of Catholic Healthcare and the norms of Canon Law. The governance of our public juridic person is entrusted to the Trustees who are elected by the members and who are responsible in Canon Law for the ownership and governance of the ministries and property of Catholic Healthcare. The Trustees fulfil this responsibility through the exercise of the reserve powers they hold as sole member of the civil legal entities through which these ministries are conducted.
Catholic Healthcare, the public juridic person, is comprised of the following members:
- Trustees of the Roman Catholic Church for the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn
- Brigidine Sisters, NSW Province
- Diocese of Bathurst
- Diocese of Lismore
- Diocese of Parramatta
- Diocese of Wollongong
- Institute of the Sisters of Mercy Australia and Papua New Guinea
- Maronite Diocese of St Maroun
- Little Company of Mary – Region of the Southern Cross
- Our Lady of Dolours Parish, Chatswood
- Trustees of Sisters of Mercy North Sydney
- Sisters of Perpetual Adoration
- Sisters of St Joseph (NSW)
- St Augustine’s Parish of Coffs Harbour
- St Thomas Aquinas Parish, Springwood
- St Raphael’s Blacktown Association
Civil Law – entities
The Trustees of Catholic Healthcare is a statutory body corporate created under the Roman Catholic Church Communities’ Lands Act (NSW) 1942 (the Act) and is the civil law entity of Catholic Healthcare, the public juridic person.
The Trustees of Catholic Healthcare (the civil body corporate) functions in a stewardship capacity to oversee the ministry of the organisation and to ensure that Catholic Healthcare’s mission is fulfilled. This body corporate is the sole member of the main operating entity, Catholic Healthcare Limited (CHL) through which the ministries are conducted. The Trustees appoint the Directors and the Chairman of CHL.
Catholic Healthcare Limited – is a not-for-profit public company limited by guarantee and is the civil entity providing Catholic Healthcare’s health care, aged care, retirement living, community and related services.