The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham is one of the principal Latin-rite Catholic administrative divisions of

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is Eng ...

in the hierarchy of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. The archdiocese covers an area of , encompassing Staffordshire, the

West Midlands West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Av ...

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see H ...

and much of

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

as well as Caversham in

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

. The metropolitan see is in the

City of Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

at the Metropolitan Cathedral Church of Saint Chad. The

metropolitan province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of sever ...

includes the

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictiona ...

dioceses of

Clifton Clifton may refer to: People *Clifton (surname) *Clifton (given name) Places Australia * Clifton, Queensland, a town **Shire of Clifton *Clifton, New South Wales, a suburb of Wollongong *Clifton, Western Australia Canada *Clifton, Nova Scotia ...

and Shrewsbury. The Archbishop is

Bernard Longley Bernard Longley (born 5 April 1955) is an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was named the Archbishop of Birmingham on 1 October 2009, and installed on 8 December 2009. Early life and ministry Bernard Longley was born in Opens ...

, who was named the ninth Archbishop of Birmingham on 1 October 2009. He succeeds the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal

Vincent Nichols Vincent Gerard Nichols (born 8 November 1945) is an English cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, Archbishop of Westminster and President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. He previously served as Archbishop of Birm ...

(2000–09). Bishop Longley was installed as Archbishop of Birmingham at the Metropolitan Cathedral and Basilica of Saint Chad on 8 December 2009, the Solemnity of the

Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth w ...

and one of the patronal feasts of the Archdiocese, St Chad being the other.

History

Erected as the Vicariate Apostolic of the Midlands District in 1688, the vicariate grew very slowly until the advent of the industrial revolution. In response to large growth the name was changed in 1840 to the Vicariate Apostolic of Central District and a new vicariate created out of the eastern district. Finally, in September 1850, the vicariate was elevated to a full diocese, as the Diocese of Birmingham, along with the

Diocese of Nottingham The Diocese of Nottingham, England, is a Roman Catholic diocese of the Latin Rite and a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Diocese of Westminster. The diocese covers an area of , taking in the English counties of N ...

and the

Diocese of Shrewsbury The Roman Catholic Diocese of Shrewsbury is a Roman Catholic diocese in the Province of Birmingham which encompasses the pre-1974 counties of Shropshire and Cheshire in the North West and West Midlands of England. The diocese includes rural ar ...

. The diocese was then suffragan to the

Archdiocese of Westminster The Catholic Diocese of Westminster is an archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in England. The diocese consists of most of London north of the River Thames and west of the River Lea, the borough of Spelthorne (in Surrey), and th ...

. The Diocese of Birmingham was elevated to archdiocesan status on 28 October 1911.

Diocesan boundaries

The Archbishop of Birmingham, the Most Reverend Bernard Longley, has overall episcopal oversight of the diocese that is divided into three pastoral areas, each of which is headed by an auxiliary bishop and contains a number of deaneries: *Central and Western Pastoral Area (Area Bishop: The Right Reverend David Evans): Birmingham Cathedral, Birmingham East, Birmingham North, Birmingham South, Kidderminster, Worcester. *Northern Pastoral Area (Area Bishop: The Right Reverend Stephen Wright): Dudley, Lichfield, North Staffordshire, Stafford, Walsall, Wolverhampton. *Southern Pastoral Area (Area Bishop: vacant - covered by the Very Reverend Canon Paul Fitzpatrick VE): Banbury, Coventry, Oxford North, Oxford South, Rugby, Warwick.

Bishops

Ordinaries

Vicars Apostolic of the Midland District

Bonaventure Giffard Bonaventure Giffard (1642–1734) was a Roman Catholic bishop who served as the Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District of England from 1687 to 1703 and Vicar Apostolic of the London District of England from 1703 to 1734. Life He was the second ...

(1687-1703), appointed

Vicar Apostolic of the London District The Apostolic Vicariate of the London District was an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales. It was led by a vicar apostolic who was a titular bishop. The apostolic vicariate was created in 1688 and was dis ...

George Witham George Witham (16 May 1655 – 16 April 1725) was an English Roman Catholic bishop who served as the Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District, and, later, as the Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District. Early life He was born at Cliffe Hall, Cl ...

(1702-1716), appointed Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District *

John Talbot Stonor John Talbot Stonor (1678–1756) was an English Roman Catholic bishop who served as the Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District from 1715 to 1756. Born in 1678, he was appointed the Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District and Titular Bishop of ' ...

(1716-1756) *

John Joseph Hornyold John Joseph Hornyold (19 February 1706 – 26 December 1778) was an English Catholic bishop, titular Bishop of Phiomelia, and Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District, England for twenty-two years. Life Hornyold was descended from two ancient ...

(1756-1778) *

Thomas Joseph Talbot Thomas Joseph Talbot (14 February 1727 – 24 April 1795) was an English Roman Catholic bishop who served as the Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District from 1778 until his death in 1795. Life Thomas Talbot was born in Heythrop, Oxfordshire o ...

(1778-1795) *

Charles Berington Charles Berington (b. at Stock, Essex, England, 1748; d. 8 June 1798) was an English Roman Catholic bishop who served as the Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District from 1795 to 1798. Life At thirteen he was sent to the English College at Douai. ...

(1795-1798) * Gregory Stapleton (1800-1802) *

John Milner John David Milner (December 28, 1949 – January 4, 2000) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman and left fielder from to for the New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates and the Montreal E ...

(1803-1826) * Thomas Walsh (1826-1840), became

Vicar Apostolic of the Central District The Apostolic Vicariate of the Midland District (later of the Central District) was an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales. It was led by an apostolic vicar (or vicar apostolic) who was a titular bishop. Th ...

(''see below'')

Vicars Apostolic of the Central District

* Thomas Walsh (1840-1848), ''see above''; appointed

William Bernard Ullathorne William Bernard Ullathorne (7 May 180621 March 1889) was an English prelate who held high offices in the Roman Catholic Church during the nineteenth century. Early life Ullathorne was born in Pocklington, East Riding of Yorkshire, the eldest of ...

, O.S.B. (1848-1850); ''see below''

Bishops of Birmingham

* William Bernard Ullathorne, O.S.B. (1850-1888); ''see above'' *

Edward Ilsley Archbishop Edward Ilsley was born in May 1838. He was the Roman Catholic Bishop of Birmingham from 1888 to 1911, and then the first Archbishop of Birmingham from 1911 to 1921 when his resignation was accepted by the Pope. He died in 1926. Career ...

(1888-1911); ''see below''

Archbishops of Birmingham

* Edward Ilsley (1911-1921); ''see above'' * John McIntyre (1921-1928) *

Thomas Leighton Williams Thomas Cuthbert Leighton Williams (20 March 1877 – 1 April 1946) was an English clergyman who served in the Roman Catholic Church as the Archbishop of Birmingham from 1929 to 1946. He was born in Handsworth, Birmingham on 20 March 1877 to J ...

(1929-1946) *

Joseph Masterson Joseph Masterson (29 January 1899 – 30 November 1953) was an English Roman Catholic Clergyman and sometime Archbishop of Birmingham. Masterson was born in Ardwick, Manchester, England, the son of William Masterson, an Irish immigrant shopkee ...

(1947-1953) *

Francis Joseph Grimshaw Francis Edward Joseph Grimshaw (6 October 1901 – 22 March 1965) was a British Roman Catholic bishop, who served as Archbishop of Birmingham from 1954 until his death. Early life Born in Bridgwater, Somerset on 6 October 1901, the eldest ...

(1954-1965) *

George Patrick Dwyer George Patrick Dwyer (25 September 1908 – 17 September 1987) was an English prelate and the Archbishop Emeritus of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham, England. Dwyer served as the sixth Archbishop of Birmingham from 1965 to 1981, suc ...

(1965-1981) *

Maurice Noël Léon Couve de Murville Maurice Noël Léon Couve de Murville (27 June 1929 – 3 November 2007) was a French-born British Roman Catholic bishop. He was the seventh Archbishop of Birmingham from 25 March 1982 until his retirement on 12 June 1999, having formerly b ...

(1982-1999) *

Vincent Gerard Nichols Vincent Gerard Nichols (born 8 November 1945) is an English cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, Archbishop of Westminster and President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. He previously served as Archbishop of Birmin ...

(2000-2009), appointed Archbishop of Westminster ( Cardinal in 2014) *

(2009–present)

Coadjutor Vicars Apostolic

(1751-1756) *

(1766-1778) *

(1786-1795) * Thomas Walsh (1825-1826) *

Nicholas Wiseman Nicholas Patrick Stephen Wiseman (3 August 1802 – 15 February 1865) was a Cardinal of the Catholic Church who became the first Archbishop of Westminster upon the re-establishment of the Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales in 1850. Born ...

(1840-1847), appointed Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of the London District, later

and Archbishop of Westminster (elevated to Cardinal in 1850)

Auxiliary bishops

John Patrick Barrett John Patrick Barrett (31 October 1878 – 2 November 1946) was a British clergyman who held high office in the Roman Catholic Church. He was born on 31 October 1878 in Liverpool, England. He was educated at St Edward's College, Everton, and ...

(1926-1929), appointed Bishop of Plymouth *

Terence John Brain Publius Terentius Afer (; – ), better known in English as Terence (), was a Roman African playwright during the Roman Republic. His comedies were performed for the first time around 166–160 BC. Terentius Lucanus, a Roman senator, brought ...

(1991-1997), appointed Bishop of Salford * Humphrey Penderell Bright (1944-1964) * Robert John Byrne, C.O. (2014-2019), appointed Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle * Joseph Francis Cleary (1964-1987) *

Anthony Joseph Emery Anthony Joseph Emery (17 May 1918 – 5 April 1988) was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the sixth Roman Catholic Bishop of Portsmouth from 1976 to 1988. Life Born in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire in 1918, Emery ...

(1967-1976), appointed Bishop of Portsmouth * Michael Francis Glancey (1924-1925) * Bernard William Griffin (1938-1943), appointed Archbishop of Westminster (Cardinal in 1946) * Roger Francis Crispian Hollis (1987-1988), appointed Bishop of Portsmouth *

(1879-1888), appointed Bishop here * Leonard William Kenney, C.P. (2006-2021) * Patrick Leo McCartie (1977-1990), appointed Bishop of Northampton * David Christopher McGough (2005-2020) * John McIntyre (1912-1917), appointed official of the Roman Curia and titular archbishop; later returned here as Archbishop * Philip Pargeter (1989-2009) * Stephen James Lawrence Wright (2020-) * David Ernest Charles Evans (2020-)

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

Francis Kerril Amherst Francis Kerril Amherst, T.O.S.D., (21 March 1819, London – 21 August 1883) was an English Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Northampton in England. Life Francis Amherst was born in Marylebone, London 21 March 1819. He was the eldest son ...

, appointed Bishop of Northampton in 1858 * James Brown, appointed Bishop of Shrewsbury in 1851 *

David John Cashman David John Cashman (1912–1971) was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Arundel and Brighton from 1965 to 1971.

, appointed auxiliary bishop of Westminster in 1958 * Kieran Thomas Conry, appointed Bishop of Arundel and Brighton in 2001 * James Dey, appointed Vicar Apostolic of Great Britain, Military in 1935 * Edward Dicconson, appointed Vicar Apostolic of Northern District in 1740 * Kevin John Dunn, appointed Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle in 2004 * Joseph Gray, appointed auxiliary bishop of Liverpool in 1968 *

Frederick William Keating Frederick William Keating (13 June 1859 – 7 February 1928) was an English people, English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served first as Bishop of Northampton from 1908 to 1921, then Archbishop of Liverpool from 1921 to 1928. Biograp ...

, appointed Bishop of Northampton in 1908 * Edmund James Knight, appointed auxiliary bishop of Shrewsbury in 1879 * Kevin John Patrick McDonald, appointed Bishop of Northampton in 2001 * Patrick Joseph McKinney, appointed Bishop of Nottingham in 2015 * Francis George Mostyn, appointed Vicar Apostolic of Northern District in 1840 * David James Oakley, appointed Bishop of Northampton in 2020 * Richard Butler Roskell, appointed Bishop of Nottingham in 1853 *

Marcus Nigel Stock Marcus, Markus, Márkus or Mărcuș may refer to: * Marcus (name), a masculine given name * Marcus (praenomen), a Roman personal name Places * Marcus, a main belt asteroid, also known as (369088) Marcus 2008 GG44 * Mărcuş, a village in Dobâr ...

, appointed Bishop of Leeds in 2014 *

Francis Gerard Thomas Francis Gerard Thomas (20 May 1930 – 25 December 1988) was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the Bishop of Northampton from 1982 to 1988. Life Francis Gerard Thomas was born in Stone, Staffordshire on 20 May 1930. He ...

, appointed Bishop of Northampton in 1982 *

William Wareing Bishop William Wareing (14 February 1791 – 26 December 1865) was the first Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Northampton. Born at Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, and after studying at Oscott College, William Wareing was ordained as a Cat ...

, appointed Vicar Apostolic of Eastern District in 1840 * Henry Weedall, appointed Vicar Apostolic of Northern District in 1840; did not take effect

Education

Holy Trinity Catholic Academy of Stafford and Stone The Holy Trinity Catholic Academy of Stafford and Stone is a group of catholic schools based within Staffordshire. The Holy Trinity Catholic Academy of Stafford and Stone is currently running. This is used for event planning, and among other thi ...

References

External links

Archdioceses of Birmingham website
*Ardiocese of Birmingham Directory 2020 (CPMM Media Group, Liverpool, 2019) {{DEFAULTSORT:Birmingham Christianity in Birmingham, West Midlands Religious organizations established in 1688 Pope Pius IX Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 17th century 1688 establishments in England