The Catholic Church in the United Kingdom is part of the worldwide
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 ...
in
communion with the
Pope
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
. While there is no ecclesiastical jurisdiction corresponding to the political union, this article refers to the Catholic Church's geographical representation in mainland
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
as well as
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
, ever since the establishment of the UK's predecessor
Kingdom of Great Britain
The Kingdom of Great Britain (officially Great Britain) was a Sovereign state, sovereign country in Western Europe from 1 May 1707 to the end of 31 December 1800. The state was created by the 1706 Treaty of Union and ratified by the Acts of ...
by the
Union of the Crowns
The Union of the Crowns ( gd, Aonadh nan Crùintean; sco, Union o the Crouns) was the accession of James VI of Scotland to the throne of the Kingdom of England as James I and the practical unification of some functions (such as overseas dip ...
in 1707.
History
Anti-Catholicism
Starting with
Pope Pius V
Pope Pius V ( it, Pio V; 17 January 1504 – 1 May 1572), born Antonio Ghislieri (from 1518 called Michele Ghislieri, O.P.), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1566 to his death in May 1572. He is v ...
's
papal bull ''
Regnans in Excelsis
''Regnans in Excelsis'' ("Reigning on High") is a papal bull that Pope Pius V issued on 25 February 1570. It excommunicated Queen Elizabeth I of England, referring to her as "the pretended Queen of England and the servant of crime", declared h ...
'' in 1570 and lasting until 1766, popes did not recognise the legitimacy of the English monarchy and called for its overthrow. The Crown and government responded by treating Catholics as suspect. By the time of the creation of the
Kingdom of Great Britain
The Kingdom of Great Britain (officially Great Britain) was a Sovereign state, sovereign country in Western Europe from 1 May 1707 to the end of 31 December 1800. The state was created by the 1706 Treaty of Union and ratified by the Acts of ...
in 1707, Catholics were
discriminated against in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
and
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
in significant ways: in all the kingdoms of the
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...
, they were excluded from voting, from sitting in Parliament, and from the learned professions. These discriminatory laws continued after the
Acts of Union 1800
The Acts of Union 1800 (sometimes incorrectly referred to as a single 'Act of Union 1801') were parallel acts of the Parliament of Great Britain and the Parliament of Ireland which united the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Irela ...
, which created the new
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was a sovereign state in the British Isles that existed between 1801 and 1922, when it included all of Ireland. It was established by the Acts of Union 1800, which merged the Kingdom of Great B ...
in 1801. At that time,
Catholic Emancipation
Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in the kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland, and later the combined United Kingdom in the late 18th century and early 19th century, that involved reducing and removing many of the restricti ...
was gathering support but was not yet a reality, particularly in Ireland, where the
Protestant Ascendancy
The ''Protestant Ascendancy'', known simply as the ''Ascendancy'', was the political, economic, and social domination of Ireland between the 17th century and the early 20th century by a minority of landowners, Protestant clergy, and members of th ...
was still in full force.
The
Treaty of Union
The Treaty of Union is the name usually now given to the treaty which led to the creation of the new state of Great Britain, stating that the Kingdom of England (which already included Wales) and the Kingdom of Scotland were to be "United i ...
of 1707, like the
Act of Settlement
The Act of Settlement is an Act of the Parliament of England that settled the succession to the English and Irish crowns to only Protestants, which passed in 1701. More specifically, anyone who became a Roman Catholic, or who married one, bec ...
, had stated that no "
Papist
The words Popery (adjective Popish) and Papism (adjective Papist, also used to refer to an individual) are mainly historical pejorative words in the English language for Roman Catholicism, once frequently used by Protestants and Eastern Orthodo ...
" could
succeed to the throne. Restrictions on the civil rights of Catholics only began to change with the passing of the
Papists Act 1778
The Papists Act 1778 is an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain (18 George III c. 60) and was the first Act for Roman Catholic relief. Later in 1778 it was also enacted by the Parliament of Ireland.
Before the Act, a number of "Penal laws" ...
, which allowed them to own property, inherit land and join the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
, although even this measure resulted in the backlash of the
Gordon Riots
The Gordon Riots of 1780 were several days of rioting in London motivated by anti-Catholic sentiment. They began with a large and orderly protest against the Papists Act 1778, which was intended to reduce official discrimination against British ...
of 1780, showing the depth of continuing anti-Catholic feeling.
Emancipation
After 1790, a new mood emerged as thousands of Catholics fled the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
and Britain was allied in the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
with the Catholic states of Portugal and Spain as well as with the
Holy See
The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...
itself. By 1829, the political climate had changed enough to allow Parliament to pass the
Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829
The Catholic Relief Act 1829, also known as the Catholic Emancipation Act 1829, was passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom in 1829. It was the culmination of the process of Catholic emancipation throughout the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
, giving Catholics almost equal civil rights, including the right to vote and to hold most public offices.
The Catholic Church in England included about 50,000 people in traditional ("
recusant
Recusancy (from la, recusare, translation=to refuse) was the state of those who remained loyal to the Catholic Church and refused to attend Church of England services after the English Reformation.
The 1558 Recusancy Acts passed in the reign ...
") Catholic families. They generally kept a low profile. Their priests usually came from
St Edmund's College, a seminary founded in 1793 by English refugees from the French revolution. The main disabilities, as referenced above, were lifted by the Catholic Relief Act of 1829. In 1850 the pope restored the Catholic hierarchy, giving England its own Catholic bishops again. In 1869 a new seminary opened.
Another, larger group comprised very poor Irish immigrants escaping the
Great Irish Famine
The Great Famine ( ga, an Gorta Mór ), also known within Ireland as the Great Hunger or simply the Famine and outside Ireland as the Irish Potato Famine, was a period of starvation and disease in Ireland from 1845 to 1852 that constituted a ...
. Their numbers rose from 224,000 in 1841 to 419,000 in 1851, concentrated in ports and industrial districts as well as industrial districts in Scotland. A third group included well-known converts from the Church of England, most notably the intellectuals
John Henry Newman
John Henry Newman (21 February 1801 – 11 August 1890) was an English theologian, academic, intellectual, philosopher, polymath, historian, writer, scholar and poet, first as an Anglican ministry, Anglican priest and later as a Catholi ...
and
Henry Edward Manning
Henry Edward Manning (15 July 1808 – 14 January 1892) was an English prelate of the Catholic church, and the second Archbishop of Westminster from 1865 until his death in 1892. He was ordained in the Church of England as a young man, but con ...
(1808–1892). Manning became the second
Archbishop of Westminster. The next most prominent leader was
Herbert Vaughan
Herbert Alfred Henry Vaughan, MHM (15 April 1832 – 19 June 1903) was an English prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Westminster from 1892 until his death in 1903, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1893. He was th ...
(1832–1903), who succeeded Manning as Archbishop of Westminster in 1892 and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1893.
Manning was among the strongest supporters of the pope and especially of the doctrine of
papal infallibility
Papal infallibility is a dogma of the Catholic Church which states that, in virtue of the promise of Jesus to Peter, the Pope when he speaks ''ex cathedra'' is preserved from the possibility of error on doctrine "initially given to the aposto ...
. In contrast Cardinal Newman acknowledged this doctrine but thought it might not be prudent to define it formally at the time. Manning promoted a modern Catholic view of social justice. These views are reflected in the papal encyclical ''
Rerum novarum
''Rerum novarum'' (from its incipit, with the direct translation of the Latin meaning "of revolutionary change"), or ''Rights and Duties of Capital and Labor'', is an encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII on 15 May 1891. It is an open letter, pass ...
'' issued by
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...
, which became the foundation of modern Catholic social justice teaching. Catholic parochial schools, subsidised by the government, were set up in urban areas to serve the largely Irish element. Manning spoke for the Irish Catholic labourers and helped settle the
London dock strike of 1889
The London dock strike was an industrial dispute involving dock workers in the Port of London. It broke out on 14 August 1889, and resulted in victory for the 100,000 strikers and established strong trade unions amongst London dockers, one of whi ...
. He gained acclaim for building a new cathedral in Westminster and for encouraging the growth of religious congregations largely filled by the Irish.
Converts
A number of prominent individuals have converted to the Catholic Church, including
Edmund Campion
Edmund Campion, SJ (25 January 15401 December 1581) was an English Jesuit priest and martyr. While conducting an underground ministry in officially Anglican England, Campion was arrested by priest hunters. Convicted of high treason, he was h ...
,
Margaret Clitherow
Margaret Clitherow (1556 – 25 March 1586) was an English saint and martyr of the Roman Catholic Church, known as "the Pearl of York". She was pressed to death for refusing to enter a plea to the charge of harbouring Catholic priests. She was c ...
,
Charles II,
John Henry Newman
John Henry Newman (21 February 1801 – 11 August 1890) was an English theologian, academic, intellectual, philosopher, polymath, historian, writer, scholar and poet, first as an Anglican ministry, Anglican priest and later as a Catholi ...
,
Henry Edward Manning
Henry Edward Manning (15 July 1808 – 14 January 1892) was an English prelate of the Catholic church, and the second Archbishop of Westminster from 1865 until his death in 1892. He was ordained in the Church of England as a young man, but con ...
,
Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson,
Augustus Pugin
Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin ( ; 1 March 181214 September 1852) was an English architect, designer, artist and critic with French and, ultimately, Swiss origins. He is principally remembered for his pioneering role in the Gothic Revival st ...
,
Evelyn Waugh
Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh (; 28 October 1903 – 10 April 1966) was an English writer of novels, biographies, and travel books; he was also a prolific journalist and book reviewer. His most famous works include the early satires ''Decli ...
,
Muriel Spark
Dame Muriel Sarah Spark (née Camberg; 1 February 1918 – 13 April 2006). was a Scottish novelist, short story writer, poet and essayist.
Life
Muriel Camberg was born in the Bruntsfield area of Edinburgh, the daughter of Bernard Camberg, an ...
,
Gerard Manley Hopkins
Gerard Manley Hopkins (28 July 1844 – 8 June 1889) was an English poet and Jesuit priest, whose posthumous fame placed him among leading Victorian poets. His prosody – notably his concept of sprung rhythm – established him as an innovato ...
,
Siegfried Sassoon
Siegfried Loraine Sassoon (8 September 1886 – 1 September 1967) was an English war poet, writer, and soldier. Decorated for bravery on the Western Front, he became one of the leading poets of the First World War. His poetry both describ ...
,
G. K. Chesterton,
Ronald Knox
Ronald Arbuthnott Knox (17 February 1888 – 24 August 1957) was an Catholic Church in England and Wales, English Catholic priest, Catholic theology, theologian, author, and radio broadcaster. Educated at Eton College, Eton and Balliol Colleg ...
,
Graham Greene
Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading English novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquir ...
,
Malcolm Muggeridge
Thomas Malcolm Muggeridge (24 March 1903 – 14 November 1990) was an English journalist and satirist. His father, H. T. Muggeridge, was a socialist politician and one of the early Labour Party Members of Parliament (for Romford, in Essex). In ...
,
Katharine, Duchess of Kent
Katharine, Duchess of Kent, (born Katharine Lucy Mary Worsley, 22 February 1933) is a member of the British royal family. She is married to Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, a grandson of King George V.
The Duchess of Kent converted to Roman Cath ...
,
Kenneth Clark
Kenneth Mackenzie Clark, Baron Clark (13 July 1903 – 21 May 1983) was a British art historian, museum director, and broadcaster. After running two important art galleries in the 1930s and 1940s, he came to wider public notice on television ...
, and
Joseph Pearce
Joseph Pearce (born February 12, 1961), is an English-born American writer, and Director of the Center for Faith and Culture at Aquinas College in Nashville, Tennessee, before which he held positions at Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in ...
. Members of the Royal family such as the
Duchess of Kent
Duchess of Kent is the principal courtesy title used by the wife of the Duke of Kent. There have been four titles referring to Kent since the 18th century. The current duchess is Katharine, the wife of Prince Edward. He inherited the dukedom ...
and former Prime Minister
Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
have also converted to the Catholic Church, in Blair's case in December 2007 after he had left office.
Since the establishment of the
Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham
The Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham in England and Wales is a personal ordinariate in the Latin Church of the Catholic Church immediately exempt, being directly subject to the Holy See. It is within the territory of the Catholic B ...
, over 3000 former
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
s have been received into the
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 ...
by this path.
Organisation
There are 38
ecclesiastical circumscriptions and 3,104
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
es.
Statistics
In 2011, in total there were roughly 5.7 million Catholics (9.1%) in the United Kingdom: 4,155,100 in
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 ...
(7.4%), 841,053 in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
(15.9%),
and 738,033 in
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
(40.76%). According to a survey conducted by Pew Research Center in 2015-2017, 19% of adults in the UK identify themselves as Catholic.
In large parts of Northern Ireland, Catholicism is the dominant religion. Also in a few Scottish council areas Catholics outnumber other religions, including in the most populous one: Catholics outnumber members of the
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland.
The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...
in
Glasgow City (27% versus 23%). Other council areas in which Catholics outnumber members of the Church of Scotland are
North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire ( sco, North Lanrikshire; gd, Siorrachd Lannraig a Tuath) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the northeast of the City of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's suburbs and commuter towns and villages. It also ...
,
Inverclyde
Inverclyde ( sco, Inerclyde, gd, Inbhir Chluaidh, , "mouth of the Clyde") is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Together with the East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire council areas, Inverclyde forms part of the histo ...
, and
West Dunbartonshire
West Dunbartonshire ( sco, Wast Dunbairtonshire; gd, Siorrachd Dhùn Breatann an Iar, ) is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. The area lies to the west of the City of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's commuter town ...
, according to the 2011
Scottish Census
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
.
In 2011 according to a
YouGov
YouGov is a British international Internet-based market research and data analytics firm, headquartered in the UK, with operations in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. In 2007, it acquired US company Polimetrix, and sinc ...
poll, 70% of British Catholics believed a woman should be able to have an abortion. Some 90% of Catholic worshippers supported contraceptives being widely available.
According to a 2015 YouGov poll, 50% of religious British Catholics supported
same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...
and 40% opposed it. According to a
Pew Research Center
The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan American think tank (referring to itself as a "fact tank") based in Washington, D.C.
It provides information on social issues, public opinion, and demographic trends shaping the United States and the w ...
poll 78% of UK Catholics support same-sex marriage while 21% oppose it. The same poll maintains that 86% of UK Catholics believe society should accept
homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...
, while 12% believe society should not accept homosexuality.
Catholic saints of the United Kingdom
Saints and Doctors of the Church, notable and Pre-Reformation:
*
Alban (d. 251 or 304),
protomartyr
A protomartyr (Koine Greek, ''πρότος'' ''prótos'' "first" + ''μάρτυρας'' ''mártyras'' "martyr") is the first Christian martyr in a country or among a particular group, such as a religious order. Similarly, the phrase the Protom ...
*
David
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
(500–589), monk, bishop, and teacher
*
Patrick Patrick may refer to:
* Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name
* Patrick (surname), list of people with this name
People
* Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint
*Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick ...
(late 5th century), missionary, 'Apostle to Ireland'
*
Augustine of Canterbury
Augustine of Canterbury (early 6th century – probably 26 May 604) was a monk who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 597. He is considered the "Apostle to the English" and a founder of the English Church.Delaney '' ...
(d. 605), Professed Religious Priest of the Order of St Benedict, bishop
*
Padarn
Padarn ( la, Paternus, Padarnus; cy, Padarn; br, Padern; ? – 550 AD) was an early 6th century British Christian abbot-bishop who founded St Padarn's Church in Ceredigion, Wales. He appears to be one and the same with the first bishop of Bra ...
, early 6th century, bishop
*
Cuthbert
Cuthbert of Lindisfarne ( – 20 March 687) was an Anglo-Saxon saint of the early Northumbrian church in the Celtic tradition. He was a monk, bishop and hermit, associated with the monasteries of Melrose and Lindisfarne in the Kingdom of Nort ...
(c.634–687), missionary and bishop
*
Æthelthryth
Æthelthryth (or Æðelþryð or Æþelðryþe; 23 June 679 AD) was an East Anglian princess, a Fenland and Northumbrian queen and Abbess of Ely. She is an Anglo-Saxon saint, and is also known as Etheldreda or Audrey, especially in religious ...
(c.636-679), Anglo-Saxon princess
*
Bede
Bede ( ; ang, Bǣda , ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, The Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable ( la, Beda Venerabilis), was an English monk at the monastery of St Peter and its companion monastery of St Paul in the Kingdom o ...
(672?–735), Professed Religious Priest of the Order of St Benedict,
Doctor of the Church
Doctor of the Church (Latin: ''doctor'' "teacher"), also referred to as Doctor of the Universal Church (Latin: ''Doctor Ecclesiae Universalis''), is a title given by the Catholic Church to saints recognized as having made a significant contribu ...
*
Dunstan
Saint Dunstan (c. 909 – 19 May 988) was an English bishop. He was successively Abbot of Glastonbury, Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey, Bishop of Worcester, Bishop of London and Archbishop of Canterbury, later canonised as a saint. His work restor ...
(909–988), abbot, bishop, archbishop
*
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor ; la, Eduardus Confessor , ; ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was one of the last Anglo-Saxon English kings. Usually considered the last king of the House of Wessex, he ruled from 1042 to 1066.
Edward was the son of Æth ...
(1003–1066), king
*
Anselm (1033–1109), Professed Religious Priest of the Order of St Benedict, archbishop, Doctor of the Church
*
Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), was an English nobleman who served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then ...
(1118–1170), bishop and martyr
*
Richard of Chichester
Richard of Chichester (1197 – 3 April 1253), also known as Richard de Wych, is a saint (canonized 1262) who was Bishop of Chichester.
In Chichester Cathedral a shrine dedicated to Richard had become a richly decorated centre of pilgrimag ...
(1197–1253), bishop
*
Simon Stock
Simon Stock, O.Carm was an English Catholic priest and saint who lived in the 13th century and was an early prior of the Carmelite order. The Blessed Virgin Mary is traditionally said to have appeared to him and given him the Carmelite habit, t ...
(1165–1265), Carmelite Friar
Saints from the period of the Reformation to the present:
*
John Fisher
John Fisher (c. 19 October 1469 – 22 June 1535) was an English Catholic bishop, cardinal, and theologian. Fisher was also an academic and Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. He was canonized by Pope Pius XI.
Fisher was executed by o ...
– (1469–1535), Bishop of Rochester; Cardinal
*
Thomas More
Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. He also served Henry VIII as Lord ...
– (1478–1535), Married Layperson of the Archdiocese of Westminster
*
John Houghton – (1487–1535), Professed Priest of the Carthusians
*
Robert Lawrence – (d. 1535), Professed Priest of the Carthusians
*
Augustine Webster
Augustine Webster (died 4 May 1535) was an English Catholic martyr. He was the prior of Our Lady of Melwood, a Carthusian house at Epworth, on the Isle of Axholme, in north Lincolnshire, in 1531. His feast day is 4 May.
Background
At the out ...
– (d. 1535), Professed Priest of the Carthusians
*
Richard Reynolds – (d. 1535), Professed Priest of the Carthusians
*
John Stone – (d.1539), Professed Priest of the Augustinians
*
Cuthbert Mayne
Cuthbert Mayne (c. 1543–29 November 1577) was an English Roman Catholic priest executed under the laws of Elizabeth I. He was the first of the seminary priests, trained on the Continent, to be martyred. Mayne was beatified in 1886 and canonise ...
– (1544–1577), Priest of the Apostolic Vicariate of England
*
Edmund Campion
Edmund Campion, SJ (25 January 15401 December 1581) was an English Jesuit priest and martyr. While conducting an underground ministry in officially Anglican England, Campion was arrested by priest hunters. Convicted of high treason, he was h ...
– (1540–1581), Professed Priest of the Jesuits
*
Ralph Sherwin
Sherwin (25 October 1550 – 1 December 1581) was an English Roman Catholic priest, executed in 1581. He is a Catholic martyr and saint.
Early years and education
Sherwin was born at Rodsley, Derbyshire to John and Constance Sherwin and ...
– (1550–1581), Priest of the Apostolic Vicariate of England
*
Alexander Briant
Alexander Briant (17 August 1556 – 1 December 1581) was an English Jesuit and martyr, executed at Tyburn.
Life
He was born in Somerset, and entered Hart Hall, Oxford (now Hertford College), at an early age. While there, he became a p ...
– (1556–1581), Professed Priest of the Jesuits
*
John Paine – (d. 1582), Priest of the Apostolic Vicariate of England
*
Luke Kirby
Luke Farrell Kirby (born June 29, 1978) is a Canadian actor. In 2019, he won a Primetime Emmy Award for his guest role as Lenny Bruce on the television series ''The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel''.
Early life
Kirby was born in Hamilton, Ontario, to ...
– (1549–1582), Priest of the Apostolic Vicariate of England
*
Richard Gwyn
Richard Gwyn (ca. 1537 – 15 October 1584), also known by his anglicised name, Richard White, was a Welsh teacher at illegal and underground schools and a Bard who wrote both Christian and satirical poetry in the Welsh language. A Ro ...
– (1537–1584), Married Layperson of the Apostolic Vicariate of England
*
Margaret Clitherow née Middleton – (1550–1586), Married Layperson of the Apostolic Vicariate of England
*
Margaret Ward
Margaret Ward (c. 1550-30 August 1588), the "pearl of Tyburn", was an English Roman Catholic Church, Catholic martyr who was executed during the reign of Elizabeth I of England, Elizabeth I for assisting a Clergy, priest to escape from prison ...
– (d. 1588), Layperson of the Apostolic Vicariate of England
*
Edmund Gennings
Edmund Gennings, sometimes called ''Edmund Jennings'', (1567 – 10 December 1591), was an English martyr, who was executed during the English Reformation for being a Roman Catholic priest. He came from Lichfield, Staffordshire.
Life
Genning ...
– (1567–1591), Priest of the Apostolic Vicariate of England
*
Swithun Wells
Swithun Wells (c. 1536 – 10 December 1591) was an English Roman Catholic martyr who was executed during the reign of Elizabeth I. Wells was a country gentleman and one time schoolmaster whose family sheltered hunted priests. He himself often ...
– (1536–1591), Priest of the Apostolic Vicariate of England
*
Eustace White
Eustace White (1559 - 1591) was a Catholic priest. Due to his service he was put on trial in December 1591 and subsequently hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn on 10 December 1591, along with another priest and three laymen. He is one of the ...
– (d. 1591), Priest of the Apostolic Vicariate of England
*
Polydore Plasden
Polydore Plasden (1563–1591) was one of the Catholic Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. A native of London, he studied for the priesthood at Rheims and Rome and was ordained in 1586 before being sent back to England soon after.
Life
Po ...
– (d. 1591), Priest of the Apostolic Vicariate of England
*
John Boste
John Boste (c. 1544 – 24 July 1594) is a saint in the Catholic Church, and one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
Life
John Boste was born in Dufton, Westmorland around 1544, the son of Nicholas Boste, landowner of Dufton and Penri ...
– (1543–1582), Priest of the Apostolic Vicariate of England
*
Robert Southwell – (1561–1595), Professed Priest of the Jesuits
*
Henry Walpole
Henry Walpole (1558 – 7 April 1595) was an English Jesuit martyr, executed at York for refusing to take the Oath of Supremacy.
Early life
Walpole was born at Docking, Norfolk, in 1558, the eldest son of Christopher Walpole, by Margery, heir ...
– (1558–1595), Professed Priest of the Jesuits
*
Philip Howard – (1557–1595), Married Layperson of the Apostolic Vicariate of England
*
John Jones – (1559–1598), Professed Priest of the Franciscan Friars Minor (Observants)
*
John Rigby – (d. 1600), Layperson of the Apostolic Vicariate of England
*
Anne Line née Higham – (1565–1601), Married Layperson of the Apostolic Vicariate of England
*
Nicholas Owen – (1550–1606), Professed Priest of the Jesuits
*
Thomas Garnet
Thomas Garnet (9 November 1575 – 23 June 1608) was a Jesuit priest who was executed in London. He is the protomartyr (i.e., the first martyr associated with a place) of Saint Omer and of Stonyhurst College. He was executed at Tyburn an ...
– (1575–1608), Professed Priest of the Jesuits
*
John Roberts
John Glover Roberts Jr. (born January 27, 1955) is an American lawyer and jurist who has served as the 17th chief justice of the United States since 2005. Roberts has authored the majority opinion in several landmark cases, including ''Nati ...
– (1576–1610), Professed Priest of the Benedictines
*
John Almond – (1577–1612), Priest of the Apostolic Vicariate of England
*
John Ogilvie – (1579–1615), Professed Priest of the Jesuits
*
Edmund Arrowsmith
Edmund Arrowsmith ''(baptized as "Brian Arrowsmith")'', SJ (c. 1585 – 28 August 1628) was one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales of the Catholic Church. The main source of information on Arrowsmith is a contemporary account written ...
– (1585–1628), Professed Priest of the Jesuits
*
Edward Barlow – (1585–1641), Professed Priest of the Benedictines
*
Bartholomew Roe
Alban Roe (20 July 1583 – 21 January 1642) was an English Benedictine priest, remembered as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
Early life
Bartholomew Roe was born in 1583, in Suffolk. He was brought up a Protestant and with his ...
– (1583–1642), Professed Priest of the Benedictines
*
Henry Morse
Henry may refer to:
People
*Henry (given name)
* Henry (surname)
* Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry
Royalty
* Portuguese royalty
** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal
** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...
– (1595–1645), Professed Priest of the Jesuits
*
John Southworth – (1592–1654), Priest of the Apostolic Vicariate of England
*
William Plessington – (1637–1679), Priest of the Apostolic Vicariate of England
*
Philip Evans – (1645–1679), Professed Priest of the Jesuits
*
John Lloyd – (1630–1679), Priest of the Apostolic Vicariate of England
*
John Henry Newman
John Henry Newman (21 February 1801 – 11 August 1890) was an English theologian, academic, intellectual, philosopher, polymath, historian, writer, scholar and poet, first as an Anglican ministry, Anglican priest and later as a Catholi ...
– (1801–1890), Professed Priest of the Oratory, Theologian, Philosopher, Cardinal
*
John Wall
Johnathan Hildred Wall Jr. (born September 6, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A Raleigh, North Carolina native, Wall was chosen with the first overa ...
– (1620–1679), Professed Priest of the Franciscan Friars Minor (Recollects)
*
John Kemble – (1599–1679), Priest of the Apostolic Vicariate of England
*
David Lewis – (1616–1679), Professed Priest of the Jesuits
Blesseds
*
Margaret Pole
Margaret Plantagenet, Countess of Salisbury (14 August 1473 – 27 May 1541), also called Margaret Pole, as a result of her marriage to Sir Richard Pole, was the only surviving daughter of George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, a brother ...
– (1473–1541), Martyr, Countess of Salisbury
*
Dominic Barberi
Dominic Barberi, CP (22 June 1792 – 27 August 1849) was an Italian theologian and a member of the Passionist Congregation prominent in spreading Catholicism in England. He contributed to the conversion of John Henry Newman. In 1963, he was ...
– (1792–1849), Professed Priest of the Passionists
*
Ralph Crockett – (1550–1588), Seminary Priest and Martyr
Venerables
*
Mary Potter
Mother Mary Potter (22 November 1847 – 9 April 1913) founded the sisters of the Little Company of Mary in 1877. On 8 February 1988, Pope John Paul II proclaimed her Venerable.
Early life
Mary Potter was born in a rented house at 23 O ...
– (1847–1913), Founder of the Little Company of Mary
*
Margaret Sinclair – (1900–1925), Professed Religious of the Poor Clare Colettine Nuns
*
Joan Ward – (1585–1645), Founder of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Loreto Sisters) and Congregatio Iesu
*
Elizabeth Prout
Elizabeth Prout, also known as Mother Mary Joseph of Jesus, (2 September 1820 – 11 January 1864) was the founder of the Catholic religious institute originally called the Institute of the Holy Family but known later as the Passionist Sisters or ...
- (1820-1864), Founder of the Sisters of the Cross and the Passion
*
George Spencer - (1799-1864), Professed Priest of the Passionists
["English convert priest and royal relative step closer to sainthood," ''Catholic Herald'', February 20, 2021]
Servants of God
*
Margaret Hallahan – (1802–1868), Founder of the Dominican Sisters of the English Congregation of Saint Catherine of Siena
*
Frances Taylor – (1832–1900), Founder of the Poor Servants of the Mother of God
*
Teresa Helena Higginson – (1844–1905), Layperson of the Archdiocese of Liverpool
See also
*
Anti-Catholicism in the United Kingdom
Anti-Catholicism in the United Kingdom dates back to the English and Irish Reformations which were launched by King Henry VIII and the Scottish Reformation which was led by John Knox. Within England, the Act of Supremacy 1534 declared the Engl ...
*
Catholic Schools (UK)
In the United Kingdom, there are many 'local authority maintained' (i.e. state funded) Roman Catholic schools. These are theoretically open to pupils of all faiths or none, although if the school is over-subscribed priority will be given to Roma ...
*
List of Catholic dioceses in Great Britain
*
List of Catholic dioceses in the United Kingdom
*
List of Roman Catholic churches in the United Kingdom
A list of Catholic churches in the United Kingdom, notable current and former individual church buildings and congregations and administration. These churches are listed buildings or have been recognised for their historical importance, or are ...
*
Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham
The Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham in England and Wales is a personal ordinariate in the Latin Church of the Catholic Church immediately exempt, being directly subject to the Holy See. It is within the territory of the Catholic B ...
*
Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the United Kingdom
The state visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the United Kingdom was held from 16 to 19 September 2010 and was the first visit by a Pope to Britain after Pope John Paul II made a pastoral, rather than state, visit in 1982. The visit included the beat ...
England and Wales
*
Catholic Church in England and Wales
The Catholic Church in England and Wales ( la, Ecclesia Catholica in Anglia et Cambria; cy, Yr Eglwys Gatholig yng Nghymru a Lloegr) is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See. Its origins date from the 6th ce ...
*
English Reformation
The English Reformation took place in 16th-century England when the Church of England broke away from the authority of the pope and the Catholic Church. These events were part of the wider European Protestant Reformation, a religious and poli ...
*
List of English cardinals
This is a list of cardinals of the Catholic Church from England. It does not include cardinals of non-English national origin appointed to English ecclesiastical offices such as the cardinal protectors of England.
Dates in parentheses are the d ...
*
List of monastic houses in England
Monastic houses in England include abbeys, priories and friaries, among other monastic religious houses.
The sites are listed by modern ( post-1974) county.
Overview
The list is presented in alphabetical order ceremonial county. Foundations ...
*
List of monastic houses in Wales
List of monastic houses in Wales is a catalogue of abbeys, priories, friaries and other monastic religious houses in Wales.
In this article, alien houses are included, as are smaller establishments such as cells and notable monastic granges ...
Scotland
*
Catholic Church in Scotland
The Catholic Church in Scotland overseen by the Scottish Bishops' Conference, is part of the worldwide Catholic Church headed by the Pope. After being firmly established in Scotland for nearly a millennium, the Catholic Church was outlawed fo ...
*
Scottish Reformation
The Scottish Reformation was the process by which Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland broke with the Pope, Papacy and developed a predominantly Calvinist national Church of Scotland, Kirk (church), which was strongly Presbyterianism, Presbyterian in ...
*
List of monastic houses in Scotland
List of monastic houses in Scotland is a catalogue of the abbeys, priories, friaries and other monastic religious houses of Scotland.
In this article alien houses are included, as are smaller establishments such as cells and notable monasti ...
Ireland
*
Catholic Church in Ireland
, native_name_lang = ga
, image = Armagh, St Patricks RC cathedral.jpg
, imagewidth = 200px
, alt =
, caption = St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh.
, abbreviation =
, type ...
*
List of Catholic dioceses in Ireland
This is a comprehensive list of Roman Catholic Church, Roman Catholic dioceses in Ireland, the island of Ireland. Roman Catholicism in Ireland comprises only a Latin rite hierarchy, encompassing both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, ...
*
Reformation in Ireland
The Reformation in Ireland was a movement for the reform of religious life and institutions that was introduced into Ireland by the English administration at the behest of King Henry VIII of England. His desire for an annulment of his marriage wa ...
*
List of Catholic churches in Ireland
A list of Catholic churches in Ireland, notable current and former individual church buildings and congregations and administration of the Catholic Church in Ireland. These churches are listed buildings or have been recognised for their historica ...
*
List of monastic houses in Ireland
This is a list of the abbeys, priories, friaries and other monastic religious houses in Ireland.
This article provides a gazetteer for the whole of Ireland.
Links to individual county lists
''To navigate the listings on this page, use th ...
References
Further reading
* Beck, George Andrew, ed. ''The English Catholics, 1850–1950'' (1950), scholarly essays
* Corrin, Jay P. ''Catholic Progressives in England After Vatican II'' (University of Notre Dame Press; 2013) 536 pages;
* Dures, Alan. ''English Catholicism, 1558–1642: Continuity and Change'' (1983)
* Harris, Alana. ''Faith in the Family: A Lived Religious History of English Catholicism, 1945–1982'' (2013); the impact of the Second Vatican Council on the ordinary believer
* Heimann, Mary. ''Catholic Devotion in Victorian England'' (1995
online* Hughes, Philip. ''The Catholic Question, 1688–1829: A Study in Political History'' (1929)
* Latourette, Kenneth Scott. ''Christianity in a Revolutionary Age. Vol. I: The 19th Century in Europe; Background and the Roman Catholic Phase'' (1958), pp 451–59
* Latourette, Kenneth Scott. ''Christianity in a Revolutionary Age. Vol. IV: The 20th Century in Europe; The Roman Catholic, Protestant and Eastern Churches'' (1961) pp 210–20
* McClelland, Vincent Alan. ''Cardinal Manning: the Public Life and Influences, 1865–1892'' (1962)
* Mathew, David. ''Catholicism in England: the portrait of a minority: its culture and tradition'' (1955)
* Mullet, Michael. ''Catholics in Britain and Ireland, 1558–1829'' (1998) 236pp
* Watkin, E. I ''Roman Catholicism in England from the Reformation to 1950'' (1957)
Primary sources
* Mullet, Michael. ''English Catholicism, 1680–1830'' (2006) 2714 pages
* Newman, John Henry. ''Lectures on the Present Position of Catholics in England'' (University of Notre Dame Press, 2000) 585pp; based on 6th edition of 1889
External links
Catholic Church in England and WalesCatholic Church in IrelandCatholic Church in ScotlandHoly See — Vatican's official websiteDirectory of all Catholic Churches, Schools, Religious Houses and Organisations in the United Kingdom
{{Catholicism, collapsed
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
Religion in the United Kingdom