The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: ''Archidioecesis Southvarcensis'') is a Latin Church

archdiocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

of the Catholic Church in England. It is headed by the

Archbishop of Southwark The Archbishop of Southwark (''Br'' �sʌðɨk is the Ordinary (Catholic Church), Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark in England. As such he is the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Province of Southwark. The archdiocese has ...

. The archdiocese is part of 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 severa ...

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

, which covers the

South of England Southern England, or the South of England, also known as the South, is an area of England consisting of its southernmost part, with cultural, economic and political differences from the Midlands and the North. Officially, the area includes Gr ...

. The Southwark archdiocese also makes up part of the

Catholic Association Pilgrimage The 'Catholic Association'' of the UK, abbreviated to the CA, has been around in one form or another since 1881 and ran its first pilgrimage to Lourdes in 1901. Its objects are set out in the Memorandum and Articles but its main purpose is to mast ...

. Its cathedral church is

St George's Cathedral, Southwark The Metropolitan Cathedral Church of St George, usually known as St George's Cathedral, Southwark, is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark, south London, and is the seat of the Archbishop of Southwark. The cathedral is ...

History

Southwark was one of the dioceses established at the restoration of Catholic hierarchical structures in 1850 by

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

."History", St. George's Cathedral
/ref> When first erected, the diocese included Berkshire, Hampshire, and the Channel Islands in addition to Surrey, Kent and Sussex. Previous to this time, these five counties formed part of the

London District London District (LONDIST) is the name given by the British Army to the area of operations encompassing the Greater London area. It was established in 1870 as ''Home District''. History In January 1876 a ‘Mobilization Scheme for the forces in ...

, a district governed by a vicar Apostolic, to whom also was committed episcopal jurisdiction over

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

and the Bahama Islands. In 1850, London was divided between the two new Dioceses of Westminster (north of the Thames) and Southwark (south of the Thames).Cunningham, William. "Southwark." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 14. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 31 January 2020 At that time, London was a comparatively small city, which had previously been under the jurisdiction of a single bishop. The first bishop of the new diocese of Southwark was the Right Rev. Thomas Grant, D.D., vice-rector of the

English College, Rome The Venerable English College (), commonly referred to as the English College, is a Catholic seminary in Rome, Italy, for the training of priests for England and Wales. It was founded in 1579 by William Allen on the model of the English College, ...

. He was consecrated on 6 July 1851. Grant was instrumental in obtaining some Sisters of Mercy from

Bermondsey Bermondsey () is a district in southeast London, part of the London Borough of Southwark, England, southeast of Charing Cross. To the west of Bermondsey lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe and Deptford, to the south Walworth and Peckham, a ...

to serve as nurses in the military hospitals during the Crimean War. Grant was succeeded by his vicar-general,

James Danell James Danell (14 July 1821 – 14 June 1881) was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the Roman Catholic Bishop of Southwark from 1871 to 1881. Born in London on 14 July 1821, he was ordained to the priesthood by Archbi ...

. In 1882, Robert Coffin, an associate of

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 Provincial Superior of the

Redemptorists The Redemptorists officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer ( la, links=no, Congregatio Sanctissimi Redemptoris), abbreviated CSsR,is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brother ...

in England and Ireland, was appointed bishop. Former military chaplain John Butt, who served as bishop from 1885 to 1897, founded

St John's Seminary, Wonersh St John's Seminary was a Roman Catholic seminary located at Wonersh near Guildford in Surrey, in the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton, United Kingdom. St John's was the principal seminary for the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton and the Archdioc ...

Francis Bourne Francis Alphonsus Bourne (1861–1935) was an English prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the fourth Archbishop of Westminster from 1903 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1911. Biography Early life Francis Bo ...

was appointed

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of Southwark in 1897 and named Archbishop of Westminster in 1903. The area that formed the diocese at its origin (29 September 1850) changed on 19 May 1882 when

lost territory with the formation of the Diocese of Portsmouth. The Diocese of Southwark lost further territory when the

Diocese of Arundel and Brighton The Roman Catholic Diocese of Arundel and Brighton (in la, Dioecesis Arundeliensis-Brichtelmestunensis) is a Latin Church Roman Catholic diocese in southern England covering the counties of Sussex and Surrey (excluding Spelthorne, which is pa ...

separated on 28 May 1965; at the same time, the Ecclesiastical Province of Southwark was erected by

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...

, raising the Diocese to archdiocesan status.

Original cathedral

The Papists Act of 1778 brought a certain limited freedom to those of the faith. Priests no longer moved in fear of imprisonment. Roman Catholics could run their own schools and could once more acquire property. In protest against the act,

Lord George Gordon Lord George Gordon (26 December 1751 – 1 November 1793) was a British politician best known for lending his name to the Gordon Riots of 1780. An eccentric and flighty personality, he was born into the Scottish nobility and sat in the House ...

, on 2 June 1780, gathered a large crowd in

St George's Fields St George's Fields was an area of Southwark in south London, England. History Originally the area was an undifferentiated part of the south side of the Thames, which was low-lying marshland unsuitable even for agricultural purposes. There ...

to march on

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

. Refused a hearing, they became violent and so began a week of burning, plundering and killing in which many Roman Catholic chapels and houses were destroyed. There is a legend that the high altar of the cathedral stands on the spot where the march began. In 1786, there was only one Roman Catholic chapel in the whole of south London, located at

. It was then that the Reverend Thomas Walsh, a

Douai Douai (, , ,; pcd, Doï; nl, Dowaai; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord département in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe some from Lille and from Arras, D ...

priest, for £20 a year hired a room in Bandyleg Walk"St George's Cathedral." Survey of London: Volume 25, St George's Fields (The Parishes of St. George the Martyr Southwark and St. Mary Newington). Ed. Ida Darlington. London: London County Council, 1955. 72–75. British History Online
/ref> (near where the Southwark fire station now stands). Within two years, the numbers attending the little chapel had increased so rapidly that a new building became necessary. In 1793, a large chapel dedicated to

St George Saint George (Greek language, Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin language, Latin: Georgius, Arabic language, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christians, Christian who is venerated as a sa ...

was opened in the London Road at a cost of £2,000. It was designed by James Taylor of

Weybridge Weybridge () is a town in the Borough of Elmbridge in Surrey, England, around southwest of central London. The settlement is recorded as ''Waigebrugge'' and ''Weibrugge'' in the 7th century and the name derives from a crossing point of the ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

. According to tradition, it was here that the first High Mass was celebrated in London outside the chapels of ambassadors since the time of

King James II of England James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Glorious Re ...

. The occasion was the Solemn Requiem sung for the repose of the soul of

Louis XVI of France Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was e ...

, who was executed on 21 January 1793.

The Reverend The Reverend is an style (manner of address), honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and Minister of religion, ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and c ...

Thomas Doyle came to St George's in 1820, when the congregation stood at around 7,000. He became the first chaplain in 1829, when 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 ...

removed nearly all the legal disabilities which Catholics had suffered for 250 years. The arrival of Irish immigrants in the area necessitated the construction of a larger house of worship. By 1839, enough money had been collected to make a start, and the present site in St George's Fields (then an open space) was purchased for £3,200.

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 ...

, the noted architect of the

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

, was commissioned to design the church. The foundation stone was laid on 26 May 1841 in a private ceremony held in the early morning so as not to arouse public unrest. Due to cost constraints, the left tower was never built. The stained glass was by

William Wailes William Wailes (1808–1881) was the proprietor of one of England's largest and most prolific stained glass workshops. Life and career Wailes was born and grew up in Newcastle on Tyne, England's centre of domestic glass and bottle manufacturing. ...

of Newcastle. The church was solemnly opened by Bishop

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 ...

(later Cardinal Wiseman) on 4 July 1848. To mark the occasion,

sent a golden chalice and paten as a gift. Pugin was the first person to be married in the church on 10 August 1848 to his third wife Jane. When Pope Pius restored the English Roman Catholic hierarchy, St George's was chosen as the cathedral church of the new Roman Catholic Diocese of Southwark, which was to cover the whole of southern England. For the next half-century, until the opening of

Westminster Cathedral Westminster Cathedral is the mother church of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. It is the largest Catholic church in the UK and the seat of the Archbishop of Westminster. The site on which the cathedral stands in the City of ...

, St George's was the centre of Roman Catholic life in London. In response to the hostile reaction of many of the British people to what was popularly characterized as "papal aggression" Bishop

wrote "Appeal to the Reason and Good Feeling of the English people on the subject of the Catholic Hierarchy", a pamphlet of some thirty pages addressed to the people themselves, rather than to the educated minority, who in the writer's view, had so grossly and inexcusably misled them. Wiseman followed this with a series of lectures given at St. George's. Thomas Grant was made the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Southwark; Doyle became the provost and administrator and remained so until his death on 6 June 1879. He is buried in the crypt. The new cathedral was consecrated by Bishop Butt on 7 November 1894, and on that day every year, the feast of the dedication of the cathedral is celebrated throughout the diocese.

Ministries

The Archdiocese of Southwark Spirituality Commission identifies resources in the archdiocese and works to increase awareness and accessibility of them. "The Archdiocese of Southwark Universities Chaplaincy Team works in collaboration with universities and their multi-faith chaplaincies in South London, Surrey and Kent. There are Catholic Chaplains at Kings College – Guy's Campus, Goldsmiths, London South Bank, Roehampton and Kingston Universities and at the University of Kent at Canterbury." Most of the university chaplaincies work independently providing events for their Catholic community. Throughout the year, however, there are times when the Catholic Chaplaincy Team work together to either arrange or take part in events that are open to students and staff from across the different chaplaincies.

Education

The archdiocese is the foundation responsible for over 170 voluntary-aided and voluntary-controlled schools in the diocese and is the sponsor of two schools under the English

academy An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy ...

program.

Boundaries

The archdiocese covers the

London borough The London boroughs are the 32 local authority districts that together with the City of London make up the administrative area of Greater London; each is governed by a London borough council. The present London boroughs were all created at ...

s south of the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

, the county of

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

and the Medway Unitary Authority. The diocese is divided into three pastoral areas, each headed by an area bishop and 20

deaneries A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence ...

, each of which contains a number of parishes.

Bishops and archbishops

* Thomas Grant (1851–1870) *

(1871–1881) * Robert Coffin C.Ss.R. (1882–1885) * John Butt (1885–1897) *

(1897–1903), appointed Archbishop of Westminster (cardinal in 1911) *

Peter Amigo Peter Emmanuel Amigo (26 May 1864, Gibraltar – 1 October 1949) was a Roman Catholic bishop in the Catholic Church in England and Wales. He founded The John Fisher School in 1929. Biography Peter Amigo was born at Gibraltar, the ninth of eleven c ...

(1904–1949); archbishop (personal title) in 1937 *

Cyril Cowderoy Cyril Conrad Cowderoy (5 May 1905 - 10 October 1976) was a priest for over 45 years and a bishop for over 26 years in the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales. Born in Sidcup, Kent, on 5 May 1905, he was consecrated and ordained as parish ...

(1949–1976); see raised to archdiocese in 1965 * Michael Bowen (1977–2003) *

Kevin McDonald Kevin Hamilton McDonald (born May 16, 1961) is a Canadian actor, voice actor and comedian. He is a member of the comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall, who have appeared together in a number of stage, television and film productions, most notably th ...

(2003–2009) * Peter Smith (2010–2019) * John Wilson (2019–present)

Coadjutor bishop

(1896–1897) - future cardinal

Auxiliary bishops

* William Brown (1924–1951) * John Butt (1884–1885) * Charles Henderson (1972–2001) * Paul Hendricks (2005–) *

John Hine The Right Reverend John Franklin Meldon Hine (born 26 July 1938) is a Roman Catholic bishop in England. He was an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Southwark from February 2001 until his retirement in May 2016, and holds the titular see o ...

(2001–2016) * John Jukes, O.F.M. Conv. (1979–1998) * Patrick Lynch, SS.CC. (2005–2020) * Paul Mason (2016–2018), appointed Bishop of Great Britain, Military * Howard Tripp (1979–2004)

Other priests of the diocese who became bishops

* Michael Bowen (priest here, 1958–1965), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Arundel and Brighton in 1970; later returned as archbishop * Joseph Butt, appointed auxiliary bishop of Westminster in 1911 * John Cahill, appointed auxiliary bishop of Portsmouth in 1900 *

Alan Clark Alan Kenneth Mackenzie Clark (13 April 1928 – 5 September 1999) was a British Conservative Member of Parliament (MP), author and diarist. He served as a junior minister in Margaret Thatcher's governments at the Departments of Employment, Tra ...

, appointed auxiliary bishop of Northampton in 1969 *

Maurice Couve de Murville Jacques-Maurice Couve de Murville (; 24 January 1907 – 24 December 1999) was a French diplomat and politician who was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1958 to 1968 and Prime Minister from 1968 to 1969 under the presidency of General de Gaull ...

(priest here, 1957–1965), appointed Archbishop of Birmingham in 1982 *

Arthur Doubleday Arthur Doubleday (16 October 1865 – 23 January 1951) was a South African-born prelate who served in the Roman Catholic Church as the second Bishop of Brentwood from 1920 to 1951. Born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa on 16 October 1865, he w ...

, appointed Bishop of Brentwood in 1920 * Michael Evans, appointed Bishop of East Anglia in 2003 * Langton Fox, appointed auxiliary bishop of Menevia, Wales in 1965 * William Heard, appointed dean of the Roman Rota in 1958 (cardinal in 1958, titular bishop in 1962) *

Arthur Hinsley Arthur Hinsley (1865–1943) was an English prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Westminster from 1935 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1937. Early life and ministry Hinsley was born in Carlton ne ...

, appointed titular bishop in 1926; future Cardinal *

William Keatinge William Lewis Keatinge, (1 August 1869 – 21 February 1934) was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. After four years as a parish priest, he joined the British Army as a chaplain in 1897. He served in the Second Boer War, and then ...

, appointed Vicar Apostolic of Great Britain, Military in 1917 *

Richard Moth Charles Phillip Richard Moth (born 8 July 1958) is a British Roman Catholic prelate. Since May 2015, he has served as the Bishop of Arundel and Brighton. Previously, he was Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Southwark from 2001 to 2009, and th ...

, appointed Bishop of Great Britain, Military in 2009 * Peter Smith, appointed Bishop of East Anglia in 1995; later returned as archbishop *

Bernard Wall Bernard Patrick Wall (15 March 1894 – 18 June 1976) was an English prelate who served in the Roman Catholic Church as the Bishop of Brentwood from 1955 to 1969. Born in Tonbridge, Kent on 15 March 1894, he was ordained to the priesthood on 14 ...

, appointed Bishop of Brentwood in 1955 * Francis Walmsley, appointed Bishop of Great Britain, Military in 1979

References

External links

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of SouthwarkSt George's Roman Catholic Cathedral, SouthwarkDiocesan Vocations website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Southwark 1850 establishments in England Christianity in Kent Pope Pius IX Religious organizations established in 1850

Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Southwark