The Catholic Police Guild (CPG) of England & Wales was founded in 1914 as the Metropolitan and City Catholic Police Guild. This was an association for Catholic Police men and women, and approved by the

Roman Catholic 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 ...

, in response to representations made by Catholics serving in the Metropolitan and City of London Police Forces. The Patron Saint of the Catholic Police Guild is

Saint Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

, the Archangel. The CPG has a Constitution and Rules approved by the

Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales The Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. Overview The Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales is the permanent assembly of Catholic Bisho ...

, and a National Executive Committee elected by members each year. The NEC invites a member to act as chairman and may also select a President, who serves a three-year term. In 1974 the Guild became a national association with membership open to Police Officers serving in the Police Forces in the rest of England and Wales. More recently membership has been opened up to Police Staff & Police Community Support Officers. The CPG also has a Friends category of membership for other civilian supporters. The Guild has had a significant resurgence over the last couple of years. It is particularly experiencing growth in the North-West of England.The Catholic Police Guild of England & Wales website - Welcome
/ref> The Guild undertakes bi-annual

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

s to various important holy places, including

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, the Holy Land,

Fátima, Portugal Fátima () is a city in the municipality of Ourém and district of Santarém in the Central Region of Portugal, with 71.29 km2 of area and 13,212 inhabitants (2021). The homonymous civil parish encompasses several villages and localities o ...

Santiago de Compostella Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of St ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

. In 1985 the Guild went on pilgrimage to Rome to celebrate its seventieth year of foundation, and were addressed by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

on Friday, 12 April 1985. CPG members often help with stewarding duties at

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 o ...

, and every October, Guild members carry the statue of Our Lady in procession from

Brompton Oratory Brompton Oratory is a large neo-classical Roman Catholic church in the Knightsbridge area of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. Its full name is the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, or as named in its Grade II* archite ...

on behalf of the Rosary Crusade of Reparation. Both in 1982 with the visit of Pope John Paul II and in 2010 with the visit of Pope Benedict XVI, the Catholic Police Guild assisted with stewarding. In 1982, Michael Jeffers, a Chief Superintendent in the Metropolitan Police as well as the Chairman of the Guild, was made a Knight of St Gregory by Cardinal Basil Hume in recognition of his efforts leading the stewarding.

List of Chairpersons

Catholic Police Guild of Scotland

A Catholic Police Guild used to exist in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. In recent years the Guild in this country ceased to operate. However, negotiations are currently underway to revive the Catholic Police Guild in Scotland.

References

{{Reflist

External links

The Catholic Police Guild of England & Wales website
Law enforcement in England and Wales Catholic lay organisations 1914 establishments in the United Kingdom Organizations established in 1914 Catholic Church in the United Kingdom