The Roman Catholic Diocese of Motherwell ( la, Dioecesis Matrisfontis, links=no) is an ecclesiastical

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, 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 Roman province, pro ...

of the

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 ...

. The diocese, which was erected on 25 May 1947 by

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...

from the

Archdiocese of Glasgow The Archdiocese of Glasgow was one of the thirteen (after 1633 fourteen) dioceses of the Scottish church. It was the second largest diocese in the Kingdom of Scotland, including Clydesdale, Teviotdale, parts of Tweeddale, Liddesdale, Annanda ...

, along with the

Diocese of Paisley The Diocese of Paisley ( la, Dioecesis Pasletana) is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in Scotland. Erected on 25 May 1947 from the Archdiocese of Glasgow, the diocese covers the historic county o ...

which was erected on the same day, remains one of two suffragan sees under the archdiocese. On Tuesday 29 April 2014 – the Feast of St Catherine of Siena –

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

appointed Joseph Toal as the fifth

bishop of Motherwell The Bishop of Motherwell is the Ordinary (Catholic Church), Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Motherwell in the Province of Glasgow, Scotland. The diocese covers an area of . The Episcopal see, see is in the town of Motherwell, Scotland, ...

. In 2004, the Catholic population, proportionately the largest in Scotland and second largest in Great Britain, was 165,100 from a total population of 633,000 (26.1%). By 2016, the number of catholics dropped marginally to 162,331 but as the total population increased, percentagewise the catholics dropped to 22,8 % of the total population. In 2012 the diocese was served by 65 parish priests, 7 assistant priests and 13 deacons in across its 74 parishes (the number of parishes had reduced to 67 by March 2017). There are currently 35 retired priests from the diocese and 4 who reside in parishes in the diocese. The area of the diocese is .

Bishops

Past and present ordinaries

The following is a list of the Bishops of Motherwell: * Edward Douglas (appointed 7 February 1948 – resigned 9 February 1954) *

James Scanlan James Donald Scanlan (24 January 1899 – 25 March 1976) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served first as the Bishop of Dunkeld, then Bishop of Motherwell, and ultimately Archbishop of Glasgow. Born in Glasgow, Scanlan intended to study medicine ...

(appointed 23 May 1955 – translated to the

29 January 1964) * Francis Thomson (appointed 8 December 1964 – resigned 14 December 1982) *

Joseph Devine Joseph Devine (7 August 1937, Kirkintilloch – 23 May 2019) was the Roman Catholic Bishop of Motherwell in Scotland. He was educated at St Ninian's School, Kirkintilloch, St. Mary's College, Blairs and St. Peter's College, Cardross Card ...

(appointed 13 May 1983 - resigned Thursday 30 May 2013) * Joseph Toal (appointed 29 April 2014 – present; previously Bishop of Argyll & the Isles Diocese from October 2008 - April 2014 and Apostolic Administrator of Motherwell from 30 May 2013 – 29 April 2014)

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

* Leo William Cushley, appointed

Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh The Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh is the ordinary of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh. The archdiocese covers an area of 5,504 km2. The metropolitan see is in the City of Edinburgh where the archbishop's s ...

(2013) * William Nolan, appointed

Bishop of Galloway The Bishop of Galloway, also called the Bishop of Whithorn, was the eccesiastical head of the Diocese of Galloway, said to have been founded by Saint Ninian in the mid-5th century. The subsequent Anglo-Saxon bishopric was founded in the late 7th ...

(2014), then

Archbishop of Glasgow The Archbishop of Glasgow is an archiepiscopal title that takes its name after the city of Glasgow in Scotland. The position and title were abolished by the Church of Scotland in 1689; and, in the Scottish Episcopal Church, it is now part of the ...

(2022) *

Maurice Taylor Maurice De Shawn Taylor (born October 30, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. He played power forward and center positions. Originally from Detroit, Taylor played college basketball at Michigan and was selected by the L ...

, appointed

(1981) *

Thomas Joseph Winning Thomas Joseph Winning (3 June 1925 – 17 June 2001) was a Scottish Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Glasgow from 1974 and President of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland from 1985 until his death. Winning ...

, appointed auxiliary bishop of Glasgow (1971), then

(1974) and

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

(1994)

Diocesan Clergy

There are currently 75 parishes and 74 churches in the Diocese which are served by 72 priests and 13 deacons. Krysztof Garwolinski, administrator of St Patrick's, Wishaw is chaplain to the Polish community. Johny Vettickal Abraham is chaplain to the Syro Malabar community and is an assistant priest at St Cuthbert's, Burnbank. On Wednesday 24 July 2013,

Leo Cushley Leo William Cushley (born 18 June 1961) is the Roman Catholic Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh in Scotland. He previously served as head of the English language section of the Vatican Secretariat of State. Early life Leo Cushley was born ...

, a priest of the diocese of Motherwell, was appointed the Archbishop of St Andrew's & Edinburgh. Cushley was ordained in 1985 by Devine in St John the Baptist Church, Uddingston before serving in the cathedral, St Serf's, Airdrie & St Aidan's, Wishaw. Since 1992 he has been a diplomat for the Vatican and held the post as head of the English-language section of the Vatican's Secretariat of State.

, a priest of the diocese is the bishop emeritus of the

Diocese of Galloway The Diocese of Galloway was one of the thirteen (after 1633 fourteen) dioceses of the pre-1689 Scottish Church. The Diocese was led by the Bishop of Galloway and was centred on Whithorn Cathedral. In the Middle Ages, there was only one archd ...

and served as Scotland's representative on the board of

International Commission on English in the Liturgy The International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) is a commission set up by a number of episcopal conferences of English-speaking countries for the purpose of providing English translations of the liturgical books of the Roman Rite, th ...

and was its chairman from 1997 until 2002. Another priest of the diocese, William Nolan, is the current

and former bishop of the

. Both Bishop Nolan and Bishop Taylor are former parish priests of Our Lady of Lourdes,

East Kilbride East Kilbride (; gd, Cille Bhrìghde an Ear ) is the largest town in South Lanarkshire in Scotland and the country's sixth-largest locality by population. It was also designated Scotland's first new town on 6 May 1947. The area lies on a rais ...

who later became Bishop of Galloway. Cardinal

Thomas Winning Thomas Joseph Winning (3 June 1925 – 17 June 2001) was a Scottish Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Glasgow from 1974 and President of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland from 1985 until his death. Winning ...

, a priest of the diocese born in Wishaw, was Archbishop of Glasgow from 1974 until his death in 2001. In 2016 Fr. John Farrell, retired priest of the Diocese of Motherwell, the last Head teacher at St Ninian's Falkland, Fife, was sentenced to five years imprisonment. His colleague Paul Kelly, a retired teacher from Portsmouth, was given ten years, both were convicted of the physical and sexual abuse of boys between the years 1979 and 1983. More than 100 charges involving 35 boys were made. Farrell and Kelly were members of the Irish Christian Brothers when the crimes were committed at the school which closed in 1983. According to The Times, it is believed this was the largest historical abuse case ever tried in Scotland, It was reported at the time of Farrell's trial that when he was released from prison steps would be taken to remove, laicise or defrock John Farrell however at this moment in time it can be neither confirmed or denied whether this has happened or not however, the Diocese of Motherwell website has his name listed as a retired Priest of the Diocese and he has not been laicised, defrocked or removed as promised after he was convicted.

Parishes and deaneries

The 75 parishes in the diocese are divided into six deaneries. Where after the title of a church two dates are given, the first is the date of the foundation of the parish and the second is the date of the opening of the current church building. Due to a shortage of priests, a number of parishes have begun to share parish priests, forming pairs of linked parishes. # Airdrie Deanery - dean, Rev. Raymond Breslin V.G #* St Andrew, Airdrie (1950, 1954) #* St Edward the Confessor, Airdrie (1960, 1967) #* SS Margaret & Serf, Airdrie (parishes merged 2017) #** St Margaret of Scotland, Airdrie (1839) #** St Serf, Airdrie (1973) #* Corpus Christi, Calderbank (1948, 1952) #* St Mary, Caldercruix (1878, 1982) #* St Aloysius Parish, Chapelhall (Sacred Heart, Salsburgh incorporated 2018) #** St Aloysius, Chapelhall (1859, 1894) #** Sacred Heart, Salsburgh (1869) #* The Most Blessed Trinity Parish, Coatbridge (parishes merged 2018) #** Holy Trinity & All Saints, Coatdyke (1902, 1977) #** St Stephen, Coatbridge (1973, 1976) #* Parish of St David, Plains & St Mary, Caldercruix (parish erected 2020) #** St David, Plains (1897, 1994) #** St Dominic, Greengairs (1896) #** St Mary's (1878, 1982) # Coatbridge & Northern Deanery - dean, Rev. Michael Briody #* Parish of St Ambrose, Baillieston (parish erected 2016) #**St Bridget, Baillieston (1893) #**St Francis of Assisi, Baillieston (1973) #* St Kevin, Bargeddie (1947, 1950) #* St Augustine, Coatbridge (1892, 1899) #* St Bartholomew, Coatbridge (1950, 1953) #* Parish of St Mary & St Bernard, Coatbridge (parish erected 2019) #** St Bernard, Coatbridge (1973, 1974) #** St Mary, Whifflet (1874, 1893) #* St James the Greater, Coatbridge (1956, 1961) #* St Monica, Coatbridge (1950, 1957) #* St Patrick, Coatbridge (1845, 1896) #* St Dominic, Craigend (1972, 1974) #* Parish of St John Bosco, Easterhouse (parish erected 2016) #** St Benedict, Easterhouse (1965) #* Our Lady & St Joseph, Glenboig (1880, 1974) #* St Michael, Moodiesburn (1960, 2002) #* St Barbara, Muirhead (1947, 1956) #* St Joseph, Stepps (1875) # East Kilbride & Rutherglen Deanery - dean, ''vacant'' #* St Bride, Cambuslang (1878, 1900) #* St Bride, East Kilbride (1946, 1964) #* St Leonard, East Kilbride (1966, 1970) #* Our Lady of Lourdes, East Kilbride (1958, 1963) #* St Vincent de Paul, East Kilbride (1974, 1979) #* St Cadoc, Halfway (1949, 1955) #* Parish of St Anthony & St Mark, Rutherglen (parish erected 2017) #** St Anthony, Rutherglen (1970) #** St Mark, Rutherglen (1961) #* St Columbkille, Rutherglen (1851, 1940) # Hamilton Deanery - dean, Rev. Brian Lamb #* Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Blackwood & Larkhall (parish erected 2019) #** Our Lady & St John, Blackwood (1898, 1880) #** St Mary, Larkhall (1872, 1905) #* Parish of St Joseph, Blantyre (parish status of St John Ogilvie lost 2022) #** St John Ogilvie, Blantyre (1977, 1979) #** St Joseph, Blantyre (1877, 1905) #* St Bride, Bothwell (1910, 1973) #* Parish of SS Ninian and Cuthbert, Hamilton (merged 2018) #** St Cuthbert, Burnbank (1893, 1908) ''(St Mary's Syro-Malabar Mission erected 2018)'' #** St Ninian, Hillhouse (1955, 1958) #* Parish of SS Mary & Paul, Hamilton (parishes merged 2017) #** St Mary, Hamilton (1846) #** St Paul, Whitehill (1955) #* Our Lady & St Anne, Cadzow (1883, 1933) #* St Peter, Hamilton (1953, 1981) #* St John the Baptist, Uddingston (1883, 1987) #* St Patrick, Strathaven (1859, 1901) # Motherwell & Central Deanery - dean, Rev. Gerard Bogan #* Parish of Sacred Heart & St Gerard, Bellshill (parishes merged 2018) #** St Gerard, Bellshill (1967, 1971) #** Sacred Heart, Bellshill (1949, 1951) #* St Francis Xavier, Carfin ''(includes National Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, Carfin)'' (1862, 1973) #* Christ the King, Holytown (1975) #* Holy Family, Mossend (1868, 1884) #* The Cathedral Parish, Motherwell (parish erected 2016) #** Cathedral of Our Lady of Good Aid, Motherwell (1900) #** St Luke, Motherwell (1955) #* St Bernadette, Motherwell (1950, 1964) #* St Brendan, Motherwell (1965, 1968) #* St Teresa of Lisieux, Newarthill (1956, 1960) #* St John Bosco, New Stevenston (1946, 1959) #* St Columba's, Viewpark (1939) #* St Gabriel, Viewpark (1976, 1977) # Wishaw Deanery - dean, Rev. Krzysztof Garwolinski #* Parish of St Isidore, Biggar #** St Isidore, Biggar (1937) #** St Mary Magdalene, Forth #* St Athanasius, Carluke (1849, 1857) #* St Mary, Cleland (1874, 1877) #* St Mary, Lanark (1859, 1910) #* St Brigid, Newmains (1871, 1896) #* Parish of St Patrick, Shotts (St Catherine's incorporated 2017) #** St Patrick, Shotts (1868, 1905) #** St Catherine, Harthill (1868, 1925) #* St Aidan, Wishaw (1960, 1966) #* St Ignatius of Loyola, Wishaw (1859, 1865) #* St Patrick, Wishaw (1891, 1898) #* St Thomas, Wishaw (1957, 1962) There are 12 priests and 2 deacons who serve as school chaplains to the high schools in the diocese.
There are also chaplains to the main hospitals in the diocese, Monklands (Rev. Bruce McPhail and Rev. Martin Delaney), Wishaw (Rev. Moses Enehizena Cssp and Deacon Henry McKenna) and Hairmyres (Rev. Francis Dougan). Former Parishes * St Clare, Easterhouse (1965: closed 2020) * St Mungo, Garthamlock (closed 2008) * St Charles, Newton (1894: church burned down, 1973?)

Cathedral

Our Lady of Good Aid Cathedral was first built in 1900 and became the cathedral of the new diocese of Motherwell in 1948. The current Cathedral Administrator is Fr Gerard Chromy. The parish of the cathedral was linked with the parish of St Luke's Motherwell in 2011.

Cathedral Chapter

Canons : Rt Rev Mgr Thomas Millar Canons Emeritus : Very Rev Patrick O'Sullivan : Very Rev William O'Sullivan : Very Rev Humphrey O'Mahony : Rt Rev Mgr John McIntyre : Very Rev Joseph Clements

Arms

References

Sources

Diocese of Motherwell Deaneries
Western Catholic Calendar

External links

Diocese of Motherwell
{{DEFAULTSORT:Motherwell Religion in Motherwell Roman Catholic dioceses in Scotland Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Glasgow