Henry John Poskitt (6 September 1888 – 19 February 1950) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...

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 ...

. He was the fourth Bishop of Leeds.

Life and ministry

Poskitt was born in the village of

Birkin Birkin is a village and civil parish in the south-west of the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England. It is north of the River Aire, near Beal, North Yorkshire. The closest town is Knottingley, in West Yorkshire, to the south-west. The ...

in the

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...

(now

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

). Raised in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

, he converted to 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 ...

. Poskitt was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

to the Catholic priesthood on 15 July 1917 by

Joseph Cowgill Joseph Robert Cowgill (23 February 1860 – 12 May 1936) was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the third Bishop of Leeds. Life and ministry Joseph Cowgill was born in village Broughton in North Yorkshire ...

, then Bishop of Leeds, at the age of 28. Poskitt then served as a

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

in parishes of the diocese. On 19 August 1936, he was appointed by 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 ...

as the 4th Bishop of Leeds, succeeding Cowgill. He received his

episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United State ...

consecration Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

on 21 September from

Richard Downey Richard Downey (5 May 1881 – 16 June 1953) was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Liverpool from 1928 until his death. Life Born in Kilkenny, he was ordained to the priesthood on 25 May 1907. He was P ...

Archbishop of Liverpool The Archbishop of Liverpool is the ordinary of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool and metropolitan of the Province of Liverpool (also known as the Northern Province) in England. The archdiocese covers an area of of the west of the C ...

, with

Joseph Thorman Joseph Thorman (6 August 1871 – 7 October 1936) was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle from 1924 to 1936. Born in Gateshead, County Durham on 6 August 1871, he was ordained to the pri ...

Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle The Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle in the Province of Liverpool, known also on occasion as the Northern Province. History With the gradual abolition of the legal restricti ...

, and John Francis McNulty, Bishop of Nottingham, serving as

co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches, ...

. Poskitt died 19 February 1950 and was buried at St. Edward the Confessor Church in

Clifford, West Yorkshire Clifford is a small village in West Yorkshire, England. The population at the 2011 Census was 1,662. The village is south of Wetherby. Many of the older buildings are built of magnesian limestone. Etymology The name ''Clifford'' is first atte ...

References

External links

Diocese of Leeds
1888 births 1950 deaths People from Selby District Converts to Roman Catholicism from Anglicanism 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in England Burials in West Yorkshire People educated at The King's School, Pontefract Roman Catholic bishops of Leeds {{UK-RC-bishop-stub