The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham is one of the principal Latin-rite Catholic administrative divisions of

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 En ...

in the hierarchy 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 ...

. The archdiocese covers an area of , encompassing

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands C ...

, the West Midlands,

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avo ...

, Worcestershire and much of

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primaril ...

as well as Caversham in

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Ber ...

. The metropolitan see is in the City of Birmingham at the Metropolitan Cathedral Church of Saint Chad. The metropolitan province includes the

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdiction ...

dioceses of

Clifton Clifton may refer to: People * Clifton (surname) * Clifton (given name) Places Australia *Clifton, Queensland, a town ** Shire of Clifton *Clifton, New South Wales, a suburb of Wollongong * Clifton, Western Australia Canada * Clifton, Nova Sc ...

and

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...

. The Archbishop is

Bernard Longley Bernard Longley (born 5 April 1955) is an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was named the Archbishop of Birmingham on 1 October 2009, and installed on 8 December 2009. Early life and ministry Bernard Longley was born in Opensh ...

, who was named the ninth Archbishop of Birmingham on 1 October 2009. He succeeds the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols (2000–09). Bishop Longley was installed as Archbishop of Birmingham at the Metropolitan Cathedral and Basilica of Saint Chad on 8 December 2009, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and one of the patronal feasts of the Archdiocese, St Chad being the other.

History

Erected as the Vicariate Apostolic of the Midlands District in 1688, the vicariate grew very slowly until the advent of the industrial revolution. In response to large growth the name was changed in 1840 to the Vicariate Apostolic of Central District and a new vicariate created out of the eastern district. Finally, in September 1850, the vicariate was elevated to a full diocese, as the Diocese of Birmingham, along with the

Diocese of Nottingham The Diocese of Nottingham, England, is a Roman Catholic diocese of the Latin Rite and a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Diocese of Westminster. The diocese covers an area of , taking in the English counties o ...

and the Diocese of Shrewsbury. The diocese was then suffragan to the

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 t ...

. The Diocese of Birmingham was elevated to archdiocesan status on 28 October 1911.

Diocesan boundaries

The Archbishop of Birmingham, the Most Reverend Bernard Longley, has overall episcopal oversight of the diocese that is divided into three pastoral areas, each of which is headed by an auxiliary bishop and contains a number of deaneries: *Central and Western Pastoral Area (Area Bishop: The Right Reverend David Evans): Birmingham Cathedral, Birmingham East, Birmingham North, Birmingham South, Kidderminster, Worcester. *Northern Pastoral Area (Area Bishop: The Right Reverend Stephen Wright): Dudley, Lichfield, North Staffordshire, Stafford, Walsall, Wolverhampton. *Southern Pastoral Area (Area Bishop: vacant - covered by the Very Reverend Canon Paul Fitzpatrick VE): Banbury, Coventry, Oxford North, Oxford South, Rugby, Warwick.

Bishops

Ordinaries

Vicars Apostolic of the Midland District

Bonaventure Giffard Bonaventure Giffard (1642–1734) was a Roman Catholic bishop who served as the Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District of England from 1687 to 1703 and Vicar Apostolic of the London District of England from 1703 to 1734. Life He was the seco ...

(1687-1703), appointed

Vicar Apostolic of the London District The Apostolic Vicariate of the London District was an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales. It was led by a vicar apostolic who was a titular bishop. The apostolic vicariate was created in 1688 and was diss ...

* George Witham (1702-1716), appointed Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District *

John Talbot Stonor John Talbot Stonor (1678–1756) was an English Roman Catholic bishop who served as the Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District from 1715 to 1756. Born in 1678, he was appointed the Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District and Titular Bishop of ' ...

(1716-1756) * John Joseph Hornyold (1756-1778) *

Thomas Joseph Talbot Thomas Joseph Talbot (14 February 1727 – 24 April 1795) was an English Roman Catholic bishop who served as the Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District from 1778 until his death in 1795. Life Thomas Talbot was born in Heythrop, Oxfordshire o ...

(1778-1795) *

Charles Berington Charles Berington (b. at Stock, Essex, England, 1748; d. 8 June 1798) was an English Roman Catholic bishop who served as the Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District from 1795 to 1798. Life At thirteen he was sent to the English College at Douai. ...

(1795-1798) *

Gregory Stapleton Gregory Stapleton D.D. (1748–23 May 1802) was an English Roman Catholic bishop. While president of St. Omer's English College, he and his students were imprisoned during the French Revolution. Life Born at Carlton, Yorkshire, he was seventh so ...

(1800-1802) * John Milner (1803-1826) * Thomas Walsh (1826-1840), became Vicar Apostolic of the Central District (''see below'')

Vicars Apostolic of the Central District

* Thomas Walsh (1840-1848), ''see above''; appointed

* William Bernard Ullathorne, O.S.B. (1848-1850); ''see below''

Bishops of Birmingham

* William Bernard Ullathorne, O.S.B. (1850-1888); ''see above'' *

Edward Ilsley Archbishop Edward Ilsley was born in May 1838. He was the Roman Catholic Bishop of Birmingham from 1888 to 1911, and then the first Archbishop of Birmingham from 1911 to 1921 when his resignation was accepted by the Pope. He died in 1926. Career ...

(1888-1911); ''see below''

Archbishops of Birmingham

* Edward Ilsley (1911-1921); ''see above'' * John McIntyre (1921-1928) *

Thomas Leighton Williams Thomas Cuthbert Leighton Williams (20 March 1877 – 1 April 1946) was an English clergyman who served in the Roman Catholic Church as the Archbishop of Birmingham from 1929 to 1946. He was born in Handsworth, Birmingham on 20 March 1877 to Jam ...

(1929-1946) *

Joseph Masterson Joseph Masterson (29 January 1899 – 30 November 1953) was an English Roman Catholic Clergyman and sometime Archbishop of Birmingham. Masterson was born in Ardwick, Manchester, England, the son of William Masterson, an Irish immigrant shopkeepe ...

(1947-1953) *

Francis Joseph Grimshaw Francis Edward Joseph Grimshaw (6 October 1901 – 22 March 1965) was a British Roman Catholic bishop, who served as Archbishop of Birmingham from 1954 until his death. Early life Born in Bridgwater, Somerset on 6 October 1901, the eldest o ...

(1954-1965) * George Patrick Dwyer (1965-1981) *

Maurice Noël Léon Couve de Murville Maurice Noël Léon Couve de Murville (27 June 1929 – 3 November 2007) was a French-born British Roman Catholic bishop. He was the seventh Archbishop of Birmingham from 25 March 1982 until his retirement on 12 June 1999, having formerly be ...

(1982-1999) * Vincent Gerard Nichols (2000-2009), appointed

Archbishop of Westminster The Archbishop of Westminster heads the Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster, in England. The incumbent is the metropolitan of the Province of Westminster, chief metropolitan of England and Wales and, as a matter of custom, is elected presid ...

(

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, t ...

in 2014) *

(2009–present)

Coadjutor Vicars Apostolic

* John Joseph Hornyold (1751-1756) *

(1766-1778) *

(1786-1795) * Thomas Walsh (1825-1826) * Nicholas Wiseman (1840-1847), appointed Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of the London District, later

and

(elevated to

in 1850)

Auxiliary bishops

* John Patrick Barrett (1926-1929), appointed Bishop of Plymouth * Terence John Brain (1991-1997), appointed Bishop of Salford * Humphrey Penderell Bright (1944-1964) * Robert John Byrne, C.O. (2014-2019), appointed Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle * Joseph Francis Cleary (1964-1987) * Anthony Joseph Emery (1967-1976), appointed Bishop of Portsmouth * Michael Francis Glancey (1924-1925) *

Bernard William Griffin Bernard William Griffin (21 February 1899 – 19 August 1956) was an English cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Westminster from 1943 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1946 by Pope Pius X ...

(1938-1943), appointed Archbishop of Westminster (Cardinal in 1946) * Roger Francis Crispian Hollis (1987-1988), appointed Bishop of Portsmouth *

(1879-1888), appointed Bishop here * Leonard William Kenney, C.P. (2006-2021) *

Patrick Leo McCartie Patrick Leo McCartie (5 September 1925 – 23 April 2020) was a British Catholic prelate who was the Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham and Bishop of Northampton. Life McCartie was born in West Hartlepool in Septe ...

(1977-1990), appointed Bishop of Northampton * David Christopher McGough (2005-2020) * John McIntyre (1912-1917), appointed official of the Roman Curia and titular archbishop; later returned here as Archbishop *

Philip Pargeter Philip Pargeter (born 13 June 1933, in Wolverhampton), West Midlands (United Kingdom), is the Titular Bishop of Valentiniana, and a retired Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham. Early life and ministry He is t ...

(1989-2009) * Stephen James Lawrence Wright (2020-) * David Ernest Charles Evans (2020-)

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

Francis Kerril Amherst Francis Kerril Amherst, T.O.S.D., (21 March 1819, London – 21 August 1883) was an English Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Northampton in England. Life Francis Amherst was born in Marylebone, London 21 March 1819. He was the eldest ...

, appointed Bishop of Northampton in 1858 *

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the hono ...

, appointed Bishop of Shrewsbury in 1851 *

David John Cashman David John Cashman (1912–1971) was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Arundel and Brighton from 1965 to 1971.

, appointed auxiliary bishop of Westminster in 1958 * Kieran Thomas Conry, appointed Bishop of Arundel and Brighton in 2001 * James Dey, appointed Vicar Apostolic of Great Britain, Military in 1935 * Edward Dicconson, appointed Vicar Apostolic of Northern District in 1740 *

Kevin John Dunn The Right Reverend Kevin John Dunn (9 July 1950 – 1 March 2008) was the twelfth Roman Catholic Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle. Early life Kevin John Dunn was born in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire on 9 July 1950 and educated at St Mary ...

, appointed Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle in 2004 * Joseph Gray, appointed auxiliary bishop of Liverpool in 1968 * Frederick William Keating, appointed Bishop of Northampton in 1908 * Edmund James Knight, appointed auxiliary bishop of Shrewsbury in 1879 * Kevin John Patrick McDonald, appointed Bishop of Northampton in 2001 * Patrick Joseph McKinney, appointed Bishop of Nottingham in 2015 * Francis George Mostyn, appointed Vicar Apostolic of Northern District in 1840 * David James Oakley, appointed Bishop of Northampton in 2020 * Richard Butler Roskell, appointed Bishop of Nottingham in 1853 * Marcus Nigel Stock, appointed Bishop of Leeds in 2014 * Francis Gerard Thomas, appointed Bishop of Northampton in 1982 *

William Wareing Bishop William Wareing (14 February 1791 – 26 December 1865) was the first Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Northampton. Born at Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, and after studying at Oscott College, William Wareing was ordained as a Ca ...

, appointed Vicar Apostolic of Eastern District in 1840 * Henry Weedall, appointed Vicar Apostolic of Northern District in 1840; did not take effect

Education

* Holy Trinity Catholic Academy of Stafford and Stone

References

External links

Archdioceses of Birmingham website
*Ardiocese of Birmingham Directory 2020 (CPMM Media Group, Liverpool, 2019) {{DEFAULTSORT:Birmingham Christianity in Birmingham, West Midlands Religious organizations established in 1688 Pope Pius IX Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 17th century 1688 establishments in England