Thomas Matthew Burns KC*HS (born 3 June 1944) is a British Roman Catholic bishop. On 16 October 2008 he was appointed as Bishop of Menevia by Pope Benedict XVI, becoming so on 1 December 2008 when he took possession of his new

see See or SEE may refer to: * Sight - seeing Arts, entertainment, and media * Music: ** ''See'' (album), studio album by rock band The Rascals *** "See", song by The Rascals, on the album ''See'' ** "See" (Tycho song), song by Tycho * Television * ...

, on which day he ceased to be Bishop of the Forces. He is now bishop promoter for the Apostleship of the Sea, A Catholic organisation which provides pastoral and practical assistance to all seafarers. It was announced in July 2019 that Burns had retired from the role of Bishop of Menevia after 11 years.

Life and ministry

Tom Burns was born in Belfast, but his family later moved to Lancashire. After studying at

St. Mary's College, Blackburn St Mary's College on Shear Brow (B6233), Blackburn, Lancashire, England was established by the Marist Fathers in 1925. It was a modern college for students aged between 16 and 18. Most students took what is known in the UK as ''Advanced-Levels' ...

, a sixth form in an

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

school and a monastery in Paignton, Burns was ordained to the priesthood on 16 December 1971 for the Society of Mary. On 24 May 2002, he was appointed to head the military ordinariate of Great Britain, the Bishopric of the Forces. He received his episcopal consecration on the following 18 June from Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, with Bishop Francis Walmsley and Archbishop

Patrick Altham Kelly Patrick Altham Kelly PHL KC*HS (born 23 November 1938) is an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the archbishop emeritus of the Archdiocese of Liverpool following his resignation which took effect on 27 February 2013; he was fo ...

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, ...

. Burns has been a vociferous critic of the UK Ministry of Defence, complaining that troops in Iraq were "frustrated by restrictions, checks and delays that are placed on them but not on their opponents", and that their "activities are often jeopardised by poor equipment, outmoded vehicles and inadequate apparel". The church closure in Aberystwyth has been criticised.When churches close: the day of reckoning for St Winefride’s
'' Cambrian News'', 28 January 2018, retrieved 14 June 2022 On 11 July 2019, Pope Francis accepted Burns's resignation after he reached the age of 75. A farewell and thanksgiving Mass was held on 23 July 2019 to mark the beginning of his retirement.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burns, Tom 1944 births 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Wales Living people Roman Catholics from Northern Ireland Clergy from Belfast Roman Catholic bishops of the Forces Royal Navy chaplains Roman Catholic bishops of Menevia Irish expatriate Catholic bishops