Mark O'Toole (born 22 June 1963) is a
Roman Catholic Archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
and is the current
Archbishop of Cardiff and
Bishop of Menevia.
Early life and education
O'Toole was born in
Southwark
Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...
, England, and attended St Ignatius Primary School,
Stamford Hill and St Thomas More Secondary school in
Wood Green, leaving in 1981 with four ‘A’ levels before going to the
University of Leicester, where he graduated with a B.Sc. in geography in 1984.
["Rector of Allen Hall Seminary Mgr Mark O’Toole appointed as new Bishop of Plymouth", ''News Centre'', Diocese of Westminster, 2 May 2015]
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He commenced his studies for the priesthood at Allen Hall Seminary in Chelsea and was ordained a priest on 9 June 1990 by Basil Hume
George Basil Hume OSB OM (2 March 1923 – 17 June 1999) was an English Catholic bishop. He was a monk and priest of the English Benedictine monastery of Ampleforth Abbey and its abbot for 13 years until his appointment as Archbishop of Wes ...
for the Archdiocese of Westminster at the Church of St Ignatius, Stamford Hill, London.
Between 1990 and 1992 he studied for an M.Phil. in theology at the University of Oxford.[
Between 2002 and 2008 he served as the private secretary to Cormac Murphy-O'Connor before his appointment as the rector of Allen Hall Seminary in September 2008.]
Episcopal ministry
On 9 November 2013, O'Toole was appointed the ninth bishop of Plymouth by Pope Francis. He received his episcopal consecration on 28 January 2014.[ He was the first new bishop of England and Wales appointed by Pope Francis.
In O'Toole's homily during the Stella Maris Mass for seafarers on 25 September 2014 in Plymouth Cathedral, O'Toole expressed an affinity with the mission of the Apostleship of the Sea, the Catholic charity that provides pastoral and practical support to all seafarers. He said this was because his grandfather was something of a seafarer and fisherman who owned his own boat and made a living in trading goods and supplies off the West coast of Ireland.]
Bishop Mark O'Toole in Stella Maris Mass 2014 Homily.Cardiff Cathedral
The Metropolitan Cathedral Church of St David, also known as St David's Cathedral, Cardiff, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the city centre of Cardiff, Wales, and is the centre of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cardiff. Located in Charles S ...
on 20 June 2022, the feast day of Welsh martyrs Saints Julius and Aaron.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:OToole, Mark
1963 births
Living people
Roman Catholic clergy from London
21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in England
Roman Catholic bishops of Plymouth
English people of Irish descent
Alumni of the University of Leicester
Roman Catholic bishops of Menevia
Roman Catholic archbishops of Cardiff