Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham

Archdiocese of Birmingham

Archidioecesis Birminghamiensis
Coat of arms
Location
Country England
Territory Warwickshire
 Oxfordshire
 Staffordshire
 West Midlands
 Worcestershire
Ecclesiastical provinceBirmingham
Deaneries11
Subdivisions3 Pastoral Areas
Statistics
Area8,735 km2 (3,373 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics
(as of 2015)
4,993,000
443,300 (8.9%)
Parishes224
Schools250
Information
DenominationCatholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
Established29 September 1850
(As Diocese of Birmingham)
28 October 1911
(As Archdiocese of Birmingham)
CathedralMetropolitan Cathedral Church of Saint Chad, Birmingham
Patron SaintsOur Blessed Lady Conceived Without Sin (8 December), Saint Chad (1 March), Blessed Charles Acutis (12 October)
Secular priests214 (+100 deacons)
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
ArchbishopBernard Longley
Auxiliary Bishops
Vicar GeneralRichard Walker
Episcopal Vicars
  • Paul Fitzpatrick
  • Paul McNally
  • Gary Buckby
  • Anna O'Connor
  • Laurence Hughes
Judicial VicarJoseph McLoughlin
Bishops emeritus
Map
The Archdiocese of Birmingham within the Province of Birmingham
The Archdiocese of Birmingham within the Province of Birmingham
Website
birminghamdiocese.org.uk

The Archdiocese of Birmingham is one of the principal Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. The archdiocese covers an area of 3,373 square miles (8,740 km2), encompassing Staffordshire, the West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and much of Oxfordshire as well as Caversham in Berkshire. The metropolitan see is in the City of Birmingham at the Metropolitan Cathedral Church of Saint Chad. The metropolitan province includes the suffragan dioceses of Clifton and Shrewsbury.

The archbishop is Bernard Longley, who was named the ninth Archbishop of Birmingham on 1 October 2009. He succeeds the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols (2000–09). 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

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

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

Diocesan boundaries

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The Archbishop of Birmingham, 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: David Evans): Birmingham Cathedral & South; Birmingham East & North; Kidderminster & Worcester.
  • Northern Pastoral Area (Episcopal Vicar: Paul McNally): Dudley & Wolverhampton; Lichfield & Walsall; North Staffordshire; Stafford.
  • Southern Pastoral Area (Episcopal Vicar: Paul Fitzpatrick): Banbury & Warwick; Coventry & Nuneaton; Oxford North; Oxford South.

Bishops

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Ordinaries

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Vicars Apostolic of the Midland District

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Vicars Apostolic of the Central District

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Bishops of Birmingham

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  • William Bernard Ullathorne (1850–1888); see above
  • Edward Ilsley (1888–1911); see below

Archbishops of Birmingham

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Coadjutor Vicars Apostolic

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Auxiliary bishops

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Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

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Education

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Resignations and Appointments, 18.03.2020". Holy See Press Office. Holy See. 18 March 2020. Archived from the original on 18 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
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52°29′08″N 1°53′55″W / 52.4856°N 1.8987°W / 52.4856; -1.8987