Arthur Roche
Encyclopedia
Arthur Roche is an English
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the ninth and current Bishop of Leeds
.
, Yorkshire
to Arthur and Frances Roche, and attended St. Joseph's Primary School, St. John Fisher High School
, and Christleton Hall
. From 1969 to 1975, he studied at St. Alban's College
in Valladolid
, Spain
, where he obtained a degree in theology
from the Comillas Pontifical University. Roche, upon his return to England
, was ordained
to the priesthood
by Bishop William Wheeler
on July 19, 1975.
He then served as assistant pastor
at Holy Rood Church in Barnsley
until 1978, whence he became private secretary
to Bishop Wheeler. Roche was appointed vice-chancellor
of the Diocese of Leeds in 1979, and organized the visit of Pope John Paul II
to York
in May 1982. From 1982 to 1989, he served on the staff of St. Anne's Cathedral
.
Roche was the diocesan
Financial
Secretary from 1986 to 1991, during which time he was also named pastor of St. Wilfrid's Church in January 1989. In 1991, he furthered his studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University
in Rome
, and later became spiritual director
of the Venerable English College
. Roche was made General Secretary
of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales
(April 1996) and then raised to rank of Honorary Prelate of His Holiness
.
of Westminster
and Titular Bishop
of Rusticiana by John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration
on the following May 10 from Cormac Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor, with Bishops David Konstant
and Victor Guazzelli
serving as co-consecrators
.
of Leeds on July 16 of that year. He succeeded Bishop Konstant upon the latter's retirement on April 7, 2004, becoming the ninth Bishop of Leeds
. Since July 2002, Roche has been chairman
of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy
, which oversees the translation of the Mass
into English
. He has earned a fair amount of controversy during his tenure for issuing restrictive guidelines for the implementation of Summorum Pontificum
and for closing parishes
in his diocese.
His name had been mentioned as a possible successor to Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor as Archbishop of Westminster
and thus leader of the Church in England and Wales. He was even said to be the Cardinal's favoured candidate. His name had also been mentioned as a possible successor to Archbishop Kevin McDonald as Archbishop of Southwark
. However, he was not appointed to either of those posts.
Roche was shortlisted for the award of Bigot of the Year in the 2010 Stonewall Awards
.
As the official chairman
of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy
Roche has announced the new translation of the Mass
into English
is ready and will be introduced into the parishes in September.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the ninth and current Bishop of Leeds
Bishop of Leeds
The Bishop of Leeds is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Leeds in the Province of Liverpool, England.The Vicariate Apostolic of the Yorkshire District was elevated to diocese status as the Diocese of Beverley on 29 September 1850, which was suppressed on 20 December 1878 and its area...
.
Early life and ministry
Arthur Roche was born in Batley CarrBatley Carr
Batley Carr, West Yorkshire, England is primarily a council estate in Batley, on the way to Dewsbury, along the A652, Bradford Road. The population is about 3,740. Crime is around the national average....
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
to Arthur and Frances Roche, and attended St. Joseph's Primary School, St. John Fisher High School
St John Fisher Catholic High School (Dewsbury)
St John Fisher Catholic High School was opened in 1958 under the trusteeship of the Diocese of Leeds to serve Catholics living in Dewsbury, Batley and the surrounding areas. It was reorganised in 1974 and the Sixth Form was added in 1979....
, and Christleton Hall
Christleton High School
Christleton High School is a large comprehensive school located in the small village of Christleton on the outskirts of Chester. Its current headmaster is Mr Tony Lamberton. The school has Specialist status in Maths and Computing with Business and Enterprise...
. From 1969 to 1975, he studied at St. Alban's College
English College, Valladolid
The Royal English and Welsh College, Valladolid, under the patronage of St Alban, was founded in 1589 during the protestant reformation for the training of Catholic priests for the English and Welsh Mission....
in Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, where he obtained a degree in theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
from the Comillas Pontifical University. Roche, upon his return to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, was ordained
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
to the priesthood
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
by Bishop William Wheeler
William Gordon Wheeler
The Rt Rev. William Gordon Wheeler was the 7th Roman Catholic Bishop of Leeds from 1966 until 1985. Born on 5 May 1910 and educated at Manchester Grammar School and University College, Oxford he was ordained as an Anglican priest in 1934 and began his ecclesiastical career with curacies at St...
on July 19, 1975.
He then served as assistant pastor
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
at Holy Rood Church in Barnsley
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
until 1978, whence he became private secretary
Personal assistant
A personal assistant or personal aide is someone who assists in daily business or personal tasks. It is common in design to have a PDA, or personal design assistant....
to Bishop Wheeler. Roche was appointed vice-chancellor
Chancellor (ecclesiastical)
Two quite distinct officials of some Christian churches have the title Chancellor.*In some churches, the Chancellor of a diocese is a lawyer who represents the church in legal matters....
of the Diocese of Leeds in 1979, and organized the visit of Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
to York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
in May 1982. From 1982 to 1989, he served on the staff of St. Anne's Cathedral
Leeds Cathedral
Leeds Cathedral, formally The Cathedral Church of St Anne, commonly known as Saint Anne's Cathedral, is the Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Diocese of Leeds, and is the seat of the Bishop of Leeds. It is in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
.
Roche was the diocesan
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
Financial
Finance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
Secretary from 1986 to 1991, during which time he was also named pastor of St. Wilfrid's Church in January 1989. In 1991, he furthered his studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University
Pontifical Gregorian University
The Pontifical Gregorian University is a pontifical university located in Rome, Italy.Heir of the Roman College founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola over 460 years ago, the Gregorian University was the first university founded by the Jesuits...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, and later became spiritual director
Spiritual direction
Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divine, or to learn and grow in their own personal spirituality. The person seeking direction shares stories of his or her encounters of the divine, or how he or she is experiencing...
of the Venerable English College
Venerable English College, Rome
The Venerable English College, commonly referred to as the English College, is a Roman Catholic seminary in Rome, Italy, for the training of priests for England and Wales...
. Roche was made General Secretary
General Secretary
The office of general secretary is staffed by the chief officer of:*The General Secretariat for Macedonia and Thrace, a government agency for the Greek regions of Macedonia and Thrace...
of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales
Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales is the episcopal conference of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales.-About:...
(April 1996) and then raised to rank of Honorary Prelate of His Holiness
Monsignor
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
.
Episcopal career
On April 12, 2001, Roche was appointed Auxiliary BishopAuxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of Westminster
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in England. The archdiocese consists of all the London boroughs north of the River Thames and west of the River Lea, together with the towns southwest of Staines and Sunbury-on-Thames and...
and Titular Bishop
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Rusticiana by John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
on the following May 10 from Cormac Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor, with Bishops David Konstant
David Konstant
David Every Konstant is the Bishop Emeritus of Leeds, England.After graduating from Christ's College, Cambridge and studying for the priesthood at St Edmund's College, Ware, Konstant was ordained as a priest on 12 June 1954 by Cardinal Bernard Griffin. In the 1960s he was assistant headmaster at...
and Victor Guazzelli
Victor Guazzelli
Victor Guazzelli was a Roman Catholic priest who served as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Westminster. He was known as a devoted supporter of social justice.-Biography:...
serving as co-consecrators
Consecrator
Consecrator is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to designate a bishop who ordains a priest to the episcopal state. The term is often used in Eastern Rite Churches and in Anglican communities. The term "Principal Consecrator" is used to designate the primary bishop who ordains a new bishop...
.
Bishop of Leeds
After his term as General Secretary of the CBCEW ended in April 2002, Roche was named Coadjutor BishopCoadjutor bishop
A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...
of Leeds on July 16 of that year. He succeeded Bishop Konstant upon the latter's retirement on April 7, 2004, becoming the ninth Bishop of Leeds
Bishop of Leeds
The Bishop of Leeds is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Leeds in the Province of Liverpool, England.The Vicariate Apostolic of the Yorkshire District was elevated to diocese status as the Diocese of Beverley on 29 September 1850, which was suppressed on 20 December 1878 and its area...
. Since July 2002, Roche has been chairman
Chair (official)
The chairman is the highest officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office is typically elected or appointed by the members of the group. The chairman presides over meetings of the assembled group and conducts its business in an...
of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy
International Commission on English in the Liturgy
The International Commission on English in the Liturgy is a commission set up by a number of episcopal conferences of English-speaking countries for the purpose of providing English translations of the liturgical books of the Roman Rite, the originals of which are in Latin.Decisions to adopt these...
, which oversees the translation of the Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. He has earned a fair amount of controversy during his tenure for issuing restrictive guidelines for the implementation of Summorum Pontificum
Summorum Pontificum
Summorum Pontificum is an Apostolic Letter of Pope Benedict XVI, issued "motu proprio" . The document specified the rules, for the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, for celebrating Mass according to the "Missal promulgated by John XXIII in 1962" , and for administering most of the sacraments in...
and for closing parishes
Parish (Catholic Church)
In the Roman Catholic Church, a parish is the lowest ecclesiastical geographical subdivision: from ecclesiastical province to diocese to deanery to parish.-Requirements:A parish needs two things under common law to become a parish...
in his diocese.
His name had been mentioned as a possible successor to Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor as Archbishop of Westminster
Archbishop of Westminster
The Archbishop of Westminster heads the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster, in England. The incumbent is the Metropolitan of the Province of Westminster and, as a matter of custom, is elected President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, and therefore de facto spokesman...
and thus leader of the Church in England and Wales. He was even said to be the Cardinal's favoured candidate. His name had also been mentioned as a possible successor to Archbishop Kevin McDonald as Archbishop of Southwark
Archbishop of Southwark
The Archbishop of Southwark is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark in England. As such he is the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Province of Southwark....
. However, he was not appointed to either of those posts.
Roche was shortlisted for the award of Bigot of the Year in the 2010 Stonewall Awards
Stonewall Awards
The Stonewall Awards is an annual event to celebrate people who have had a positive impact on the lives of British LGBT people. The event was first held in 2006 at the Royal Academy of Arts and from 2007 were held at the Victoria and Albert Museum.-2006:...
.
As the official chairman
Chair (official)
The chairman is the highest officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office is typically elected or appointed by the members of the group. The chairman presides over meetings of the assembled group and conducts its business in an...
of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy
International Commission on English in the Liturgy
The International Commission on English in the Liturgy is a commission set up by a number of episcopal conferences of English-speaking countries for the purpose of providing English translations of the liturgical books of the Roman Rite, the originals of which are in Latin.Decisions to adopt these...
Roche has announced the new translation of the Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
is ready and will be introduced into the parishes in September.