Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Glasgow
Encyclopedia
The Archdiocese of Glasgow is a diocese
of the Roman Catholic Church
in Scotland
. Glasgow first became an archbishopric
in 1492, eventually securing the dioceses of Galloway, Argyll and the Isles as suffragans.
The modern Archdiocese of Glasgow was re-established in 1878 and currently consists of 106 parishes served by 228 priests (2003 figures) covering an area of 1165 square kilometres (449.8 sq mi) in the West of Scotland
. It includes the city of Glasgow
and extends to the town of Cumbernauld
in the east, northwards to Bearsden
, Bishopbriggs
and Milngavie
and westwards to Dumbarton, Balloch
and Garelochhead
. The Catholic population of the diocese is 224,344 (28.8%) out of a total population of 779,490 (2003 figures). Since 1947, the Archdiocese of Glasgow has been a Metropolitan Diocese, containing the two suffragan
Dioceses of Motherwell and Paisley. The Archbishop of Glasgow is therefore also the Metropolitan of the Province of Glasgow.
The current Archbishop
and Metropolitan
is Mario Joseph Conti
who was appointed in 2002.
The seat of the Archbishop is St Andrew's Cathedral, Glasgow.
, the diocese of Glasgow became important in the 12th century. It was organized by King David I of Scotland
and John
, Bishop of Glasgow. The bishopric became one of the largest and wealthiest in the Kingdom of Scotland
, bringing wealth and status to the town. Somewhere between 1175 and 1178 this position was strengthened even further when Bishop Jocelin obtained for the episcopal settlement the status of burgh
from King William the Lion
, allowing the settlement to expand with the benefits of trading monopolies and other legal guarantees. Sometime between 1189 and 1195 this status was supplemented by an annual fair, which survives to this day as the Glasgow Fair
.
Until 1560, when practice of the Roman Catholic Faith was suppressed by act of the Parliament of Scotland
nearly all the bishops of Glasgow took an active share in the government of the country, whether as chancellors
or treasurers
of the kingdom or as members of regency during the minority of a sovereign. Robert Wishart
(consecrated 1272, d. 1316) was conspicuous for his patriotism during the Scottish War of Independence
from England
, and was the close friend of William Wallace
and Robert Bruce
. William Turnbull (consecrated 1447, d. 1454) obtained in 1450 from Pope Nicholas V
the charter of foundation for the University of Glasgow
.
On 9 January 1492, Pope Innocent VIII
raised the see to metropolitan
rank, attaching to it the suffragan diocese
s of Argyle, Dunblane, Dunkeld, and Galloway. James Beaton, nephew of the celebrated cardinal of the same surname, was the fourth and last archbishop
of the old hierarchy.
In 1560, eight years after his nomination, he was forced to retire to France
, where he acted as confidential agent of Mary, Queen of Scots, and later openly as ambassador for James VI
, till his death in Paris
, 25 April 1603. He carried away with him the diocesan records, two of which deserve special mention: (1) "Registrum Vetus Ecclesiae Cathedralis Glasguensis", in handwriting of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and (2) "Liber Ruber Ecclesiae Glasguensis", with entries from about 1400 to 1476. These, along with other records, were in 1843 printed in a volume for the Maitland Club under the title: "Registrum Episcopatus Glasguensis: Munimenta Ecclesiae Metropolitanae Glasguensis a sede restauratâ saeculo ineunte XII ad reformatam religionem". A more splendid memorial of those times still remains in the old cathedral of St. Mungo, which was begun by Bishop Jocelyn (consecrated 1175, d. 1199) and received its last additions from Archbishop Blackader
(consecr. 1484, d. 1508).
Glasgow did not again become a centre of Roman Catholic life till about the beginning of the nineteenth century during the process of Catholic Emancipation
. The progress of the Industrial Revolution
also began to draw to the city and its neighbourhood Roman Catholics from the Scottish Highlands
and later, in far greater numbers, from Ireland
.The arrival of the Irish necessitated Rev. Andrew Scott , the sole Priest in Glasgow to begin the erection of the Catholic Cathedral in Clyde St in 1814 'for his vast Irish flock.
Before 1795 the majority of the Catholics in Glasgow were of Highland stock .Mass had been celebrated from 1776 onwards by Bishop Hay and Bishop Geddes in a clandestine manner, first in High St, and later at the foot of the Saltmarket. In the 1780’s a large colony of MacDonalds of Glengarry, on their way to America were forced to seek shelter from inclement weather, stayed on to work in the Glasgow Mills of the Monteith family. A priest from their native area joined them in 1792.In 1794 many of the MacDonalds left the city to join the regiment of Glengarry Fencibles. In 1795 the remainder of this group along with clan members from Glengarry sailed for America.They were accompanied by their pastor , Father Alexander MacDonald.
Thus ended the influence of the Scottish Highland Catholics in the city, their place was now taken by the Irish who arrived in greater numbers and had a much more dramatic effect on the city of Glasgow.
In 1827, the Holy See
erected the Vicariate Apostolic
of the Western District of Scotland. It was headed by a vicar apostolic, who was a consecrated bishop and who held a titular see
. On the resignation of Bishop Gray
in 1869, Archbishop Charles Petre Eyre
was appointed the Apostolic Administrator
of the Western District. On the Restoration of the Scottish hierarchy
by Pope Leo XIII
, 4 March, 1878, the district was divided into the Archdiocese of Glasgow, the Diocese of Argyll and the Isles
and the Diocese of Galloway
. Archbishop Eyre was appointed the first Roman Catholic Archbishop of Glasgow since the Scottish Reformation
.
By 1877, a year prior to the institution of the current Roman Catholic archdiocese, Archbishop Charles Eyre could record that in Glasgow city there were nineteen parishes, served by fifty-two priests, and in the county of Dunbarton, five parishes and seven priests.
Lanarkshire, which became Motherwell
diocese in 1947-48, had seventeen parishes and twenty-two priests, while Renfrewshire, which became Paisley diocese
in 1947–48, had eleven parishes and sixteen priests.
To train clergy, Archbishop Eyre founded St.Peter's College at Partickhill in 1874, and also encouraged the opening at Dowanhill in 1894 of Notre Dame teacher-training college. He was also committed to creating new parishes and breaking up over-large ones which he felt 'were almost dioceses in themselves'.
During the episcopate of his successor, Archbishop John Maguire
, the Education (Scotland) Act 1918 was passed. Financial difficulties, including the triple burden of salaries, building costs, and rising educational expectations necessitated a settlement.
Maguire supported the War effort of 1914–18. In 1917, soldier-students, among them James Black
, the future Bishop of Paisley
, went to the front from St Peter's College, and two of the military chaplains from the Archdiocese were killed. Although the seminary never closed during the First World War, at one point it housed only a single student and the rector.
:
Vicars Apostolic of the Western District
Archbishops of Glasgow
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...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Glasgow first became an archbishopric
Archdiocese of Glasgow
The Archdiocese of Glasgow was one of the thirteen dioceses of the Scottish church. It was the second largest diocese in the Kingdom of Scotland, including Clydesdale, Teviotdale, parts of Tweeddale, Liddesdale, Annandale, Nithsdale, Cunninghame, Kyle, and Strathgryfe, as well as Lennox Carrick...
in 1492, eventually securing the dioceses of Galloway, Argyll and the Isles as suffragans.
The modern Archdiocese of Glasgow was re-established in 1878 and currently consists of 106 parishes served by 228 priests (2003 figures) covering an area of 1165 square kilometres (449.8 sq mi) in the West of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It includes the city of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and extends to the town of Cumbernauld
Cumbernauld
Cumbernauld is a Scottish new town in North Lanarkshire. It was created in 1956 as a population overspill for Glasgow City. It is the eighth most populous settlement in Scotland and the largest in North Lanarkshire...
in the east, northwards to Bearsden
Bearsden
Bearsden ) is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It lies on the northwestern fringe of Greater Glasgow, approximately from the City Centre, and is effectively a suburb, with housing development coinciding with the introduction of a railway line in 1863, and from where the town gets its name...
, Bishopbriggs
Bishopbriggs
Bishopbriggs is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. The area was once part of the historic parish of Cadder - originally lands granted by King William the Lion to the Bishop of Glasgow, Jocelin, in 1180. It was later part of the county of Lanarkshire and subsequently an independent burgh from...
and Milngavie
Milngavie
Milngavie , is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It is on the Allander Water, at the northwestern edge of Greater Glasgow, and about from Glasgow city centre. It neighbours Bearsden....
and westwards to Dumbarton, Balloch
Balloch, West Dunbartonshire
Balloch is a small town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, at the foot of Loch Lomond. The name comes from the Gaelic for "the pass".Balloch is at the north end of the Vale of Leven, straddling the River Leven itself. It connects to the larger town of Alexandria and to the smaller village of...
and Garelochhead
Garelochhead
Garelochhead is a small village on the Gare Loch in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is the nearest village to the HMNB Clyde naval base.Garelochhead lies at the head of the Gare Loch, 7 miles northwest of Helensburgh. Loch Lomond is a few miles to the east, and Loch Long to the west...
. The Catholic population of the diocese is 224,344 (28.8%) out of a total population of 779,490 (2003 figures). Since 1947, the Archdiocese of Glasgow has been a Metropolitan Diocese, containing the two suffragan
Suffragan bishop
A suffragan bishop is a bishop subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop. He or she may be assigned to an area which does not have a cathedral of its own.-Anglican Communion:...
Dioceses of Motherwell and Paisley. The Archbishop of Glasgow is therefore also the Metropolitan of the Province of Glasgow.
The current Archbishop
Archbishop of Glasgow
The Bishop of Glasgow, from 1492 Archbishop of Glasgow, was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Glasgow and then, as Archbishop of Glasgow, the Archdiocese of Glasgow...
and Metropolitan
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
is Mario Joseph Conti
Mario Joseph Conti
Mario Joseph Conti is the current Catholic Archbishop of the Metropolitan see of Glasgow, Scotland.-Life:Mario Joseph Conti was born on 20 March 1934, in Elgin, Moray, son of Louis Joseph Conti and Josephine Quintilia Conti...
who was appointed in 2002.
The seat of the Archbishop is St Andrew's Cathedral, Glasgow.
History
Originally established by Saint KentigernSaint Mungo
Saint Mungo is the commonly used name for Saint Kentigern . He was the late 6th century apostle of the Brythonic Kingdom of Strathclyde in modern Scotland, and patron saint and founder of the city of Glasgow.-Name:In Wales and England, this saint is known by his birth and baptismal name Kentigern...
, the diocese of Glasgow became important in the 12th century. It was organized by King David I of Scotland
David I of Scotland
David I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots...
and John
John the Chaplain
John was an early 12th century Tironensian cleric. He was the chaplain and close confident of King David I of Scotland, before becoming Bishop of Glasgow and founder of Glasgow Cathedral. He was one of the most significant religious reformers in the history of Scotland...
, Bishop of Glasgow. The bishopric became one of the largest and wealthiest in the Kingdom of Scotland
Kingdom of Scotland
The Kingdom of Scotland was a Sovereign state in North-West Europe that existed from 843 until 1707. It occupied the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shared a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England...
, bringing wealth and status to the town. Somewhere between 1175 and 1178 this position was strengthened even further when Bishop Jocelin obtained for the episcopal settlement the status of burgh
Burgh
A burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...
from King William the Lion
William I of Scotland
William the Lion , sometimes styled William I, also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough", reigned as King of the Scots from 1165 to 1214...
, allowing the settlement to expand with the benefits of trading monopolies and other legal guarantees. Sometime between 1189 and 1195 this status was supplemented by an annual fair, which survives to this day as the Glasgow Fair
Glasgow Fair
The Glasgow Fair is a holiday during the last fortnight in July in the city of Glasgow Scotland. 'The Fair' is the oldest of a number of similar holidays, dating from the 12th century...
.
Until 1560, when practice of the Roman Catholic Faith was suppressed by act of the Parliament of Scotland
Parliament of Scotland
The Parliament of Scotland, officially the Estates of Parliament, was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland. The unicameral parliament of Scotland is first found on record during the early 13th century, with the first meeting for which a primary source survives at...
nearly all the bishops of Glasgow took an active share in the government of the country, whether as chancellors
Lord Chancellor of Scotland
The Lord Chancellor of Scotland was a Great Officer of State in pre-Union Scotland.Holders of the office are known from 1123 onwards, but its duties were occasionally performed by an official of lower status with the title of Keeper of the Great Seal...
or treasurers
Treasurer of Scotland
The Treasurer was a senior post in the pre-Union government of Scotland, the Privy Council of Scotland.The full title of the post was Lord High Treasurer, Comptroller, Collector-General and Treasurer of the New Augmentation, formed as it was from the amalgamation of four earlier offices...
of the kingdom or as members of regency during the minority of a sovereign. Robert Wishart
Robert Wishart
Robert Wishart was Bishop of Glasgow during the Wars of Scottish Independence and a leading supporter of Robert Bruce. For Wishart and many of his fellow churchmen the freedom of Scotland and the freedom of the Scottish church were one and the same thing...
(consecrated 1272, d. 1316) was conspicuous for his patriotism during the Scottish War of Independence
Wars of Scottish Independence
The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between the independent Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries....
from 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...
, and was the close friend of William Wallace
William Wallace
Sir William Wallace was a Scottish knight and landowner who became one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence....
and Robert Bruce
Robert I of Scotland
Robert I , popularly known as Robert the Bruce , was King of Scots from March 25, 1306, until his death in 1329.His paternal ancestors were of Scoto-Norman heritage , and...
. William Turnbull (consecrated 1447, d. 1454) obtained in 1450 from Pope Nicholas V
Pope Nicholas V
Pope Nicholas V , born Tommaso Parentucelli, was Pope from March 6, 1447 to his death in 1455.-Biography:He was born at Sarzana, Liguria, where his father was a physician...
the charter of foundation for the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
.
On 9 January 1492, Pope Innocent VIII
Pope Innocent VIII
Pope Innocent VIII , born Giovanni Battista Cybo , was Pope from 1484 until his death.-Early years:Giovanni Battista Cybo was born at Genoa of Greek extraction...
raised the see to metropolitan
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
rank, attaching to it the suffragan diocese
Suffragan Diocese
A suffragan diocese is a diocese in the Catholic Church that is overseen not only by its own diocesan bishop but also by a metropolitan bishop. The metropolitan is always an archbishop who governs his own archdiocese...
s of Argyle, Dunblane, Dunkeld, and Galloway. James Beaton, nephew of the celebrated cardinal of the same surname, was the fourth and last archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of the old hierarchy.
In 1560, eight years after his nomination, he was forced to retire to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where he acted as confidential agent of Mary, Queen of Scots, and later openly as ambassador for James VI
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
, till his death in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, 25 April 1603. He carried away with him the diocesan records, two of which deserve special mention: (1) "Registrum Vetus Ecclesiae Cathedralis Glasguensis", in handwriting of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and (2) "Liber Ruber Ecclesiae Glasguensis", with entries from about 1400 to 1476. These, along with other records, were in 1843 printed in a volume for the Maitland Club under the title: "Registrum Episcopatus Glasguensis: Munimenta Ecclesiae Metropolitanae Glasguensis a sede restauratâ saeculo ineunte XII ad reformatam religionem". A more splendid memorial of those times still remains in the old cathedral of St. Mungo, which was begun by Bishop Jocelyn (consecrated 1175, d. 1199) and received its last additions from Archbishop Blackader
Robert Blackadder
Robert Blackadder was a medieval Scottish cleric, diplomat and politician, who was abbot of Melrose, bishop-elect of Aberdeen and bishop of Glasgow; when the last was elevated to archiepiscopal status in 1492, he became the first ever archbishop of Glasgow...
(consecr. 1484, d. 1508).
Glasgow did not again become a centre of Roman Catholic life till about the beginning of the nineteenth century during the process of Catholic Emancipation
Catholic Emancipation
Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in Great Britain and Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th century which involved reducing and removing many of the restrictions on Roman Catholics which had been introduced by the Act of Uniformity, the Test Acts and the penal laws...
. The progress of the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
also began to draw to the city and its neighbourhood Roman Catholics from the Scottish Highlands
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
and later, in far greater numbers, from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.The arrival of the Irish necessitated Rev. Andrew Scott , the sole Priest in Glasgow to begin the erection of the Catholic Cathedral in Clyde St in 1814 'for his vast Irish flock.
Before 1795 the majority of the Catholics in Glasgow were of Highland stock .Mass had been celebrated from 1776 onwards by Bishop Hay and Bishop Geddes in a clandestine manner, first in High St, and later at the foot of the Saltmarket. In the 1780’s a large colony of MacDonalds of Glengarry, on their way to America were forced to seek shelter from inclement weather, stayed on to work in the Glasgow Mills of the Monteith family. A priest from their native area joined them in 1792.In 1794 many of the MacDonalds left the city to join the regiment of Glengarry Fencibles. In 1795 the remainder of this group along with clan members from Glengarry sailed for America.They were accompanied by their pastor , Father Alexander MacDonald.
Thus ended the influence of the Scottish Highland Catholics in the city, their place was now taken by the Irish who arrived in greater numbers and had a much more dramatic effect on the city of Glasgow.
In 1827, the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
erected the Vicariate Apostolic
Apostolic vicariate
An apostolic vicariate is a form of territorial jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church established in missionary regions and countries that do not have a diocese. It is essentially provisional, though it may last for a century or more...
of the Western District of Scotland. It was headed by a vicar apostolic, who was a consecrated bishop and who held a titular see
Titular see
A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular bishop", "titular metropolitan", or "titular archbishop"....
. On the resignation of Bishop Gray
John Gray (bishop)
John Gray was a Roman Catholic bishop who served as the Vicar Apostolic of the Western District of Scotland.Born in Buckie, Moray on 16 June 1817, he was the son of William Gray and Joanna Gray . He entered the Scots College in Rome on 30 September 1838, and took the oath on 25 March 1839...
in 1869, Archbishop Charles Petre Eyre
Charles Petre Eyre
Charles Petre Eyre was a Roman Catholic clergyman who served as the Archbishop of Glasgow from 1878 to 1902.Born at Askham Bryan Hall, Askham Bryan, near York, England on November 7, 1817, he was the fifth of nine children of John Lewis Eyre and Sara Eyre, née Parker . His father later became a...
was appointed the Apostolic Administrator
Apostolic Administrator
An apostolic administrator in the Roman Catholic Church is a prelate appointed by the Pope to serve as the ordinary for an apostolic administration...
of the Western District. On the Restoration of the Scottish hierarchy
Restoration of the Scottish hierarchy
The Restoration of the Scottish hierarchy refers to the re-establishment of the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland on 15 March 1878...
by Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
, 4 March, 1878, the district was divided into the Archdiocese of Glasgow, the Diocese of Argyll and the Isles
Roman Catholic Diocese of Argyll and the Isles
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Argyll and the Isles is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, in the Province of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh....
and the Diocese of Galloway
Roman Catholic Diocese of Galloway
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Galloway is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland. The diocese of Galloway had broken allegiance with Rome in 1560, and disappeared in 1689...
. Archbishop Eyre was appointed the first Roman Catholic Archbishop of Glasgow since the Scottish Reformation
Scottish Reformation
The Scottish Reformation was Scotland's formal break with the Papacy in 1560, and the events surrounding this. It was part of the wider European Protestant Reformation; and in Scotland's case culminated ecclesiastically in the re-establishment of the church along Reformed lines, and politically in...
.
By 1877, a year prior to the institution of the current Roman Catholic archdiocese, Archbishop Charles Eyre could record that in Glasgow city there were nineteen parishes, served by fifty-two priests, and in the county of Dunbarton, five parishes and seven priests.
Lanarkshire, which became Motherwell
Diocese of Motherwell
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Motherwell is an ecclesiastical diocese of the Catholic Church in Scotland.The diocese, which was erected on 25 May 1947 from the Archdiocese of Glasgow, is led by the Bishop of Motherwell currently the Right Reverend Joseph Devine.In 2004 the Catholic population,...
diocese in 1947-48, had seventeen parishes and twenty-two priests, while Renfrewshire, which became Paisley diocese
Diocese of Paisley
The Diocese of Paisley is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in Scotland. Erected on 25 May 1947 from the Archdiocese of Glasgow the diocese covers the historic county of Renfrewshire and is in area making it the smallest diocese by area in Scotland...
in 1947–48, had eleven parishes and sixteen priests.
To train clergy, Archbishop Eyre founded St.Peter's College at Partickhill in 1874, and also encouraged the opening at Dowanhill in 1894 of Notre Dame teacher-training college. He was also committed to creating new parishes and breaking up over-large ones which he felt 'were almost dioceses in themselves'.
During the episcopate of his successor, Archbishop John Maguire
John Aloysius Maguire
John Aloysius Maguire was a Roman Catholic clergyman who served as the Archbishop of Glasgow from 1902 to 1920.Born in Glasgow on 8 September 1851, he was ordained to the priesthood on 27 March 1875. He was appointed an Auxiliary Bishop of Glasgow and Titular Bishop of Trocmades by the Holy See on...
, the Education (Scotland) Act 1918 was passed. Financial difficulties, including the triple burden of salaries, building costs, and rising educational expectations necessitated a settlement.
Maguire supported the War effort of 1914–18. In 1917, soldier-students, among them James Black
James Black (bishop)
The Right Reverend James Black was the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Paisley in Scotland.-Early life:...
, the future Bishop of Paisley
Bishop of Paisley
The Bishop of Paisley is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paisley in the Province of Glasgow.The diocese covers an area of and is the smallest by area in Scotland. The see is in the town of Paisley where the seat is located at St Mirin's Cathedral.The diocese was erected on 25 May...
, went to the front from St Peter's College, and two of the military chaplains from the Archdiocese were killed. Although the seminary never closed during the First World War, at one point it housed only a single student and the rector.
Past and present ordinaries
The following is a list of the modern Archbishops of Glasgow and its precursor officeVicars Apostolic of the Western District
- Ranald MacDonaldRanald MacDonald (bishop)Ranald MacDonald was a Roman Catholic bishop who served as the Vicar Apostolic of the Highland District from 1819 to 1827, then the Vicar Apostolic of the Western District from 1827 to 1832....
(appointed 13 February 1827 – died 20 September 1832) - Andrew ScottAndrew Scott (bishop)Andrew Scott was a Roman Catholic bishop who served as the Vicar Apostolic of the Western District of Scotland from 1832 to 1845....
(succeeded 20 September 1832 – resigned 15 October 1845) - John MurdochJohn Murdoch (bishop)John Murdoch was a Roman Catholic bishop who served as the Vicar Apostolic of the Western District of Scotland....
(succeeded 15 October 1845 – died 15 December 1865) - John GrayJohn Gray (bishop)John Gray was a Roman Catholic bishop who served as the Vicar Apostolic of the Western District of Scotland.Born in Buckie, Moray on 16 June 1817, he was the son of William Gray and Joanna Gray . He entered the Scots College in Rome on 30 September 1838, and took the oath on 25 March 1839...
(succeeded 15 December 1865 – resigned 4 March 1869) - Charles Petre EyreCharles Petre EyreCharles Petre Eyre was a Roman Catholic clergyman who served as the Archbishop of Glasgow from 1878 to 1902.Born at Askham Bryan Hall, Askham Bryan, near York, England on November 7, 1817, he was the fifth of nine children of John Lewis Eyre and Sara Eyre, née Parker . His father later became a...
(appointed Apostolic Administrator 16 April 1869 – elevated Archbishop of Glasgow 15 March 1878)
Archbishops of Glasgow
- Charles Petre EyreCharles Petre EyreCharles Petre Eyre was a Roman Catholic clergyman who served as the Archbishop of Glasgow from 1878 to 1902.Born at Askham Bryan Hall, Askham Bryan, near York, England on November 7, 1817, he was the fifth of nine children of John Lewis Eyre and Sara Eyre, née Parker . His father later became a...
(appointed 15 March 1878 – died 27 March 1902) - John Aloysius MaguireJohn Aloysius MaguireJohn Aloysius Maguire was a Roman Catholic clergyman who served as the Archbishop of Glasgow from 1902 to 1920.Born in Glasgow on 8 September 1851, he was ordained to the priesthood on 27 March 1875. He was appointed an Auxiliary Bishop of Glasgow and Titular Bishop of Trocmades by the Holy See on...
(appointed 4 August 1902 – died 14 October 1920) - (Sede vacanteSede vacanteSede vacante is an expression, used in the Canon Law of the Catholic Church, that refers to the vacancy of the episcopal see of a particular church...
, 14 October 1920 – 24 February 1922) - Donald MackintoshDonald Mackintosh (archbishop)Donald Mackintosh was a Scottish clergyman who served as the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Glasgow from 1922 to 1943.Born in Glasnacardoch, Inverness-shire on 10 October 1876, he was ordained a priest on 1 November 1900. He was appointed the Archbishop of the Metropolitan see of Glasgow on 24...
(appointed 24 February 1922 – died 8 December 1943) - Donald Alphonsus CampbellDonald Alphonsus CampbellDonald Alphonsus Campbell was a Scottish prelate who served as the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Glasgow from 1945 to 1963.Born in Bohunhin, Glen Roy, Inverness-shire on 8 December 1894, he was ordained to the priesthood on 3 April 1920...
(appointed 6 January 1945 – died 22 July 1963) - James Donald ScanlanJames Donald ScanlanJames Donald Scanlan was a Roman Catholic prelate who served firstly as the Bishop of Dunkeld, then Bishop of Motherwell, and ultimately Archbishop of Glasgow....
(appointed 29 January 1964 – retired 23 April 1974) - Thomas Joseph WinningThomas WinningThomas Joseph Winning was a Scottish Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Glasgow from 1974 and President of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland from 1985 until his death...
(appointed 23 April 1974 – died 17 June 2001) - Mario Joseph Conti (current archbishop, appointed 15 January 2002)
See also
- Presbytery of Glasgow (Church of Scotland)Presbytery of Glasgow (Church of Scotland)The Presbytery of Glasgow one of the 46 Presbyteries of the Church of Scotland. It dates back to the earliest periods of Presbyterian church government in the Church of Scotland in the late 16th century...
- Diocese of Glasgow and GallowayDiocese of Glasgow and GallowayThe Diocese of Glasgow and Galloway is one of the seven dioceses of the Scottish Episcopal Church. It covers Dumfries and Galloway, Ayrshire, Lanarkshire , Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire and west Stirlingshire . The diocesan centre is St...
(Scottish Episcopal Church)