Roman Catholic Diocese of East Anglia
Encyclopedia
The Diocese of East Anglia is a diocese
of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church
covering the counties of Cambridge
, Norfolk
, Suffolk
and also Peterborough
in eastern
England
. The East Anglia diocese makes up part of the Catholic Association Pilgrimage
.
(14 September), St Felix
(13 May) and St Edmund
(20 November).
.
On 2 June 1976, the new diocese received its first bishop
, Alan Clark. Bishop Clark had previously been auxiliary bishop of Northampton and co-chairman of ARCIC (Anglican/Roman Catholic International Commission), with the cathedral being established at the former parish church of St John the Baptist, Norwich
. As the first bishop of the new diocese, Bishop Clark had to set up all the necessary instruments and commissions for the diocese to operate successfully. The establishment of the Diocesan Pastoral Council in 1987 strengthened these.
The diocese continued to grow with the development of the diocesan offices and diocesan tribunal attached to Bishop's House in Poringland
near Norwich
. Bishop Clark led a number of Lourdes
Pilgrimages.
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 Latin Rite 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...
covering the counties of Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
and also Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
in eastern
East of England
The East of England is one of the nine official regions of England. It was created in 1994 and was adopted for statistics from 1999. It includes the ceremonial counties of Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. Essex has the highest population in the region.Its...
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...
. The East Anglia diocese makes up part of the Catholic Association Pilgrimage
Catholic Association Pilgrimage
The Catholic Association of the UK, abbreviated to the CA, has been around in one form or another since 1881 and ran its first pilgrimage to Lourdes in 1901...
.
Statistics
There are 85,309 members of the church who belong to the 59 parishes in the diocese. The patrons of the diocese are Our Lady of WalsinghamOur Lady of Walsingham
Our Lady of Walsingham is a title used for Mary, the mother of Jesus. The title derives from the belief that Mary appeared in a vision to Richeldis de Faverches, a devout Saxon noblewoman, in 1061 in the village of Walsingham in Norfolk, England...
(14 September), St Felix
Felix of Burgundy
Felix of Burgundy, also known as Felix of Dunwich , was a saint and the first bishop of the East Angles. He is widely credited as the man who introduced Christianity to the kingdom of East Anglia...
(13 May) and St Edmund
Edmund the Martyr
St Edmund the Martyr was a king of East Anglia, an Anglo-Saxon kingdom which today includes the English counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.D'Evelyn, Charlotte, and Mill, Anna J., , 1956. Reprinted 1967...
(20 November).
Boundaries
The diocese is divided into eight deaneries, which are in turn divided into 59 parishes.- Bury St Edmunds: Brandon; Bury St Edmunds; Clare; Diss; Hadleigh; Haverhill; Newmarket; Stowmarket; Sudbury; Thetford.
- Cambridge: Buckden; Our Lady and the English Martyrs, Cambridge; St Laurence, Cambridge; St Philip Howard, Cambridge; Ely; Huntingdon; St Ives; St Neot's; Sawston.
- Coastal: Beccles; Bungay; Gorleston; Lowestoft; Poringland; Southwold; Great Yarmouth.
- Ipswich: Aldeburgh; Felixstowe; St James, Ipswich; St Mark, Ipswich; St Mary, Ipswich;St Mary Magdalen, Ipswich; St Pancras, Ipswich; Woodbridge.
- King's Lynn: Dereham, Downham Market, Hunstanton, King's Lynn, Swaffham; Wisbech.
- Norwich: Costessey; St John's Cathedral, Norwich; St George's, Norwich; Wymondham.
- North Norfolk: Cromer; Fakenham; North Walsham; Sheringham; Walsingham.
- Peterborough: March; St Peter & All Souls, Peterborough; Our Lady of Lourdes & St Oswald, Peterborough; St Luke, Peterborough; Sacred Heart, Bretton; St Anthony's, Peterborough (Italian Mission); Polish Mission, Peterborough; Whittlesey.
History
On 13 March 1976, by the decree Quod Ecumenicum, Pope Paul VI formed the Diocese of East Anglia (from the counties of Cambridge, Norfolk and Suffolk) out of the Diocese of NorthamptonRoman Catholic Diocese of Northampton
The Diocese of Northampton is one of the 22 Roman Catholic dioceses in England and Wales and a Latin Rite suffragan diocese of Westminster. Its see is in Northampton...
.
On 2 June 1976, the new diocese received its first bishop
Bishop of East Anglia
The Bishop of East Anglia is the Ordinary of the modern Roman Catholic Diocese of East Anglia in the Province of Westminster, England.At present the see is vacant...
, Alan Clark. Bishop Clark had previously been auxiliary bishop of Northampton and co-chairman of ARCIC (Anglican/Roman Catholic International Commission), with the cathedral being established at the former parish church of St John the Baptist, Norwich
St John the Baptist Cathedral, Norwich
The Cathedral Church of St John the Baptist is the Roman Catholic cathedral of the city of Norwich, Norfolk, England.The Cathedral, located on Earlham Road, was constructed between 1882 and 1910 to designs by George Gilbert Scott, Jr...
. As the first bishop of the new diocese, Bishop Clark had to set up all the necessary instruments and commissions for the diocese to operate successfully. The establishment of the Diocesan Pastoral Council in 1987 strengthened these.
The diocese continued to grow with the development of the diocesan offices and diocesan tribunal attached to Bishop's House in Poringland
Poringland
Poringland is a village in the constituency of South Norfolk, England. It covers an area of and had a population of 3,261 in 1,403 households as of the 2001 census....
near Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
. Bishop Clark led a number of Lourdes
Lourdes
Lourdes is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in south-western France.Lourdes is a small market town lying in the foothills of the Pyrenees, famous for the Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes occurred in 1858 to Bernadette Soubirous...
Pilgrimages.
Ordinaries
- Alan Charles ClarkAlan Charles ClarkAlan Charles Clark was the first Roman Catholic Bishop of East Anglia in the Ecclesiastical Province of Westminster, England.-Early life:...
(appointed on 26 April 1976 – retired on 21 March 1995) - Peter David Smith (appointed on 21 March 1995 – translatedTranslation (ecclesiastical)Translation is the technical term when a Bishop is transferred from one diocese to another.This can be* From Suffragan Bishop status to Diocesan Bishop*From Coadjutor bishop to Diocesan Bishop*From one country's Episcopate to another...
to the Archdiocese of Cardiff on 26 October 2001) - Michael Charles EvansMichael Charles EvansMichael Charles Evans , was the third Roman Catholic Bishop of East Anglia, in the Ecclesiastical Province of Westminster.-Biography:...
(appointed on 14 February 2003 – died in office on 11 July 2011)