Roman Catholic Diocese of Northampton
Encyclopedia
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
. The Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate & St Thomas of Canterbury
is the mother church of the Diocese.
, Northamptonshire
and Buckinghamshire
under its pre-1974 historic
boundaries.
came from Rome
in 597 he concentrated on the areas of Kent
and Essex
, but thirty years later the area that the Northampton Diocese covers finally received the Christian
message, with the arrival of the missionary St Birinius and the foundation of his see at Dorchester-on-Thames
in 636. Nevertheless the real evangelisation of the people who dwelt in the diocese was achieved through the labours and missionaries of the isle of Lindisfarne
, off the Northumbrian coast. Notable amongst them was St Chad, whose see, established at Lichfield
in 669, included the present diocese of Northampton.
From the time of the Reformation
until 1850, Catholic dioceses ceased to exist in Britain
. However, in 1688 England was divided into four Apostolic vicariate
s, with Northampton under the authority of the Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District
. In 1840, the Apostolic Vicariate of the Eastern District was created out of the Midland District. On the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy
in England and Wales
by Pope Pius IX
on 29 September 1850, most of the Eastern District became the Diocese of Northampton. Its first bishop was William Wareing
, previously Vicar Apostolic of the Eastern District.
On 13 March 1976, by decree Quod Ecumenicum, Pope Paul VI
formed the Diocese of East Anglia for the counties of Cambridgeshire
, Norfolk
and Suffolk
by detaching these counties from the Diocese of Northampton.
is Peter John Haworth Doyle
, born on 3 May 1944 at Wilpshire, near Blackburn in Lancashire
.
Bishop Patrick Leo McCartie
is the bishop emeritus of Northampton, having retired on 29 Mar 2001 after serving the diocese for 11 years. He was succeeded by bishop Kevin John Patrick McDonald who went on to be appointed Archbishop of Southwark
on 6 November 2003.
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 Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and a Latin Rite suffragan diocese
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 Westminster. Its see is in Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
. The Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate & St Thomas of Canterbury
Northampton Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of St Mary and St Thomas is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Northampton, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Northampton and mother church of the Diocese of Northampton which covers the counties of Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and that part of Berkshire ...
is the mother church of the Diocese.
Location
The diocese covers the counties of BedfordshireBedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
and Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
under its pre-1974 historic
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
boundaries.
History
When St AugustineAugustine of Canterbury
Augustine of Canterbury was a Benedictine monk who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 597...
came from 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...
in 597 he concentrated on the areas of Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
and Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, but thirty years later the area that the Northampton Diocese covers finally received the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
message, with the arrival of the missionary St Birinius and the foundation of his see at Dorchester-on-Thames
Dorchester, Oxfordshire
Dorchester-on-Thames is a village and civil parish on the River Thame in Oxfordshire, about northwest of Wallingford and southeast of Oxford. Despite its name, Dorchester is not on the River Thames, but just above the Thame's confluence with it...
in 636. Nevertheless the real evangelisation of the people who dwelt in the diocese was achieved through the labours and missionaries of the isle of Lindisfarne
Lindisfarne
Lindisfarne is a tidal island off the north-east coast of England. It is also known as Holy Island and constitutes a civil parish in Northumberland...
, off the Northumbrian coast. Notable amongst them was St Chad, whose see, established at Lichfield
Lichfield
Lichfield is a cathedral city, civil parish and district in Staffordshire, England. One of eight civil parishes with city status in England, Lichfield is situated roughly north of Birmingham...
in 669, included the present diocese of Northampton.
From the time of the Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
until 1850, Catholic dioceses ceased to exist in Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. However, in 1688 England was divided into four Apostolic vicariate
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...
s, with Northampton under the authority of the Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District
Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District
The Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District was the title given to the Bishop who headed the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church in England which was known as the Vicariate Apostolic of the Midland District from 1688 and 1840, then the Central District from 1840 to...
. In 1840, the Apostolic Vicariate of the Eastern District was created out of the Midland District. On the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy
Universalis Ecclesiae
Universalis Ecclesiae is the incipit of the papal bull of 29 September 1850 by which Pope Pius IX recreated the Roman Catholic diocesan hierarchy in England, which had been extinguished with the death of the last Marian bishop in the reign of Elizabeth I. New names were given to the dioceses, as...
in England and Wales
England and Wales
England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...
by Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX
Blessed Pope Pius IX , born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was the longest-reigning elected Pope in the history of the Catholic Church, serving from 16 June 1846 until his death, a period of nearly 32 years. During his pontificate, he convened the First Vatican Council in 1869, which decreed papal...
on 29 September 1850, most of the Eastern District became the Diocese of Northampton. Its first bishop was William Wareing
William Wareing
Bishop William Wareing was the first Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Northampton.Born 14 February 1791 in London, and after studying at Oscott College, William Wareing was ordained as a priest on 28 September 1815, aged 24, by Bishops Thomas Walsh, Nicholas Wiseman and George Hilary...
, previously Vicar Apostolic of the Eastern District.
On 13 March 1976, by decree Quod Ecumenicum, Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
formed the Diocese of East Anglia for the counties of Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
, 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...
and 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...
by detaching these counties from the Diocese of Northampton.
Bishops
The current Bishop of NorthamptonBishop of Northampton
The Bishop of Northampton is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Northampton in the Province of Westminster, England.The see is in the town of Northampton where the bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of Our Lady and Saint Thomas of Canterbury.The current bishop is the Right...
is Peter John Haworth Doyle
Peter John Haworth Doyle
Peter John Haworth Doyle is the twelfth and current Roman Catholic Bishop of Northampton.-Early life:Doyle was born on 3 May 1944 in Wilpshire, Lancashire, the son of John Robert Doyle and his wife Alice Gertrude He was educated at St Ignatius' College, Stamford Hill, London, before ordination as...
, born on 3 May 1944 at Wilpshire, near Blackburn in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
.
Bishop Patrick Leo McCartie
Patrick Leo McCartie
Patrick Leo McCartie , with no relation to Sir Patrick-Francis Leo, was born the son of Patrick Leo and Hannah McCartie, was an Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham and Bishop of Northampton, now an Emeritus.After seminary studies at Oscott College, Birmingham, he was...
is the bishop emeritus of Northampton, having retired on 29 Mar 2001 after serving the diocese for 11 years. He was succeeded by bishop Kevin John Patrick McDonald who went on to be appointed Archbishop of Southwark
Archdiocese of Southwark
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark is a Latin Rite Roman Catholic archdiocese in England. The Archepiscopal see is St. George's Cathedral, Southwark and is headed by the Archbishop of Southwark...
on 6 November 2003.
Ordinaries
- William WareingWilliam WareingBishop William Wareing was the first Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Northampton.Born 14 February 1791 in London, and after studying at Oscott College, William Wareing was ordained as a priest on 28 September 1815, aged 24, by Bishops Thomas Walsh, Nicholas Wiseman and George Hilary...
(appointed Vicar Apostolic of the Eastern District on 5 June 1840, elevated Bishop of Northampton on 29 September 1850 – resigned on 21 December 1858) - Francis Kerril AmherstFrancis Kerril AmherstFrancis Kerril Amherst was Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Northampton He was the eldest son of William Kerril Amherst, of Little Parndon, Essex and Mary Louisa, daughter of Francis Fortescue Turville, of Bosworth Hall, Leicestershire...
(appointed on 14 May 1858 – resigned 16 October 1879) - Arthur George RiddellArthur George RiddellBishop Arthur George Riddell was the Roman Catholic Bishop of Northampton from 1880 until his death in 1907....
(appointed on 27 April 1880 – died in office on 15 September 1907) - Frederick William KeatingFrederick William KeatingFrederick William Keating was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served firstly as Bishop of Northampton from 1908 to 1921, then Archbishop of Liverpool from 1921 to 1928....
(appointed on 5 February 1908 – translated to the Archdiocese of Liverpool on 13 June 1921) - Dudley Charles Cary-ElwesDudley Charles Cary-ElwesDudley Charles Cary-Elwes was Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Northampton from 1921 to 1932....
(appointed on 21 November 1921 – died in office on 1 May 1932) - Laurence William YouensLaurence William YouensLaurence William Youens was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the Bishop of Northampton from 1933 to 1939....
(appointed on 16 June 1933 – died in office on 14 November 1939) - Thomas Leo ParkerThomas Leo ParkerThomas Leo Parker was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the Bishop of Northampton from 1940 to 1967....
(appointed on 14 December 1940 – retired 17 January 1967) - Charles Alexander GrantCharles Alexander GrantCharles Alexander Grant was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the Bishop of Northampton from 1967 to 1982....
(appointed on 14 March 1967 – retired 16 February 1982) - Francis Gerard ThomasFrancis Gerard ThomasFrancis Gerard Thomas was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the Bishop of Northampton from 1982 to 1988....
(appointed on 27 August 1982 – died in office on 25 December 1988) - Patrick Leo McCartiePatrick Leo McCartiePatrick Leo McCartie , with no relation to Sir Patrick-Francis Leo, was born the son of Patrick Leo and Hannah McCartie, was an Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham and Bishop of Northampton, now an Emeritus.After seminary studies at Oscott College, Birmingham, he was...
(appointed on 20 February 1990 – retired 29 March 2001) - Kevin John Patrick McDonald (appointed on 29 March 2001 – translated to the Archdiocese of Southwark on 6 November 2003)
- Peter John Haworth DoylePeter John Haworth DoylePeter John Haworth Doyle is the twelfth and current Roman Catholic Bishop of Northampton.-Early life:Doyle was born on 3 May 1944 in Wilpshire, Lancashire, the son of John Robert Doyle and his wife Alice Gertrude He was educated at St Ignatius' College, Stamford Hill, London, before ordination as...
(current bishop, appointed on 24 May 2005)