Great Britain
Continuing with blogs about the international Church, this blog will discuss the Catholic Church in Great Britain—England,
Scotland, and Wales.
England
England has 6.4 million Catholics or 12 percent of the total
population. There are four ecclesiastical
provinces in England. In addition to
these four provinces, there are four other dioceses.
·
The Bishopric of the Forces of Great
Britain was established in 1953 to serve the armed forces of Great Britain.
·
The Anglican Rite Personal
Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham was established in 2011 to serve 4,000
Anglican Rite Catholics in Great Britain and is directly subject to the Pope.
·
The Syro-Malabar Rite Diocese of
Great Britain was established in 2016 to serve 38,000 Syro-Malabar Rite
Catholics in Great Britain. It is
immediately subject to the Syro-Malabar Major Archbishop.
·
The Ukrainian Rite Diocese of the
Holy Family of London was established as an exarchy in 1957 before becoming a
diocese in 2013. It serves 13,000
Ukrainian Rite Catholics in Great Britain.
It is immediately subject to the Ukrainian Major Archbishop.
Christianity came to England in the
1st or 2nd Century and there is evidence that there were
bishops in London, York, Lincoln, and Caerleon (Wales), before the 4th
Century. St. Alban, England’s first
Christian martyr, lived in the 4th Century. In these earlier times, it was not unusual
for a bishop to serve a particular tribe, rather than a strict geographic area. Anglo-Saxon invasions returned much of
England to paganism by the 6th Century. The hierarchical history is clearer after St.
Augustine established his diocese at Canterbury in 597. Between then and the Reformation in the
1530s, about two dozen Catholic dioceses would be established in England and
Wales.
These Catholic dioceses became
Anglican dioceses at the time of the Reformation under King Henry VIII. The Catholic hierarchy was partially
reestablished when King James I allowed Pope Gregory XV to create the Vicariate
Apostolic of England in 1622. This
vicariate was subdivided in 1688 into the Vicariate Apostolics of the London
District, the Northern District, the Midland District, and the Western
District. In 1840, further subdivision
resulted in the Northern District being split in to the Vicariate Apostolic of
the Lancashire District and the Vicariate Apostolic of the Yorkshire District; and
the Midland District being split in to the Vicariate Apostolic of the Eastern
District and the Vicariate Apostolic of the Central District. In 1850, Pope Pius XI created the Archdiocese
of Westminster and 11 dioceses.
Province of Westminster
The province consists of the east
central English counties of South London, Bedfordshire,
Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Leicestershire,
Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Suffolk, and part of
Surrey. The Catholic Diocese of
London was originally created in 314 and was reestablished in 604 with the
return of Christianity. Pope Gregory I
intended for Augustine to establish London as the see for his Archdiocese, but
because of the lack of Christians in London, Augustine established his see at
Canterbury in 597. [Gregory wanted an Archdiocese
of London plus 12 dioceses in southern England and an Archdiocese of York plus
12 dioceses in northern England.]
The Catholic Diocese of London was
suppressed by the Anglican Church in 1569.
It was restored as the Apostolic Vicariate of England in 1622 and was
renamed the Apostolic Vicariate of the London District in 1688. The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Westminster
(London) was created in 1850.
The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, usually
known as Westminster Cathedral (not to be confused with the nearby Westminster
Abbey), is located in the Westminster section of London. The Cathedral site was originally a marsh,
later a Benedictine abbey, and later a prison, before being acquired by the
Archdiocese in 1884. The Cathedral was
designed by John Francis Bentley in an Early Christian Byzantine style. Construction began on the 54,000 square-foot
brick and concrete building in 1895 and it opened in 1903, although the
interior was not complete (and remains so).
The Cathedral has extensive mosaics and its Stations of the Cross were
done by sculptor Eric Gill. The
Cathedral’s website is westminstercathedral.org.uk.
The Province has four suffragan
dioceses.
·
The Diocese of Dunwich was created in 630 and
was renamed the Diocese of Thetford in 1070 and as the Diocese of Norwich in
1094. It was suppressed in 1558 during
the Reformation and restored as the Diocese of East Anglia (Norwich) in 1976.
·
The Vicariate Apostolic of the Eastern District
was established in 1840 and became the Diocese of Northampton in 1850.
·
The Diocese of Nottingham was established in
1850.
·
The Diocese of Brentwood was established in
1917.
Province of Birmingham
The province consists of the west
central English counties of Bristol, Gloucestershire,
Shropshire, Somerset, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands, Wiltshire, Worcestershire,
and part of Berkshire, Cheshire, and Oxfordshire. The Apostolic Vicariate of the Midland
District was created in 1688 and was renamed the Apostolic Vicariate of the
Central District in 1840. The Diocese of
Birmingham was created in 1850 and was promoted as the Metropolitan Archdiocese
of Birmingham in 1911.
The Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica
of St. Chad in Birmingham was designed by Augustus Welby Pugin, who also
designed London’s Houses of Parliament and the Big Ben clock tower. The Cathedral was built between 1839 and 1841
and was the first Catholic cathedral built in Great Britain since before the
Reformation. The Cathedral is made of
brick with Bath stone dressings in a 13th Century German Gothic
Revival style. Pugin’s son designed the
southwest spire in 1856 and Pugin’s grandson designed St. Edward’s Chapel in
1933. Much of the Cathedral’s stained
glass, metalwork, and vestments were designed by Augustus Pugin and made by
John Hardman and Company. St. Chad’s
was made a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1941 on the occasion of its
centenary. For more information, see stchadscathedral.org.uk.
The first picture is from the Cathedral website and the others are from Wikipedia.
The Province has two suffragan
dioceses.
· The Diocese of Clifton (Bristol) was established as the Apostolic Vicariate of the Western District in 1688. It became the Diocese of Clifton in 1850.
· The Diocese of Shrewsbury was established in 1850.
· The Diocese of Clifton (Bristol) was established as the Apostolic Vicariate of the Western District in 1688. It became the Diocese of Clifton in 1850.
· The Diocese of Shrewsbury was established in 1850.
Province of Liverpool
The province consists of the northern
English counties of Durham, Cumbria, East Riding of
Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, North Yorkshire, Northumberland,
South Yorkshire, Tyne & Wear, West Yorkshire, and part of Cheshire. The Apostolic Vicariate of the
Lancashire District was created in 1840 and became the Diocese of Liverpool in
1850. The Metropolitan Archdiocese of
Liverpool was established in 1911.
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King in Liverpool was built between 1962 and
1967 in a modern design. Many attempts
had been made to design and build a cathedral since 1850, before Frederick
Gibberd won a worldwide design competition.
The Cathedral is made of concrete and Portland stone with an aluminum
roof. It is shaped like a cone and seats
2,000. The Cathedral’s stained glass
windows are in three colors—yellow, blue, and red—representing the Trinity. Several chapels line the periphery of the
Cathedral. Addition detail can be found
at
liverpoolmetrocathedral.org.uk.
The Province has six suffragan dioceses.
·
The Diocese of Hexham was established in 678 but
was merged with the ancient Diocese of Lindisfarne in 854. It was restored as the Apostolic Vicariate of
the Northern District in 1688. It became
the Diocese of Hexham in 1850 and was renamed as the Diocese of Hexham and
Newcastle in 1861.
·
The Diocese of Salford (Manchester) was created
in 1850.
·
The Vicariate Apostolic of the Yorkshire
District was established in 1840 and became the Diocese of Beverley (York) in
1850. This diocese was split into the Diocese
of Leeds and the Diocese of Middlesbrough in 1878.
·
The Diocese of Lancaster was created in 1924.
·
The Diocese of Hallam (Sheffield) was
established in 1980.
Province of Southwark
The province consists of the southern
English counties of South London, Cornwall, Devonshire,
Dorset, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, West Sussex, and part of Berkshire,
Oxfordshire, and Surrey. The
Diocese of Southwark was created in 1850 and was promoted as the Metropolitan
Archdiocese of Southwark in 1965.
Southwark is in Greater London.
The Metropolitan Cathedral of St.
George is located in the Southwark neighborhood of London. The Cathedral was designed by Augustus Pugin
in a Gothic Revival style and opened in 1848.
The church, which could seat 3,000 people, became the Cathedral for the
new Diocese of Southwark in 1850. The
Cathedral was heavily damaged by German bombers in 1941 and was rebuilt between
1953 and 1958. The rebuilt Cathedral was
designed by Romilly Craze in a style that blended the original Gothic Revival
with Arts and Crafts. St. George became
a Metropolitan Cathedral in 1965.
Additional information can be found at stgeorgescathedral.org.uk.
The first two pictures are from the Cathedral website and the other three are from Wikipedia.
The Province has three suffragan
dioceses.
·
The Diocese of Plymouth was established in 1850.
·
The Diocese of Portsmouth was created in 1882.
·
The Diocese of Arundel and Brighton was established
in 1965.
Scotland
Scotland has 720,000 Catholics or 14 percent of the total
population. There are two
ecclesiastical provinces in Scotland.
There is some evidence that Pope
Victor sent missionaries to Scotland in 203 and it is certain that St. Ninian
was made a bishop by Pope Siricius and sent back to Ninian’s native Scotland in
402. Ninian built a church at Whithorn
(the first stone church in Scotland) and also established a monastery and
perhaps a monastic diocese. St. Columba
came to Scotland in 563 and established a monastery at Iona. Three Irish brothers, who were Catholic,
established a kingdom in the 6th Century in present-day Argyll and
brought Irish missionaries with them.
The early church in Scotland was
built around monasteries and the diocesan structure did not happen
quickly. Nevertheless, St. Kentigern (or
Mungo) became the first Bishop of Glasgow in 550. Kenneth Mac Alpine established a kingdom in
844 and established Dunkeld as the primatial diocese in his kingdom. St. Andrews was established in 906 and became
the primatial see in 908. After the
Norman Conquest, Scottish kings began to organize the Church into traditional
dioceses. King Malcolm III (1031-1093)
and his Queen, St. Margaret of Scotland (1045-1093), brought the Scottish
church in line with the rest of Catholicism.
In 1188, Pope Clement III put the
Scottish dioceses (nine at the time) under direct control of the Holy See, thus
removing them from the jurisdiction of the English Archbishop of Canterbury.
Pope Sixtus IV created the
Archdiocese of St. Andrews in 1472 and made the other 12 dioceses suffragan
sees of St. Andrew’s. Glasgow was raised to a Metropolitan Archdiocese in 1492
with four suffragan sees.
At the time of
the Reformation, most Catholic monasteries and churches were destroyed and the
remaining Scottish Catholics were severely restricted in the practice of their
Faith. The Catholic diocesan structure
ceased to exist by the end of the 16th Century. The Apostolic Prefecture of Scotland was
established by Pope Innocent X in 1653 to serve all Scottish Catholics, who
were still numerous in the North and West.
They were served by half a dozen diocesan priests and several more
priests from religious orders. Pope
Innocent XII upgraded the Prefecture to an Apostolic Vicariate in 1694. Scotland was split into two apostolic vicariates
in 1727—the Lowland District and the Highland District. Pope Leo XII reorganized the church into
three districts in 1827—the Northern District, the Eastern District, and the
Western District. By this time,
persecution of Catholics was less severe and the Catholic population had increased
to 70,000, served by 50 priests, over 30 churches and 20 schools. The hierarchy was restored in 1878.
Province of Saint
Andrews and Edinburgh
The Diocese of Saint Andrews was
established in 906 (or as early as 850) and became the Metropolitan Archdiocese
of Saint Andrews in 1472. It was
suppressed in 1571 and was restored as the Apostolic Prefecture of Scotland in
1653. Saint Andrews became the Apostolic
Vicariate of Scotland in 1694, the Apostolic Vicariate of Lowland District of
Scotland in 1727, and the Apostolic Vicariate of Eastern District of Scotland in
1827. It became the Metropolitan
Archdiocese of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh in 1878. The province consists of all of Scotland
except for the area around Glasgow.
The original Cathedral for the
Archdiocese was in St. Andrews. St.
Andrews Cathedral was built between 1158 and 1318 and was the largest church
ever built in Scotland. A Protestant mob
incited by John Knox destroyed the Cathedral in 1559. The ruins remain. The current Metropolitan Cathedral of Our
Lady of the Assumption in Edinburgh and known as St. Mary’s, was designed in a
Gothic style by James Gillespie Graham and opened in 1814. The Cathedral has been enlarged and renovated
several times in the last 200 years. The
Cathedral contains a chapel to provide repositories for
two relics of St Andrew. The Cathedral also has a painting of the Coronation of
the Blessed Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven.
The painting surmounts the Sanctuary Arch and is the work of the Belgian
artist, Louis Beyart. The 4,000-piped Matthew Copley pipe organ was installed in 2008. The Cathedral is a World Heritage Site and
its website is stmaryscathedral.co.uk.
The Province has four suffragan
dioceses.
·
The Diocese of Whithorn was established in 402,
suppressed by the Church in 600, and restored in 1128. It was suppressed by the Protestants in 1558
and restored as the Diocese of Galloway in 1878.
·
The Diocese of Dunkeld was initially established
in the 9th Century and was reestablished in 1114. The Diocese was suppressed during the
Reformation in 1547 and restored in 1878.
·
The Diocese of Aberdeen was established in 1125
and suppressed in 1577. It became the
Apostolic Vicariate of the Highland District of Scotland in 1727 and as the
Apostolic Vicariate of the Northern District of Scotland in 1827. The Diocese of Aberdeen was restored in 1878.
·
The Diocese of Argyll was established in 1183
and suppressed in 1560. It became the
Diocese of Argyll and the Isles in 1878.
Province of Glasgow
The Diocese of Glasgow was established in 550, suppressed by
the Church in 700, and restored in 1114.
It became the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Glasgow in 1492, but was
suppressed in 1603 during the Reformation.
Glasgow was restored as the Apostolic Vicariate of the Western District
of Scotland in 1827 and promoted as the Archdiocese of Glasgow in 1878. It became the Metropolitan Archdiocese of
Glasgow in 1947. The Province consists
of metropolitan Glasgow.
St. Andrew’s Metropolitan Cathedral in Glasgow was designed
by James Gillespie
Graham and was built between 1814 and 1816.
Construction was sometimes delayed by anti-Catholic vandals, but was
offset by donations from Anglicans and Presbyterians. The Cathedral features paintings of St.
Andrew and St. Mungo (or Kentigern) done in 2010 by Brendan Berry. Stained glass windows dating to 1859 depict
saints, especially Scottish saints. The
Blessed Sacrament Chapel has a painting done by Peter Howson in 2010 that
depicts St. John Ogilvie. Ogilvie was a
Jesuit priest who ministered in secret to the few remaining Glasgow Catholics and was hanged in Glasgow in 1615.
The Cathedral’s website is cathedralg1.org.
The first picture is from the Cathedral website, the second is from Flickr, and the last two are from Wikipedia.
The Province has two suffragan
dioceses. The Dioceses of Motherwell and Paisley were both established in 1947.
Wales
Wales has 211,000 million Catholics or less than one percent
of the total population. There is one
ecclesiastical province in Wales.
Celtic missionaries came to Wales
in the 6th Century. The
Diocese of Llandaff was founded possibly as early as 522, likely by St. Oudoceus;
the Diocese of St. Davids was founded by St. David in 545 (or possibly 530) and
included the region known as Dyfed or Demetia; the Diocese of Bangor was
established in 546 by St. Deiniol for the Welsh Kingdom of Gwynedd; and the
Diocese of St. Asaph was founded in 560 by St. Kentigern, when he built the
Llanelwy monastery where the Elwy River joins the Clwyd River. These dioceses were founded as monastic
dioceses and were initially non-territorial.
Diocesan boundaries were not defined until after the Norman Conquest of
1066. These dioceses became Church of
England at the time of the Reformation and became Church of Wales in 1920. The Catholic hierarchy was restored in 1850.
Province of Cardiff
The province consists of Wales and
the English county of Hereford. The
Archdiocese of Cardiff was established in the 6th Century and
suppressed in 1530. It was restored as the
Wales District in 1840 and as the Diocese of Newport and Menevia in 1850. It became the Diocese of Newport in 1895 and
the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cardiff in 1916.
The Metropolitan Cathedral Church of St. David in Cardiff was built between 1884 and
1887 to replace an earlier building.
This second church became the Cathedral for the Archbishop of Cardiff in
1916. The Cathedral was destroyed by
German bombs in 1941 and did not reopen until 1959. See cardiffcathedral.org.uk.
The top picture is from Snipview and the other two are from Wikipedia.
The Province has two suffragan
dioceses.
·
The Diocese of Menevia was established originally
as the Diocese of St. David’s (by St. David) in the 6th Century. It was suppressed in 1558, but restored as
the Apostolic Vicariate of Wales in 1895.
It was promoted as the Diocese of Menevia in 1898.
·
The Diocese of Wrexham was established in 1987.
Definitions
The Catholic Church is mostly divided
into ecclesiastical provinces—a province consists of a metropolitan archdiocese
and one or more dioceses. The province and the archdiocese are led by an
archbishop. Each of the dioceses is called a suffragan diocese and is led
by a bishop. Archbishops have some
responsibilities for the province, but all bishops answer directly to the
Pope. There are also archdioceses that are not part of a province that
are directly under the jurisdiction of the Pope. There are also jurisdictions below the level
of a diocese. These include apostolic
vicariates and apostolic prefectures. Both are missionary territories
below the level of a diocese. The difference is that a vicar apostolic
holds the rank of a bishop and the prefect apostolic is a priest, but not a bishop.
Most Catholics in the world belong
to the Latin or Roman rite. Rite refers
to liturgical practices, ecclesiastical discipline, and spiritual
heritage. Many Catholics belong to one
of two dozen Eastern rite churches. Eastern rite churches trace their
heritage to Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Eastern rite churches
sometimes use different terminologies. For example, a diocese might be
called an eparchy and is led by an eparch. A vicariate apostolic is
called an exarchy and is led by an exarch.
A basilica is an honorary title
bestowed on a church by the Pope because of the church’s antiquity, dignity,
historical importance, or significance as a center of worship. Some cathedrals are also basilicas. Each
basilica has a ceremonial umbrella in the papal colors of white and yellow and
a ceremonial bell (although some basilicas do not display them). Both of
these are symbolic of the Pope’s special relationship to the basilica.
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