Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham

Archdiocese of Birmingham
Archidioecesis Birminghamiensis

Coat of arms of the Archdiocese of Birmingham
Location
Country England
Territory Counties of Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, West Midlands and Worcestershire
Ecclesiastical province Birmingham
Metropolitan Birmingham
Statistics
Area 8,735 km2 (3,373 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics
(as of 2013)
4,945,600
438,675 (8.9%)
Parishes 222
Information
Denomination Roman Catholic
Rite Latin Rite
Established 29 September 1850
(As Diocese of Birmingham)
28 October 1911
(As Archdiocese of Birmingham)
Cathedral Metropolitan Cathedral Church of Saint Chad, Birmingham
Secular priests 260
Current leadership
Pope Francis
Metropolitan Archbishop Most Rev. Bernard Longley
Auxiliary Bishops
Vicar General Very Rev. Mgr. Timothy Menezes VG
Episcopal Vicars
  • Very Rev. Fr Stephen Wright
  • Sr Anna O'Connor SP
Judicial Vicar Very Rev. Fr Joseph McLoughlin
Emeritus Bishops Rt Rev. Philip Pargeter
Map

The Archdiocese of Birmingham within the Province of Birmingham
Website
birminghamdiocese.org.uk

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham is one of the principal Latin-rite Catholic administrative divisions of England and Wales in the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church. The archdiocese covers an area of 3,373 square miles (8,740 km2), encompassing Staffordshire, the West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and much of Oxfordshire as well as Caversham in Berkshire. The metropolitan see is in the City of Birmingham at the Metropolitan Cathedral Church of Saint Chad. The metropolitan province includes the suffragan diocese of Clifton and Shrewsbury.

The Archbishop is Bernard Longley, who was named the ninth Archbishop of Birmingham on 1 October 2009. He succeeds the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols (2000-2009). Bishop Longley was installed as Archbishop of Birmingham at the Metropolitan Cathedral and Basilica of Saint Chad on 8 December 2009, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and one of the patronal feasts of the Archdiocese, St Chad being the other.

History

Erected as the Vicariate Apostolic of the Midlands District in 1688, the vicariate grew very slowly until the advent of the industrial revolution. In response to the large growth the name was changed in 1840 to the Vicariate Apostolic of Central District and a new vicariate created out of the eastern district.

Finally, in September 1850, the vicariate was elevated to a full diocese, as the Diocese of Birmingham, along with the Diocese of Nottingham and the Diocese of Shrewsbury. The diocese was then suffragan to the Archdiocese of Westminster.

The Diocese of Birmingham was elevated to archdiocese status on 28 October 1911.

Diocese Boundaries

The diocese is divided into three pastoral areas, each headed by an Auxiliary Bishop, which contain a number of deaneries:

Birmingham Cathedral, Birmingham North, Birmingham South, Birmingham East, Kidderminster, Worcester

Dudley, Lichfield, North Staffordshire, Stafford, Walsall, Wolverhampton

Banbury, Coventry, Oxford North, Oxford South, Rugby, Warwick

Ordinaries

(see also: Archbishop of Birmingham)

Vicars Apostolic of the Midland District.[1]
Vicars Apostolic of the Central District.[1]
Bishops of Birmingham.[1]
Archbishops of Birmingham.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Archdiocese of Birmingham". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 2 June 2011.

Coordinates: 52°29′08″N 1°53′55″W / 52.4856°N 1.8987°W / 52.4856; -1.8987

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