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Roman Catholic Diocese of Northampton

(Redirected from Apostolic Vicariate of the Eastern District (England))

The Diocese of Northampton (Latin: Dioecesis Northantoniensis) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic church in England and Wales and suffragan of Westminster. Its see is in Northampton. The Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate and St Thomas of Canterbury is the mother church of the Diocese.

Diocese of Northampton

Dioecesis Northantoniensis
Logo of the diocese
Location
CountryEngland
Territory Bedfordshire
 Buckinghamshire
 Northamptonshire (without Peterborough)
Ecclesiastical provinceWestminster
MetropolitanWestminster
Statistics
Area3,419 km2 (1,320 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		(as of 2013)
2,089,307
182,500 (8.7%)
Parishes70
Information
DenominationRoman Catholic
RiteLatin Rite
Established29 September 1850
CathedralNorthampton Cathedral
Secular priests92
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopDavid James Oakley
Metropolitan ArchbishopVincent Nichols
Vicar GeneralMichael Harrison
Bishops emeritusPeter John Haworth Doyle
Map
Diocese of Northampton within the Province of Westminster
Diocese of Northampton within the Province of Westminster
Website
northamptondiocese.org

Location

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The diocese now covers the counties of Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire under their pre-1974 historic boundaries. Until 1976, the counties of Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk were also included; since then they have formed the Diocese of East Anglia.

History

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When Augustine of Canterbury 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 Birinus 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 Chad of Mercia, 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 vicariates, 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.

Diocesan coat of arms

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The motto under the shield translates as 'Beneath Thy Protection'. On the shield are lilies and choughs, which are symbols of the two patrons of the diocese, and of the cathedral, Blessed Virgin Mary and Thomas of Canterbury.

Bishops

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Bishop Patrick Leo McCartie was a bishop emeritus of Northampton, having retired on 29 March 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. Bishop McCartie died on 22 April 2020.

The next Bishop of Northampton was Peter John Haworth Doyle, born on 3 May 1944 at Wilpshire, near Blackburn in Lancashire. He retired on 8 January 2020, with David James Oakley being appointed at that time as successor.

Ordinaries

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Main article: Bishop of Northampton

Auxiliary bishops

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Other priest of this diocese who became bishop

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Statistics

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The estimated Catholic population of the diocese in 2004 was 173,539 while the total population in the diocesan territory was 2,000,769. The diocese covers a territory of 5,532 km² and has 68 parishes.

Secondary Schools

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Catholic secondary schools located within the diocese include:[1]

Pilgrimage

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The Northampton Diocese makes up part of the Catholic Association Pilgrimage.

Shrines

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The Diocese of Northampton has two official shrines. In 2006, Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Church, Great Billing was made a diocesan shrine. On 29 September 2012, Bishop Peter Doyle made the Church of the Holy Child and St Joseph in Bedford a shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe, after a receiving the image from the Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichols.[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Northampton, Catholic Diocese of. "School website links". www.northamptondiocese.org. Archived from the original on 25 March 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  2. ^ Shrines from Diocese of Northampton, retrieved 18 May 2022
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52°14′53″N 0°53′55″W / 52.2481°N 0.8985°W / 52.2481; -0.8985

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