Joseph Brown (bishop)

Thomas Joseph Brown OSB (called Joseph;[1][2][3] 1796–1880) was a bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. He served for two ecclesiastical jurisdictions, first as the Vicar Apostolic of the Welsh District from 1840 to 1850, then as Bishop of Newport and Menevia from 1850 to 1880.[4]

The Right Reverend Thomas Joseph Brown O.S.B.
Bishop of Newport and Menevia
Church	Roman Catholic
Archdiocese	Newport and Menevia
Appointed	29 September 1850
In office	1850-1880
Successor	John Hedley
Orders
Ordination	7 April 1823 by William Poynter
Consecration	28 October 1840 by Thomas Griffiths
Rank	Bishop
Personal details
Born	(1796-05-02)May 2, 1796 Bath, Somerset, England
Died	April 12, 1880(1880-04-12) (aged 83)
Nationality	English
Previous post	Vicar Apostolic of Wales District (1840-1850)<

Styles of Joseph Brown OSB
Reference style	The Right Reverend
Spoken style	My Lord or Bishop

Church of St. Michael and All Angels in the Benedictine Belmont Abbey, Herefordshire, a resting place of Bishop Thomas Joseph Brown, O.S.B.

Life

Born in Bath, Somerset on 2 May 1796, Brown was ordained a priest of the Order of Saint Benedict on 12 March 1823. Through reorganisation of the Catholic Church in England and Wales in 1840, the Welsh District was created out of the Western District. Brown was appointed the Vicar Apostolic of the Welsh District and Titular Bishop of Apollonia on 5 June 1840. He was consecrated to the Episcopate on 28 October 1840, the principal consecrator was Bishop Thomas Griffiths (Vicar Apostolic of the London District), and the principal co-consecrators were Bishop William Wareing (Vicar Apostolic of the Eastern District {of England}) and Bishop Bernard Collier (Vicar Apostolic of the Cape of Good Hope.)[4]

On the erection of the Catholic Hierarchy in England and Wales, the Welsh District was divided between the dioceses of Shrewsbury and Newport and Menevia. Brown was appointed the first Bishop of Newport and Menevia on 29 September 1850.

He died in office on 12 April 1880, aged 83.[4]

References

1. New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia – Downside Abbey (Accessed 2 March 2014)
2. Mill Hill Missionaries – Our Founder (Accessed 2 March 2014)
3. Belmont Abbey Association – A Brief History (Accessed 2 March 2014)
4. "Bishop Thomas Joseph Brown, O.S.B." Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 21 June 2011.

Catholic Church titles
New title	Vicar Apostolic of the Welsh District 1840–1850	erection of the Catholic Hierarchy in England and Wales
New title	Bishop of Newport and Menevia 1850–1880	Succeeded by John Hedley