Roman Catholic Diocese of Leeds

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Leeds is a Roman Catholic diocese of the Latin Rite centred on Leeds Cathedral in the city of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It was founded on 20 December 1878, with the splitting of the Diocese of Beverley, which had covered all of Yorkshire. The Diocese of Leeds was made to cover the historic West Riding of Yorkshire, while the Diocese of Middlesbrough took over the organisation of the rest of Yorkshire.

This article is about the Catholic Diocese of Leeds. For the Anglican Diocese of the same name, see Anglican Diocese of Leeds.

Diocese of Leeds Dioecesis Loidensis
Location
Country	England
Ecclesiastical province	Liverpool
Metropolitan	Archdiocese of Liverpool
Deaneries	11
Statistics
Area	1,900 sq mi (4,900 km^2)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2019) 2,115,000 168,000 (7.9%)
Parishes	82
Churches	108
Schools	93
Information
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	29 September 1850
Cathedral	Saint Anne's Cathedral, Leeds
Patron saint	Our Lady of Perpetual Succour St Wilfrid
Secular priests	187
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Marcus Stock
Metropolitan Archbishop	Malcolm McMahon
Vicar General	Paul Fisher [1]
Episcopal Vicars	Timothy Swinglehurst [1]
Bishops emeritus	Arthur Roche[2]
Map
The Diocese of Leeds within the Province of Liverpool
Website
dioceseofleeds.org.uk

History

In the 19th century, the region covered by the modern diocese fell under the jurisdiction of Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District, which in turn became the Apostolic Vicariate of the Yorkshire District, which was then elevated to the distinction of Diocese of Beverley in 1850. Around 1861, the then Bishop of Beverley, Robert Cornthwaite, informed the Holy See that in his opinion, the Diocese of Beverley was too large, and in light of the expanding Catholic population, should be sub-divided into two regions. After 15 years of discussion and planning, it was agreed that on 20 December 1878, the Diocese of Beverley be dissolved and that the Diocese of Leeds be created to cater for the West Riding of Yorkshire and those parishes in the City of York to the south of the River Ouse, and the Diocese of Middlesbrough, covering the North and East Ridings of Yorkshire and those parishes in the City of York to the north of the River Ouse.[3] However, in 1982 the two York parishes south of the River Ouse were ceded to the Diocese of Middlesbrough to unite the City of York under one bishop. In 1980, fifty parishes in the South Yorkshire region of the diocese were transferred from Leeds to the newly formed Diocese of Hallam. The parish of Howden was transferred from the Middlesbrough diocese to the Leeds diocese in 2004.

Patronal Feasts of the Diocese

Patron	Date
Our Lady of Perpetual Succour	27 June
St Wilfrid	12 October

Bishops

Ordinaries

See Diocese of Beverley for bishops of that diocese.

Main article: Roman Catholic Bishop of Leeds

• Robert Cornthwaite: Translated Bishop of Leeds, 20 December 1878 – died 16 June 1890.
• William Gordon: 16 June 1890 – died 7 June 1911.
• Joseph Robert Cowgill: 7 June 1911 – died 12 May 1936.
• Henry John Poskitt: 21 September 1936 – died 19 February 1950.
• John Carmel Heenan: Consecrated Bishop of Leeds 12 March 1951 – translated to Archdiocese of Liverpool, in 1957; future Cardinal.
• George Patrick Dwyer: Consecrated Bishop of Leeds by John Carmel Heenan, Archbishop of Liverpool, 24 September 1957 – translated to Archdiocese of Birmingham, in 1965.
• William Gordon Wheeler: Installed as Bishop of Leeds on 27 June 1966 – retired 10 September 1985.
• David Konstant: Appointed Bishop of Leeds on 23 July 1985; installed as Bishop of Leeds on 25 September 1985 – retired 7 April 2004 and died 9 October 2016.
• Arthur Roche: Appointed Coadjutor bishop on 16 July 2002 with the Right of Succession. Installed as the 9th Bishop of Leeds on 7 April 2004 upon Konstant's retirement[2] – left office on 26 June 2012 when he was appointed as Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments by Pope Benedict XVI,[4] with the title Archbishop, Bishop emeritus of Leeds.[2] He remained in Leeds as Apostolic Administrator until 27 September 2012 when he left for Rome.[5]
• Marcus Stock: Named on 15 September 2014; installed as Bishop of Leeds on 13 November 2014.[6]

Coadjutor Bishops

• Joseph Robert Cowgill (1905-1911)
• William Gordon (1889-1890)
• Arthur Roche (2002-2004)

Auxiliary Bishop

• Gerald Moverley (1967-1980), appointed Bishop of Hallam

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

• Arthur Hinsley (priest here,1893-1905), appointed titular bishop in 1926; future Cardinal
• Richard Lacy, appointed Bishop of Middlesbrough in 1879
• Thomas Kevin O'Brien, appointed auxiliary bishop of Middlesbrough in 1981
• Arthur Grange Riddell, appointed Bishop of Northampton in 1880
• Thomas Shine, appointed auxiliary bishop of Middlesbrough in 1921
• John Wilson, appointed auxiliary bishop of Westminster in 2015

Deaneries

Below is a list of the eleven deaneries of the diocese, along with the Dean and the Dean's Parish.[2]

Deanery	Dean	Parish
Bradford	James Callaghan	St Blaise, Bradford
Dewsbury	John Aveyard	St Paulinus, Dewsbury
Halifax	Malachy Larkin	Sacred Heart, Sowerby Bridge
Harrogate	Donal Lucey	St Robert, Harrogate
Huddersfield	Simon Lodge	Holy Redeemer, Huddersfield
Keighley & Skipton	Andrew Summersgill	St Stephen, Skipton
Leeds North	Gerard Kearney	St Jeanne Jugan, Leeds
Leeds East	Patrick Wall	Blessed John Henry Newman, Leeds
Leeds South West	Éamon McGeough	St Mary, Rothwell
Selby	Anthony Wilson	St Mary, Carlton and Selby
Wakefield & Pontefract	Timothy Wiley	St Joseph, Pontefract
Wharfedale	Lawrence Hulme	Our Lady and All Saints, Otley

Parishes

Below is a list of the parishes which fall under the Diocese of Leeds, they are presented within the deanery which they are grouped in.[7][8]

See also: Bradford Girls' Choir

Parish	Location	Deanery
St Francis and Immaculate Conception	Eccleshill & Idle	Bradford
Our Lady and the First Martyrs	Bradford	Bradford
St Anthony of Padua	Bradford	Bradford
Mary, Mother of God	Bradford	Bradford
Our Lady and St Joseph	Aire Valley (Bingley)	Bradford
Our Lady of Czestochowa	Bradford	Bradford
St Clare	Bradford	Bradford
St Joseph	Bradford	Bradford
St Mary	Bradford	Bradford
St Matthew	Bradford	Bradford
St William	Bradford	Bradford
University Catholic Chaplaincy	C/o St Joseph	Bradford
St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross	Shipley	Bradford
St Mary	Batley	Dewsbury
St Joseph	Batley Carr	Dewsbury
St Patrick	Birstall	Dewsbury
St Paul	Cleckheaton	Dewsbury
St Paulinus	Dewsbury	Dewsbury
St Thomas More	Dewsbury	Dewsbury
Holy Spirit	Heckmondwike	Dewsbury
St Aidan	Mirfield	Dewsbury
St Patrick	Elland	Halifax
St Bernard	Halifax	Halifax
St Columba	Halifax	Halifax
St Malachy	Halifax	Halifax
St Marie	Halifax	Halifax
Good Shepherd	Mytholmroyd	Halifax
St Theresa	Queensbury	Halifax
Sacred Heart	Sowerby Bridge	Halifax
St Joseph	Bishop Thornton	Harrogate
St Edward King And Confessor	Clifford	Harrogate
St Aelred	Harrogate	Harrogate
St Joseph	Harrogate	Harrogate
St Robert	Harrogate	Harrogate
St Mary	Knaresborough	Harrogate
Our Lady Immaculate	Pateley Bridge	Harrogate
St Wilfrid	Ripon	Harrogate
St Joseph	Wetherby	Harrogate
St Joseph	Brighouse	Huddersfield
Holy Redeemer	Huddersfield	Huddersfield
Immaculate Heart of Mary	Huddersfield	Huddersfield
Sacred Heart and St William	Uppermill	Huddersfield
University Catholic Chaplaincy	Huddersfield	Huddersfield
St Joseph	Barnoldswick	Keighley & Skipton
St Boniface	Bentham	Keighley & Skipton
SS Mary and Michael	Settle	Keighley & Skipton
Sacred Heart	Broughton	Keighley & Skipton
Our Lady of Lourdes	Haworth	Keighley & Skipton
Our Lady of Victories	Keighley	Keighley & Skipton
St Anne	Keighley	Keighley & Skipton
St Joseph	Keighley	Keighley & Skipton
Our Lady of Mount Carmel	Silsden	Keighley & Skipton
St Stephen	Skipton	Keighley & Skipton
Cathedral Church of St Anne	Leeds	Leeds
Our Lady of Unfailing Help	Leeds	Leeds North
St Jeanne Jugan	Leeds	Leeds North
St John Mary Vianney	Leeds	Leeds North
Our Lady of Kirkstall	Leeds	Leeds North
St Gregory	Leeds	Leeds East
Corpus Christi	Leeds	Leeds East
St Benedict	Garforth	Leeds East
St Patrick	Leeds	Leeds East
St Augustine	Leeds	Leeds East
Blessed Edmund Sykes	Leeds	Leeds East
St William of York	Leeds	Leeds South
St Mary	Rothwell	Leeds South
St Maximilian Kolbe	Leeds	Leeds South
St Margaret Clitherow	Leeds	Leeds South
Holy Family	Leeds	Leeds South
St Wilfrid	Leeds	Leeds South
Sacred Heart	Howden	Selby
St Mary	Selby	Selby
St Joseph	Sherburn-in-Elmet	Selby
St Joseph	Tadcaster	Selby
St Joseph	Castleford	Wakefield & Pontefract
Sacred Heart	Hemsworth	Wakefield & Pontefract
St John the Baptist	Normanton	Wakefield & Pontefract
St Ignatius	Ossett	Wakefield & Pontefract
St Joseph	Pontefract	Wakefield & Pontefract
SS Peter and Paul	Wakefield	Wakefield & Pontefract
St Austin	Wakefield	Wakefield & Pontefract
English Martyrs	Addingham	Wharfedale
SS John Fisher and Thomas More	Burley-in-Wharfedale	Wharfedale
St Mary	Horsforth	Leeds North
Leeds Trinity University	Horsforth	Leeds North
Sacred Heart	Ilkley	Wharfedale
Our Lady & All Saints	Otley	Wharfedale
St Joseph	Pudsey	Leeds South West
SS Peter and Paul	Yeadon	Wharfedale

References

1. Leeds, Diocese of (2012). Diocese of Leeds Directory 2012.
2. Leeds, Diocese of (2013). Diocese of Leeds Directory 2013.
3. "History". Diocese of Leeds. Diocese of Leeds. Archived from the original on 15 October 2007. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
4. "Bishop Roche Heads for Rome". Diocese of Leeds. 26 June 2012. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014.
5. "Off To Serve The Holy Father". Diocese of Leeds. 27 September 2012. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014.
6. "Bishop Marcus Stock asks for prayers as he is installed in Leeds". Catholic Herald. 13 November 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
7. "Parishes". DioceseofLeeds.org.uk. 1 January 2011.
8. Leeds, Diocese of (2011). Diocese of Leeds Directory 2011.

External links

• Official Site
• The Latin Mass Society in the Catholic Diocese of Leeds
• GCatholic.org
• Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Leeds" . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.