Diocese of Shrewsbury

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Bishop(s) Mark Davies, Bishop

General Information Type of Jurisdiction: Diocese Erected: 29 September 1850 Metropolitan: Archdiocese of Birmingham Depends on: Dicastery for Bishops Rite: Latin (or Roman) Country: England Region: Great Britain Square Kilometers: 6,136 (2,370 Square Miles) Description: Counties of Cheshire (S of River Mersey), Shropshire, with Halton (S of River Mersey), Stockport, Telford, and the Wrekin, Wirral. Official Web Site: https://www.dioceseofshrewsbury.org Mailing Address: Curial Offices, 2 Park Road South, Prenton, Wirral CH43 4UX, England, Great Britain Telephone: (0151)652-9855 Fax: (08701)659-288

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Past and Present Ordinaries

• James Brown † (27 Jun 1851 Appointed - 14 Oct 1881 Died)
• Edmund James Knight † (25 Apr 1882 Appointed - 11 May 1895 Resigned)
• John Carroll † (11 May 1895 Succeeded - 14 Jan 1897 Died)
• Samuel Webster Allen † (10 Apr 1897 Appointed - 13 May 1908 Died)
• Hugh Singleton † (1 Aug 1908 Appointed - 17 Dec 1934 Died)
• Ambrose James Moriarty † (17 Dec 1934 Succeeded - 3 Jun 1949 Died)
• John Aloysius Murphy † (3 Jun 1949 Succeeded - 22 Aug 1961 Appointed, Archbishop of Cardiff, Wales)
• William Eric Grasar † (26 Apr 1962 Appointed - 20 Mar 1980 Resigned)
• Joseph Malacky Gray † (19 Aug 1980 Appointed - 23 Jun 1995 Retired)
• Brian Michael Noble † (23 Jun 1995 Appointed - 1 Oct 2010 Retired)
• Mark Davies (1 Oct 2010 Succeeded - )

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Historical Summary

Date	Event	From	To
29 September 1850	Erected	Vicariate Apostolic of Central District Vicariate Apostolic of Lancashire District Vicariate Apostolic of Wales District	Diocese of Shrewsbury (erected)
4 March 1895	Territory Lost	Diocese of Newport and Menevia Diocese of Shrewsbury	Vicariate Apostolic of Wales (erected)
28 October 1911	Metropolitan Changed		Diocese of Shrewsbury (from Westminster to Birmingham)

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Statistics

Year	Catholics	Total Population	Percent Catholic	Diocesan Priests	Religious Priests	Total Priests	Catholics Per Priest	Permanent Deacons	Male Religious	Female Religious	Parishes	Source
1950	102,250	1,331,706	7.7%	140	69	209	489		190	100	76	ap1951
1969	193,231	1,800,000	10.7%	164	81	245	788		106	395	105	ap1971
1980	202,300	2,000,000	10.1%	182	64	246	822		102	292	116	ap1981
1990	199,000	1,840,000	10.8%	166	42	208	956	2	62	263	121	ap1991
1999	190,614	1,832,900	10.4%	145	30	175	1,089	6	51	213	117	ap2000
2000	196,338	1,832,900	10.7%	155	33	188	1,044	17	54	206	117	ap2001
2001	196,338	1,832,900	10.7%	145	35	180	1,090	22	54	201	116	ap2002
2002	193,400	1,832,900	10.6%	147	33	180	1,074	26	49	204	116	ap2003
2003	194,710	1,836,000	10.6%	144	34	178	1,093	30	48	183	110	ap2004
2004	234,617	1,838,000	12.8%	141	33	174	1,348	31	54	183	110	ap2005
2010	198,000	1,850,000	10.7%	129	25	154	1,285	48	38	142	109	ap2011
2014	203,800	1,903,000	10.7%	117	26	143	1,425	51	38	119	93	ap2015
2017	189,827	1,923,400	9.9%	112	32	144	1,318	53	42	88	92	ap2018
2020	178,870	1,844,400	9.7%	111	35	146	1,225	54	41	88	91	ap2021
2022	187,000	1,931,000	9.7%	111	37	148	1,263	52	43	87	89	ap2023

Note: Any changes in boundaries over time are not indicated in the above table.

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Affiliated Bishops, Living

• Mark Davies (Coadjutor Bishop: 22 Dec 2009; Bishop: 1 Oct 2010)
• Philip Anthony Egan (Priest: 4 Aug 1984 to 11 Jul 2012)

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Affiliated Bishops, Deceased

• Samuel Webster Allen † (Priest: 4 Dec 1870; Bishop: 10 Apr 1897 to 13 May 1908)
• John (Jack) Brewer † (Priest: 8 Jul 1956; Auxiliary Bishop: 31 May 1971 to 17 Nov 1983)
• James Brown † (Bishop: 27 Jun 1851 to 14 Oct 1881)
• Thomas Joseph Brown, O.S.B. † (Apostolic Administrator: 29 Sep 1850 to 27 Jun 1851)
• John Carroll † (Priest: 22 Dec 1861; Coadjutor Bishop: 22 Aug 1893; Bishop: 11 May 1895 to 14 Jan 1897)
• William Eric Grasar † (Bishop: 26 Apr 1962 to 20 Mar 1980)
• Joseph Malacky Gray † (Bishop: 19 Aug 1980 to 23 Jun 1995)
• Edmund James Knight † (Auxiliary Bishop: 6 May 1879; Bishop: 25 Apr 1882 to 11 May 1895)
• Ambrose James Moriarty † (Priest: 10 Mar 1894; Coadjutor Bishop: 18 Dec 1931; Bishop: 17 Dec 1934 to 3 Jun 1949)
• Francis Edward Joseph Mostyn † (Priest: 14 Sep 1884 to 4 Jul 1895)
• John Aloysius Murphy † (Priest: 21 Mar 1931; Coadjutor Bishop: 7 Feb 1948; Bishop: 3 Jun 1949 to 22 Aug 1961)
• Brian Michael Noble † (Bishop: 23 Jun 1995 to 1 Oct 2010)
• Hugh Singleton † (Priest: 25 Jul 1880; Bishop: 1 Aug 1908 to 17 Dec 1934)
• Gerard William Tickle † (Priest: 28 Oct 1934 to 12 Oct 1963)

Source(s)

Series Episcoporum Ecclesiae Catholicae, Volume 1, Page 204 Acta Apostolicae Sedis, Volume 3, Page 553, to Page 555

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