Spring 2026

Two of our parishioners, Ruth and Stephen Driver, recently represented the parish at the consultation meeting with Bishop Marcus regarding the possible merger of the diocese of Middlesbrough with those of Leeds and Hallam. Here is their feedback:

“Fr Phil invited us to attend a meeting last week with Bishop Marcus Stock, Mgr Gerard Robinson, members of the Middlesbrough curial office, local priests and parish representatives. The meeting forms part of a consultation process to consider the future of the 3 dioceses: Leeds, Middlesbrough and Hallam. Fr Phil has asked us to share some feedback from the meeting and a fuller more detailed report will be available on the parish website.

“The meeting began with a welcome message from Bishop Marcus and an opening prayer. I’ve included the whole prayer as it set the focus for the meeting on Tuesday, and going forward for us as a congregation. “

Heavenly Father,

Pour out you Holy Spirit upon the people of the Dioceses of Leeds, Middlesbrough and Hallam.

Where there is uncertainty, give trust

Where there is fear, give hope.

Where there are differences, give charity and mutual understanding.

Teach us to listen deeply, to speak with wisdom and humility, and to seek not our own will, but your will for your Church.

May any steps we take be rooted in prayer, guided by your Spirit, and directed always toward the building up of your Body and the proclamation of your Gospel.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen

“Bishop Marcus then gave us some historical context. The diocese of Beverley, which encompassed the whole of Yorkshire, was established in 1850 following the restoration of the catholic hierarchy in England and Wales. It was then divided in 1878 into the Dioceses of Leeds and Middlesbrough because of flourishing numbers of clergy, parishes and the faithful. The Diocese of Hallam was created in 1980 taking parishes from the Diocese of Leeds and a smaller number of parishes from the Diocese of Nottingham. Merging the dioceses of Leeds, Middlesbrough and Hallam could therefore be considered reunification of what originally existed.

“Bishop Marcus used the term ‘reunification’ specifically to emphasise that this is not a corporate merger to form a larger firm, but a coming together of 3 dioceses as a family made up of individual parishes to share and work together. With our priority, the ‘Mission’ of the church, given to us by Jesus Christ “Go and make disciples of all nations”, and to make us more effective for mission in the future.

“The proposal to merge our dioceses is not new. Bishop Drainey made the recommendation in his Ad Limina Report of 2018. It was also one of the proposals made by Pope Leo in his role as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, responsible for managing bishop appointments, prior to his Pontificate in 2025.

“In many parts of the world, particularly in North America and Europe there is already a precedent for merging dioceses. One reason for this is a decline in the number of priests and seminarians. Bishop Marcus gave us a statistical breakdown of Diocesan priests in active ministry in the 3 dioceses. Without new vocations the number of priests in active ministry is expected to fall from 113 to 42 over the next 15 years because of an aging population of priests nearing retirement age and not enough ordinations to replace them. In the Middlesbrough Diocese we currently have 69 parishes and only 9 Diocesan priests under the age of 60. A new priest’s formation takes at least 6-7 years so even if there were to be an influx of seminarians, we need to explore new methods to present the Gospel in Our times. Deep -rooted change is needed and will require more collaboration between dioceses and the sharing of resources. On a positive note, Bishop Marcus stated that the trajectory of declining priests is not inevitable and there are great signs of growth and productivity in vocation and lay discovery of baptism.

“Merging dioceses has been directed or encouraged by the Holy See as part of a broader effort to reconfigure the Church’s structure to fit modern demographics and operational needs. Conversely there is growth seen in Africa and Asia and the Vatican continues to establish new dioceses in these regions.

“In the 2020’s the Vatican has increasingly used a strategy called In Persona Episcopi (in the person of the bishop) where 2 dioceses share a single bishop but remain separate legal entities, often as a precursor to a full merger. In 2025, following the retirement of Bishop Drainey we found ourselves in this position, when the Holy See announced that Bishop Marcus become the Apostolic Administer of the Diocese of Middlesbrough as well as his role as Bishop of Leeds. Earlier this year, he also became the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Hallam.

“On his new appointments Bishop Marcus went to Rome and met with the Prefect of the Congregation of the Dicastery of Bishops to get a better understanding of the task ahead. Bishop Marcus stated that the reunification of our dioceses is not a ‘done deal’ and will not happen overnight. It will be a long and complex process which will take some years to achieve. There will be several stages to go through including consultation which has now begun. This involves all members of the Church including the laity and we’d like to draw your attention to the on-line consultation feedback form which is an opportunity for you to have an input. “

Ruth & Stephen Driver

Invitation to Have Your Say