The Archdiocese of Birmingham is one of the principal Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. The archdiocese covers an area of , encompassing Staffordshire, the West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and much of Oxfordshire as well as Caversham in Berkshire. The metropolitan see is in the City of Birmingham at the Metropolitan Cathedral Church of Saint Chad. The metropolitan province includes the suffragan dioceses of Clifton and Shrewsbury.
The archbishop is Bernard Longley, who was named the ninth Archbishop of Birmingham on 1 October 2009. He succeeds the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols (2000–09). Longley was installed as Archbishop of Birmingham at the Metropolitan Cathedral and Basilica of Saint Chad on 8 December 2009, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and one of the patronal feasts of the archdiocese, St Chad being the other.
History
Erected as the Vicariate Apostolic of the Midlands District in 1688, the vicariate grew very slowly until the advent of the industrial revolution. In response to large growth the name was changed in 1840 to the Vicariate Apostolic of Central District and a new vicariate created out of the eastern district.
Finally, in September 1850, the vicariate was elevated to a full diocese, as the Diocese of Birmingham, along with the Diocese of Nottingham and the Diocese of Shrewsbury. The diocese was then suffragan to the Archdiocese of Westminster.
The Diocese of Birmingham was elevated to archdiocesan status on 28 October 1911.
Diocesan boundaries
The Archbishop of Birmingham, Bernard Longley, has overall episcopal oversight of the diocese that is divided into three pastoral areas, each of which is headed by an auxiliary bishop and contains a number of deaneries:
Central and Western Pastoral Area (Area Bishop: David Evans): Birmingham Cathedral & South; Birmingham East & North; Kidderminster & Worcester. Northern Pastoral Area (Episcopal Vicar: Paul McNally): Dudley & Wolverhampton; Lichfield & Walsall; North Staffordshire; Stafford. Southern Pastoral Area (Episcopal Vicar: Paul Fitzpatrick): Banbury & Warwick; Coventry & Nuneaton; Oxford North; Oxford South.
Bishops
Ordinaries
Vicars Apostolic of the Midland District
Bonaventure Giffard (1687-1703), appointed Vicar Apostolic of the London District George Witham (1702-1716), appointed Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District John Talbot Stonor (1716-1756) John Joseph Hornyold (1756-1778) Thomas Joseph Talbot (1778-1795) Charles Berington (1795-1798) Gregory Stapleton (1800-1802) John Milner (1803-1826) Thomas Walsh (1826-1840), became Vicar Apostolic of the Central District (see below)
Vicars Apostolic of the Central District
Thomas Walsh (1840-1848), see above; appointed Vicar Apostolic of the London District William Bernard Ullathorne (1848-1850); see below
Bishops of Birmingham
William Bernard Ullathorne (1850-1888); see above
Edward Ilsley (1888-1911); see below
Archbishops of Birmingham
Edward Ilsley (1911-1921); see above
John McIntyre (1921-1928) Thomas Leighton Williams (1929-1946) Joseph Masterson (1947-1953) Francis Joseph Grimshaw (1954-1965) George Patrick Dwyer (1965-1981) Maurice Noël Léon Couve de Murville (1982-1999) Vincent Gerard Nichols (2000-2009), appointed Archbishop of Westminster (Cardinal in 2014) Bernard Longley (2009–present)
Coadjutor Vicars Apostolic
John Joseph Hornyold (1751-1756) Thomas Joseph Talbot (1766-1778) Charles Berington (1786-1795) Thomas Walsh (1825-1826) Nicholas Wiseman (1840-1847), appointed Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of the London District, later Vicar Apostolic of the London District and Archbishop of Westminster (elevated to Cardinal in 1850)