News Briefing: Britain and Ireland

Archbishop of Westminster Richard Moth this morning received the pallium from Pope Leo XIV during Mass at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Archbishop Moth was among 35 metropolitan archbishops from around the world who received the pallium, a band of white wool marked with six black crosses and worn around the shoulders as a symbol of the archbishop’s responsibility to shepherd the faithful. Pope Leo said, “These bands of white wool adorned with crosses express the commitment of every shepherd and also of every Christian to take upon their shoulders the brothers and sisters entrusted to them, like so many lambs of the Lord’s flock, and to sacrifice their energy, time, effort and even their lives for them.” Later, Archbishop Moth spoke to The Tablet about receiving the pallium in Rome on the Feast of St Peter and St Paul. Read it all here.

St Mary’s University, Twickenham has announced that Dr Øystein Lund, currently counsellor for research and education at the Norwegian embassy in London, is to be its new vice-chancellor, succeeding Professor Anthony McClaran. Dr Lund, who is married with adult children, previously held senior leadership roles at the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education and also worked at the Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society in Oslo. He was first ordained in the Church of Norway in 1994, before being received into full communion with the Catholic Church in 2009. He was ordained deacon in 2013 and priest in 2014. Archbishop of Westminster Richard Moth, chair of governors at St Mary’s, said, “On behalf of the Board of Governors, I am delighted to welcome Rev Fr Dr Øystein Lund as our new Vice-Chancellor. His experience in academia, diplomacy, and leadership will be of enormous benefit to the university community.” Dr Lund said, “What draws me most to St Mary’s is its ability to combine academic excellence with a genuine commitment to human flourishing, rooted in the Church’s long tradition of learning, scholarship and inquiry.”

The Bishops of Scotland have appointed Fr Pat Keegans the spiritual director of the Royal Scots College in Salamanca, Spain. A priest of the Diocese of Galloway, Fr Keegans trained for the priesthood at the Royal Scots College when it was in Valladolid. Commenting on his appointment, Fr Keegans said: “Being asked to be the Spiritual Director at the Royal Scots College in Salamanca is a privilege and honour. I can hardly believe it. I am thrilled and very happy indeed.”

A volunteer from Staines, Locksley Philips, has been honoured with a blessing from Pope Leo XIV for serving his parish for over 25 years. His parish priest, Fr Philip Dyer-Perry said, “Locksley has served the parish with incredible loyalty and dedication for many years. As well as being a Cafod volunteer, Locksley has served (and still does) as a First Communion catechist, reader, and steward. His wife, Frances, is now in a local care home, and this has been hard for them both, as together they brought much life and love to our parish community. Locksley continues to serve in his various volunteer roles here at Our Lady of the Rosary, and we couldn’t do without him!” Director of Cafod Christine Allen said the Pope’s blessing “highlights the significant role that volunteers play in strengthening communities and building a better world”.

Outgoing UK ambassador to the Holy See Chris Trott said in an interview with the bishops’ conference of England and Wales that engaging with all of the Catholic institutions in Rome on global issues, such as conflict and climate change, was a “real joy”. “For example, women Religious have networks in virtually every country in the world, and do the most extraordinary stuff: if we want to talk about global humanitarian crises and development, talking to them about these issues gives an amazing insight,” he said. “It’s an extraordinary intelligence gathering network.” Ambassador Trott said the UK’s political relationship with the Holy See is “very good”: “The King’s visit showed that while some things may divide us, we are united in our goal, and there is an optimism about this partnership that I think my successor will be able to enhance and take forward.” Tarandip Kaur Sandhu has been appointed as the next ambassador to the Holy See and will take up the role in August.

A four-day festival of Sacred Liturgy and Music featuring the opera singer Sophie Bevan MBE and inspired by St Birinus, the seventh century monk known as the apostle to Wessex is taking place in Dorchester-upon-Thames, Oxfordshire from 9 – 12 July. Highlights of the St Birinus Festival include the Monteverdi Vespers of 1610, a Pontifical High Mass for the Feast of St Birinus, Renaissance Polyphony, concerts, recitals, lectures and early music from Spain and Portugal.

A seven-and-a-half-minute film on Travellers’ experiences of nursery school includes an interview with the headteacher of St Theresa’s Catholic Primary School in Darlington Co. Durham. Paula Strachan said: “Relationships with all our children are at the heart of everything we do. We take the time to really get to know our children and our families, and we respect their different traditions and their different cultures, no matter where our children are from. The best way to tackle any form of racism or prejudice is to educate our children at their youngest age.” She said the school, which belongs to the Bishop Hogarth Catholic Education Trust ensured that when children learned about homes, pictures included a trailer and a vardo. “You’ve got adults here to literally cherish these children and It’s the best start you can give them,” she said in Best Start in Life.

The Catholic Union of Great Britain is now providing weekly bidding prayers on topical subjects for Sunday Mass. Please click here to sign up.

A Mass marking the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the parish of Sts Peter and Paul, Northfields, in Ealing, west London was celebrated by Cardinal Vincent Nichols on 21 June. The parish was run as a Chapel of Ease from Hanwell for four years and became am independent parish in 1926 under Fr Francis Arts. Fr John Sydney Cohen was responsible for the building of the present church, which was opened within a few days of the feast of Sts Peter and Paul in 1932 by Cardinal Bourne. A second part of the church was completed in 1956, when Fr Cohen was still the parish priest.

Fr Jim Duffy with Cardinal Vincent Nichols. Image: Eddie Tulasiewicz

The annual St Bede Liturgy Lecture to be given by the Abbot Primate, Jeremias Schröder OSB, who studied at Oxford, at Ealing Abbey on the feast of St Benedict, Saturday 11 July 2026 with the title: Bones of Contention, Norman Power and Liturgical Reform The talk begins at 2:30 and is free and open to the public. It will be held at the Liturgy Institute, 74 Castlebar Road, Ealing, London W5 2DD. Tea will follow. More information here.

“Ireland, which once sent thousands of missionaries around the world, is now in need of mission herself,” said Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin at the dedication of a new seminary church at the Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary in Dundalk, Co Louth. The Primate of All Ireland also inaugurated a new extension at the seminary to cater for the number of men in formation for the priesthood. The seminary was established in 2012 as an initiative of the Archdiocese of Armagh to form priests for the New Evangelization. To date, 11 priests, who come from families of the Neo Catechumenal Way, have been ordained from the Dundalk seminary and serve both in the Archdiocese of Armagh and also in missionary placements assigned by Archbishop Martin. “Today represents a hugely significant moment in the life of the Archdiocese of Armagh.  This seminary project, conceived with a clear vision some fifteen years ago, has, with the help of God, been developing and bearing fruit through prayer, hard work, and the dedication of so many people, offering their gifts, time, resources and talents,” Archbishop Martin told all gathered for the occasion. He added that Redemptoris Mater seminary was born out of a conviction that the world “still needs to hear and understand that the Kingdom of Heaven remains close at hand”. He noted that the seminarians have included candidates from Ireland, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Poland, the United States and England.  The seminarians receive their human, pastoral and spiritual formation in Dundalk, and their academic formation in philosophy and theology at St Patrick’s, Maynooth. Speaking as he begins his 40th year of priesthood, Archbishop Martin said he was committed to ensuring that those ordained from Dundalk would not only serve in Armagh but would also contribute to the wider global mission of the Church. “During their lives as priests, they will be sent for certain periods, by me and by my successors, to bring their gifts and talents to the growth of the Church here in other parts of Ireland and, God willing, to other parts of the world.”

Maynooth University is to acquire a significant part of St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, which houses the national seminary as well as the pontifical university. The acquisition will involve 28 acres and 24,000 square metres of built space. “While St Patrick’s College, Maynooth and Maynooth University are independent institutions, there has been a long history of collaboration and co-operation between us,” said Dr Michael Shortall, president of the college. The transaction will enable the college to advance plans for the future development of its campus and educational programmes, while supporting the long-term stewardship of the historic Maynooth campus.

“Secular society promised heaven on earth” but has ended up a “hell on earth” for too many, said Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown at the ordination of Fr Stephen Baxter in St Columb’s Church. He said that too many suffer from poverty, mental and physical illness, and a lack of meaning or belonging. Society is going through a time of “huge worry and fragmentation” while the world agenda appeared to be dominated by a small clique of super rich. “No wonder many young people are crying out for a sense of direction, identity and community,” he said.  

Parishes in the Archdiocese of Armagh will begin this autumn to decide which proposals to focus on from those that emerged in its youth, family and faith congress report. The congress brought together more than 300 people in March to discuss how to bring about renewal, stronger parish life and a shared commitment to faith, mission and future generations. Recommendations included providing ongoing formation for clergy and lay liturgical ministers; providing support for renewal of prayer in the home, providing youth and adult faith formation courses and providing digital evangelisation outreach to young people and those on the margins.

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