Fr Stephen Wang appointed new Bishop of Arundel & Brighton

Pope Leo XIV appointed Fr Stephen Wang as the new Bishop of Arundel & Brighton today.

Fr Wang was born in London in 1966 and grew up in Harpenden, Hertfordshire. He started his priestly formation after a degree in theology at Cambridge University, and was ordained to the priesthood in 1998.

He has been rector of the Venerable English College in Rome for the last five years. Before this, he served in roles including university chaplain at the London School of Economics, Dean of Studies at Allen Hall seminary, visiting priest at Wormwood Scrubs Prison, and vocations director of the Diocese of Westminster.

He also completed a PhD at Cambridge on the subject of human happiness in the philosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre and St Thomas Aquinas.

Bishop-elect Wang said his appointment as bishop came as a “huge surprise”: “I feel a mixture of gratitude and trepidation; an excitement and curiosity about all that lies ahead; and above all, a sense of peace.”

“I’m grateful to Pope Leo for calling me and putting his trust in me, and to Archbishop Moth for all his care for the Diocese over these years,” he continued.

“I’m sad to be leaving the Venerable English College, and the Diocese of Westminster. But I am overjoyed at the thought of coming to Arundel & Brighton, getting to know the people, and working together to build God’s Kingdom.

“Coming from a landlocked diocese where the hills are no bigger than London buses, I look forward to some wild swimming and walks on the South Downs.

“I will need lots of prayers and support. I hope that even with all my weaknesses I can be a loving shepherd, a spiritual father, and a brother as well.

“I know that if we put the love of Jesus and Mary at the centre of everything we do, and always seek to love and serve one another, then we cannot go wrong.

“Jesus will guide us through his Holy Spirit, lead us to the Father, and help us to lead others along the same path.”

Archbishop Moth, who was bishop of Arundel & Brighton from 2015 to 2026, said he was “delighted” both for Bishop-elect Wang and for the people and clergy of Arundel & Brighton: “I ask all in the Diocese of Arundel & Brighton to pray for him as he prepares to serve as their bishop.”

Archbishop of Southwark, Archbishop John Wilson, whose ecclesiastical province includes the Diocese of Arundel & Brighton, said, “Fr Stephen has a real heart for the Lord and a love for God’s people.

“His passion for formation and mission comes through clearly in his ministry. His work founding the ‘Sycamore’ initiative to share the Christian faith and its relevance today is testament to his commitment to evangelisation.”

In 2014, a group of young people led by Fr Wang developed “Sycamore”, a video-based Catholic faith formation programme that explores the Christian faith through short films and guided discussion, designed to make Christianity more accessible.

His Mass of episcopal ordination and installation will take place in the autumn at the Cathedral Church of Our Lady and St Philip Howard, Arundel.

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