Roman Catholic Diocese of Aberdeen
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Diocese of Aberdeen Dioecesis Aberdonensis | |
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Hugh Gilbert[1] | |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Leo Cushley |
| Vicar General | Domenico Zanre |
| Bishops emeritus | Peter Moran |
| Website | |
| www.dioceseofaberdeen.org | |
The Diocese of Aberdeen (
Foundation
The see is the successor of that founded in 1012 at Mortlach by Beyn, which was moved to Aberdeen, by Bishop Nechtan of Aberdeen in April 1132, during the reign of King David I of Scotland. The earliest mention of the see as that of Aberdeen is in the charter of the foundation, by the Earl of Buchan, of the Church of Deer (c. 1152), which is witnessed by Nectan, Bishop of Aberdeen. The first ecclesiastical record of the see is in a papal bull of Pope Adrian IV (1157), confirming to Bishop Edward the churches of Aberdeen and Saint Machar, with the town of Old Aberdeen and other lands.
The granite cathedral was built between 1272 and 1277. Bishop Thomas Spence founded a Franciscan house in 1480, and King's College was founded at Old Aberdeen by Bishop Elphinstone, for eight prebendaries, chapter, sacristan, organist, and six choristers, in 1505. The see was transferred to Old Aberdeen about 1125, and continued there until 1577, having had in that time a list of twenty-nine bishops.
Restoration of the Diocese
The Scottish Church officially broke allegiance with the Roman church in 1560, but continued intermittently having bishops until 1689. On 4 March 1878, Pope Leo XIII restored the hierarchy of Scotland by the Bull Ex supremo Apostolatus apice and Vicar-Apostolic John MacDonald was translated to the restored See of Aberdeen as its first bishop.
The Bull made Aberdeen one of the four suffragan sees of the
Early Twentieth Century
In 1906 there were nearly 4,000 Catholics out of a population of 800,000. The clergy consisted of 48
Twenty First Century
The current bishop of the diocese is the Right Reverend
Bishops
Past and present ordinaries
The following is a list of the modern Bishops of Aberdeen and its precursor offices:[2]
- Vicars Apostolic of the Highland District
- Alexander John Grant(appointed 16 September 1727 – died 19 September 1727)
- Hugh MacDonald(appointed 12 February 1731 – died 12 March 1773)
- John MacDonald(succeeded 12 March 1773 – died 9 May 1779)
- Alexander MacDonald(appointed 30 September 1779 – died 9 September 1791)
- John Chisholm(appointed 8 November 1791 – died 8 July 1814)
- Aeneas Chisholm(succeeded 8 July 1814 – died 31 July 1818)
- Western District13 February 1827)
- Vicars Apostolic of the Northern District
- James Kyle (appointed 13 February 1827 – died 23 February 1869)
- John MacDonald (succeeded 23 February 1869 – became Bishop of Aberdeen 15 March 1878)
- Bishops of Aberdeen
- John MacDonald (appointed 15 March 1878 – died 4 February 1889)
- Colin Grant (appointed 16 July 1889 – died 26 September 1889)
- Hugh MacDonald, C.SS.R. (appointed 14 August 1890 – died 29 May 1898)
- Aeneas Chisholm(appointed 7 January 1899 – died 13 January 1918)
- George Henry Bennett(appointed 18 June 1918 – died 25 December 1946)
- John Alexander Matheson(appointed 2 August 1947 – died 5 July 1950)
- Francis Raymond Walsh, M. Afr. (appointed 20 June 1951 – resigned 22 July 1963)
- Michael Foylan (appointed 8 December 1964 – died 28 May 1976)
- Mario Joseph Conti (appointed 28 February 1977 – translated to the Archdiocese of Glasgow15 January 2002)
- Peter Antony Moran(appointed 13 October 2003 – resigned 4 June 2011)
- Hugh Gilbert OSB (incumbent, appointed 4 June 2011)[1]
Coadjutor Vicars Apostolic
- Aeneas Chisholm(1804 – 1814)
- John MacDonald(1761 – 1773)
- John MacDonald (1868 – 1869)
Other priest of this diocese who became bishop
- Robert Fraser, appointed Bishop of Dunkeld in 1913
See also
References
- ^ a b "Pope chooses abbot as Bishop of Aberdeen". Catholic Herald. UK. 6 June 2012. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
- ^ a b c "Diocese of Aberdeen". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 3 October 2010.
External links
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