We Have a Bishop!



(www.catholicnews.org.uk)

We have a bishop! Yes, less than six months after the former bishop resigned, Pope Francis yesterday named the Right Reverend Richard Moth as the fifth Bishop of Arundel & Brighton Diocese.

Bishop Moth is currently Bishop of the Forces. He was ordained a priest in 1982 and served  in parishes of the Archdiocese of Southwark, where he was also Vicar General and Chancellor, before being appointed Bishop of the Forces six years ago by Pope Benedict.

Born in Zambia - then Northern Rhodesia - fifty-six years ago, Bishop Moth obtained a Masters degree in Canon Law from Ottowa, and has since held a variety of roles. These include Liaison Bishop for Prisons, Episcopal Advisor to the National Catholic Scout Fellowship, lead Bishop for the Bishops’ Conference Mental Health Project and Chair of Governors at St. Mary’s University, Twickenham.

Bishop Moth will be installed at the Cathedral Church of Our Lady & St. Philip Howard, Arundel, on Thursday 28^th May, the 50^th anniversary of the foundation of A&B diocese (which was originally part of the Archdiocese of Southwark). He will then preside at the Jubilee Mass of Thanksgiving at the Amex Stadium here in Brighton on Sunday 5^th July.

The Bishop has been a Benedictine Oblate for over 30 years and is a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. For relaxation, he enjoys walking and horse riding (which I suspect he will find more relaxing in the verdant Sussex countryside then in urban Southwark!).

A huge welcome to Bishop Moth, pray for him.