Bishop of Motherwell explained

Bishopric:Motherwell
Border:catholic
Incumbent:Bishop Joseph Toal
Province:Province of Glasgow
Established:25 May 1947
Cathedral:Motherwell Cathedral
First Incumbent:Edward Wilson Douglas
Diocese:Diocese of Motherwell
Website:rcdom.org.uk/bishop

The Bishop of Motherwell is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Motherwell in the Province of Glasgow, Scotland.

The diocese covers an area of 1178-2NaN-2. The see is in the town of Motherwell where the bishop's seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Our Lady of Good Aid. The Diocese of Motherwell comprises the parishes of St Benedict and St Clare, Easterhouse; Baillieston and Craigend and Garthamlock in the city of Glasgow, and the council areas of North Lanarkshire (except the parishes of Kilsyth, Condorrat, Croy and Cumbernauld and the area of Auchinloch) and South Lanarkshire.

The diocese, along with the Diocese of Paisley, was erected as a Suffragan See by the Apostolic Constitution Maxime interest on 25 May 1947. The new See took part of the Archdiocese of Glasgow (becoming its Suffragan See) and part of the Diocese of Galloway.

On Tuesday 29 April 2014 - the Feast of St Catherine of Siena Pope Francis appointed the Right Reverend Joseph Toal, previously Bishop of Argyll and The Isles as fifth Bishop of Motherwell. Bishop Toal succeeded the Right Reverend Joseph Devine, whose resignation was accepted by Pope Francis on 30 May 2013.

List of bishops of Motherwell

Bishops of Motherwell
FromUntilIncumbentNotes
19481954Edward Wilson DouglasAppointed bishop of Motherwell on 7 February 1948 and consecrated on 21 April 1948. Resigned on 9 February 1954 and appointed Titular Bishop of Botrys. Died on 12 June 1967.
19551964James Donald ScanlanPreviously Bishop of Dunkeld (1949–1955). Appointed bishop of Motherwell on 23 May 1955. Translated to the archbishopric of Glasgow on 29 January 1964.
19641982Francis A. S. W. ThomsonAppointed bishop of Motherwell on 8 December 1964 and consecrated on 24 February 1965. Resigned on 14 December 1982 and died on 6 December 1987.
19832013Joseph DevinePreviously an auxiliary bishop of Glasgow (1977–1983). Appointed bishop of Motherwell on 13 May 1983. Retired on 30 May 2013.
2014presentJoseph ToalAppointed by Pope Francis on 29 April 2014, as the fifth Bishop of Motherwell. Installed on Monday 23 June 2014.

See also