by Simon Hart

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‘A few moments ago in Rome, the Holy See has published the news that the Holy Father, Pope Francis, has appointed Bishop John Sherrington, titular Bishop of Hilta, as the tenth Archbishop of Liverpool.’

 

With these words, Archbishop Malcolm McMahon announced to those gathered for morning prayer at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King on Saturday 5 April, the news of the appointment of his successor and the start of a new chapter in the life of the Archdiocese of Liverpool.

 

The announcement marked the beginning of a period of transition that will conclude with the new archbishop’s Mass of installation at midday on Tuesday 27 May at the cathedral. As hindsight would soon reveal, it also proved one of Pope Francis’ final acts as pontiff, prior to his passing little more than a fortnight later.

 

For Archbishop-elect Sherrington, 67, his appointment means his departure from the post of Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster to become the tenth Archbishop of Liverpool. He follows a line that began with Archbishop Whiteside (1911-21) and continued with Archbishops Keating (1921-28), Downey (1928-53), Godfrey (1953-56), Heenan (1957-63), Beck (1964-76), Worlock (1976-96), Kelly (1996-2013) and McMahon (2014-25).

 

In making the announcement on 5 April, Archbishop Malcolm said: ‘I am grateful to God and to the Holy Father, Pope Francis, for appointing a bishop to serve this local Church, the Archdiocese of Liverpool. We are receiving a new archbishop with considerable gifts, talents and skills, but most of all we are receiving a man of deep prayer who loves the Lord Jesus and who loves his Church. I have had the pleasure to serve with Archbishop-elect Sherrington in the Diocese of Nottingham and in the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, and I am delighted to welcome him today.

 

‘I stand before you as a proud member of this local Church and thank God for the hard-working priests and deacons, women and men religious, and all the holy, faithful people of God who desire to walk together on the road of faith as “pilgrims of hope”. Today is a day of jubilee for Liverpool as we receive the gift of a new shepherd, teacher, and high priest in our new archbishop. ‘As of this moment, I become the Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Liverpool until the Mass of Installation on the feast of Saint Augustine of Canterbury on Tuesday 27 May at 12 noon. Archbishop-elect Sherrington will move to the archdiocese in the days immediately before the day of installation but before he does, he must see to commitments back in Westminster Diocese. At this time, we thank Cardinal Nichols and our brothers and sisters in Westminster for the gift of our new archbishop as he joins the story of our lives.’

 

For the new archbishop, the decision to make the announcement during morning prayer at the cathedral chimed with the sense of a Synodal Church: a gathering of the people of the archdiocese to welcome him. Indeed, he was delighted to see people of all ages present, including members of the university chaplaincy and young families as well as staff from the archdiocesan offices.

 

Before giving his first episcopal blessing, Archbishop-elect Sherrington said: ‘Thank you to so many of you who have gathered here at short notice for this announcement. I’ve felt quite overwhelmed since Wednesday when I saw the Apostolic Nuncio and he told me that the Holy Father had appointed me as the tenth Archbishop of Liverpool. Yet I am at peace and it is a moment of great joy.

 

‘We are here in faith and this for us is our moment and our time of God’s grace in our life of the archdiocese. I thank Pope Francis for his trust in me on my appointment as Archbishop of Liverpool, which I accept with humility and joy, and I look forward to being your shepherd into the future.’

 

Born in Leicester on 5 January 1958, Archbishop-elect Sherrington gained a degree in Mathematics at Cambridge University. It was during his student years that he first began considering the priesthood and eventually, after leaving a job in management consultancy to follow his vocation, he was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Nottingham in June 1987. His time as a priest has included lecturing in Moral Theology at All Hallows College, Dublin and St John’s Seminary, Wonersh where he was also a member of the formation staff, and spells in two parishes in the Diocese of Nottingham – Our Lady of Lourdes, Derby, and Good Shepherd, Nottingham.

 

In 2011, he was ordained as a bishop by the then-Archbishop Vincent Nichols, the co-consecrators being Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor and the then-Bishop Malcolm McMahon of Nottingham. Reacting to the news of this appointment, Cardinal Nichols said: ‘I am so pleased that [Pope Francis] has appointed our Bishop John Sherrington to be the next Archbishop of Liverpool. Liverpool is, of course, my home diocese and I am delighted that it is to be led by Bishop John.

 

‘In Westminster we know his gifts, dedication and utter generosity only too well. We will miss him greatly. Archbishop Malcolm will welcome him with great joy as, I’m sure, will everyone across the extensive Archdiocese of Liverpool.

 

‘Today we offer our profound thanks to Bishop John for all that he has given to us over these last 14 years, and we assure him, wholeheartedly, of our prayers and constant support.’

Reflecting on his years in Westminster, Archbishop-elect Sherrington said: ‘I’ve enjoyed serving God’s holy people in Westminster, especially clergy, parishes in Hertfordshire and north London, in the Diocese of Westminster. 7‘I’ve appreciated the support of our cardinal, himself of course deeply from Liverpool, the auxiliary bishops, the vicar general, the clergy, there religious and the vibrancy of the people. It’s been a great joy since I was appointed there in 2011.’

 

As for the road ahead, he has chosen for his motto as archbishop ‘Sufficit tibi gracias mea’ – or ‘My grace is sufficient for you’ from 2 Corinthians 12:9.

 

He said: ‘I look forward now to serving as shepherd of this historic and faith-filled church in the Archdiocese of Liverpool, which is rich in its heritage of the English Martyrs, the Irish immigration, and now, with all the changes, looks into the future still bearing Christ into that future as he is at the heart of our lives.

 

‘I know Archbishop Malcolm as I served him as my former bishop when I was a priest in Nottingham. He has served Liverpool Archdiocese with love and generosity, and I am honoured to succeed him. I am pleased he is staying close in our Liverpool home and close in prayer is Archbishop Patrick Kelly.

 

‘I look forward to working with Bishop Tom Neylon and Bishop Emeritus Tom Williams. I have a lot to learn about the archdiocese: its geography, its people, its clergy, its religious and its history. I look forward to building on the foundations already laid in the Synodal pastoral plan “Together on the Road” to serve the Church and bring the hope and joy of Jesus Christ to all people.’