It is 175 years since the founding of the Diocese of Liverpool in 1850, following the Restoration of the Catholic Hierarchy of England and Wales.

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“Today, we see a very different archdiocese. It is important we thank God for the blessings which have led to Catholics playing their full part in society.”

 

By Archbishop John Sherrington

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On Thursday 23 October 2025, a historic moment occurred. King Charles III and Queen Camilla met the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, in Rome. The King and the Pope then prayed together in the Sistine Chapel for the care of God’s creation, the first time a reigning monarch has prayed with the Pope in 500 years.

 

Later in the day, the King visited the Basilica of St Paul’s Outside the Walls, which is historically associated with the Anglo-Saxon and medieval kings who sent gifts and alms to support the adjacent abbey. King Henry VIII was an honorary canon of the basilica. The heraldic shield of the abbey is surrounded by the insignia of the Order of the Garter, indicating another deep historical link between the monarchy and the papacy. In the basilica, King Charles was given the title “Royal Confrater of Saint Paul” as a sign of spiritual friendship and a special chair bearing his coat of arms, which will remain there for him and his successors.

 

This meeting is another important moment in the healing of the break between the monarchy and the Catholic Church by Henry VIII. It is an important ecumenical symbol.

 

Three and a half weeks earlier, on 29 September, Archbishop John Sherrington celebrated a Mass to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the Restoration of the Catholic Hierarchy of England and Wales. The return of named Catholic bishops with geographical dioceses in England was a further step to the full recognition of the Catholics in this country. The earlier Catholic Relief Acts of the late 18th century and the Catholic Emancipation Act of 1829 removed the restrictions on Catholics following the Reformation and allowed them full rights to property, their religion and schools, as well as to sit in Parliament and to vote.

 

The 1850 restoration marked the return of bishops, the erection of dioceses and the normal governance of the Church in communion with Rome. Prior to then, the Church in this country had been governed since the Reformation by apostolic vicars who were bishops. Today’s Liverpool Archdiocese was part of the Northern District, and then the Lancashire District in 1840.

 

The new diocese in 1850 included the present diocese of Lancaster (separated in 1924) and stretched into the Lake District. The then Vicar Apostolic of the Lancashire District, George Brown, became the first Bishop of Liverpool. In 1851, there were 84 churches with 122 priests. These included Benedictines, Jesuits and priests from the seminary of Douai in Flanders, who after the French Revolution had relocated to Ushaw College in Durham. A French priest of particular significance was Father Jean-Baptiste Gerardot, who in 1804 established St Anthony’s parish on Scotland Road, not long after the Benedictines had built one of their early churches, St Peter’s on Seel Street.

 

The formative diocese included the recusant families of Lancashire, with their history of the martyrs, the new mill towns, and the mining towns around Wigan. To the south, the rapidly growing city of Liverpool continued to expand with the docks and shipping. The north end of the city in particular became a refuge for many Irish immigrants fleeing from the famine who either stayed or headed to the United States and Canada. Between 1850 and 1853, almost 300,000 people arrived at the River Mersey from Ireland, and and by 1861 the city had nearly 90,000 Irish-born residents.

 

Liverpool then was densely populated; poverty was rife, and diseases such as dysentery, cholera and typhoid killed many people. Food was scarce. The Church served the needs as it could. In the 1847 typhus plague, ten priests died ministering to their people. About 5,100 people died in all. Another plague in 1849 also killed many people.

 

Reaction to the new bishops was mixed, including among some Catholics. The restoration stirred up much prejudice and hostility to the Church. Liverpool Town Council passed a resolution against ‘the recent assumption of authority and power in this kingdom by a foreign potentate’. There was protest against ‘Papal aggression’. The Orange Order attacked the well-known Passionist priest Fr Ignatius (George) Spencer – who was declared Venerable by Pope Francis in 2021 – and there were attacks on St Patrick’s Church.

 

The healing of relationships between Catholics and others would take many decades. The relationship-building of Archbishop Derek Worlock and Bishop David Sheppard across 20 years from 1976 forged links that continue today, when their statues stand together on Hope Street.

 

In that post-restoration period, the Church continued to grow as she does when she is persecuted. Bishop Brown continued to found schools. St Edward’s College had been opened in the 1840s and Catholic education expanded. He also founded the Blind Asylum, the Industrial Lace School, Birkdale Farm School, and St Elizabeth’s Institute for training poor girls for service. In 1856, the Sisters of Notre Dame opened a training college for women teachers at Mount Pleasant.

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Education was a priority for the bishop and his successors, as it was a means of ensuring a future for children. This was a significant aspect of their work alongside Fr James Nugent to serve the poor; work which continues today with the Nugent Society.

 

Through those efforts to provide education, by 1905 the Diocesan education committee had responsibility for 177 elementary schools (64 of them run by religious congregations), five boys’ secondary schools or colleges and seven girls’ secondary schools or colleges, along with seven pupil teachers’ centres. Meanwhile, the wish to provide priests for the growing diocese led in 1883 to the opening of Upholland Seminary.

 

Today, we see a very different archdiocese. It is important we thank God for the blessings which have led to Catholics playing their full part in society. Indeed, the Church, led by bishops as the shepherd of their flock, is to be like a leaven in society as it proclaims Jesus Christ as the Saviour who shows us the meaning of life, truth, justice and the commandment of love.

 

As the Church serves all today, we remember and thank God for those who have gone before us. Let us continue to pray for growth in unity between Christians.

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1850-2025: Milestones along the way

1850 – Liverpool diocese is established, including Westmoreland, Lancaster, the Fylde and Furness coasts and Isle of Man. Its first bishop is George Brown.

1911 – Liverpool becomes an Archdiocese, with Thomas Whiteside its first Archbishop.

1923 – The first Liverpool Archdiocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes takes place, featuring the miraculous healing of  
Jack Traynor.

 

1924 – The archdiocese is reduced in size by the founding of the Lancaster 
Diocese.

 

1967 – The Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King is consecrated. Designed by Sir Frederick Gibberd, it opens more than 100 years after Bishop Alexander Goss had instructed Pugin to design a cathedral.

 

1979 – Archbishop Derek Worlock establishes LAMP, the Liverpool Archdiocesan Missionary Project, formalising a partnership between the archdiocese and the Missionary Society of St James the Apostle. Over the  years, nearly 20 priests have served in South America.

1980 – Liverpool hosts the National Pastoral Congress, which yields the document ‘The Easter People’, paving the way for Pope John Paul II’s visit.

1982 – Pope John Paul II celebrates an open-air Mass for 150,000 people at Speke Airport. To mark the drive for unity undertaken by Archbishop Worlock and Bishop David Sheppard, the Pope is then welcomed at the Anglican Cathedral for a short service followed by a procession 
along Hope Street to the Metropolitan Cathedral for Mass.  

 

2023 – The Church of St Mary of the  Isle in Douglas, Isle of Man, is granted  co-cathedral status.

 

2024 – Jack Traynor’s healing is declared the 71st official miracle of Lourdes. ​