John Wilson (bishop)

For the Anglican bishop of the Southern Region in the Diocese of Melbourne, see Anglican Diocese of Melbourne § Assistant bishops.

The Most Reverend John Wilson
Archbishop of Southwark
Church	Roman Catholic Church
Archdiocese	Southwark
Province	Southwark
Appointed	10 June 2019
Installed	25 July 2019
Predecessor	Peter Smith
Previous post(s)	Auxiliary bishop in Archdiocese of Westminster (2016–2019) Titular Bishop of Lindisfarne (2016-2019)
Orders
Ordination	29 July 1995 by David Konstant
Consecration	25 January 2016 by Vincent Nichols
Personal details
Born	John Wilson (1968-07-04) 4 July 1968 Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Denomination	Catholic Church
Alma mater	University of Leeds Pontifical Gregorian University Durham University

Ordination history of John Wilson
History Diaconal ordination Ordained by Cyril Restieaux Date 13 July 1994 Priestly ordination Ordained by David Konstant Date 29 July 1995 Episcopal consecration Principal consecrator Vincent Nichols Co-consecrators John Sherrington, Nicholas Hudson Date 25 January 2016 Place Westminster Cathedral

Styles of John Wilson
Reference style	The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Grace
Religious style	Archbishop

John Wilson (born 4 July 1968) is an English prelate of the Catholic Church, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Southwark. He had previously served as an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Westminster (2016–2019).

Early life

Wilson was born on 4 July 1968 in Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. Baptised into the Church of England, he converted to Roman Catholicism at the age of 16 in 1985. He studied at University of Leeds, where he studied for a bachelor's degree in theology and religious studies. He then undertook studies for the priesthood at the Venerable English College, Rome. During his seminary training he completed a Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University and a Licence in Moral Theology at the Alphonsian Academy.

Ordained ministry

Wilson was ordained to the priesthood on 29 July 1995 for the Diocese of Leeds. After doing pastoral work from 1995 to 1999, Wilson began teaching moral theology at St Cuthbert's Seminary, Ushaw College, Durham, in 1999, then latterly served as Vice-Rector; he also completed a PhD at Durham University. In 2005, he was appointed Episcopal Vicar for Evangelisation in the Diocese of Leeds, a role he held until 2012. From 2008 to 2014 he was also sessional chaplain at HMP Leeds. In 2011 he was named a Chaplain to His Holiness by Pope Benedict XVI. During the vacancy of the See, he was elected Administrator of the Diocese of Leeds by the College of Consultors from September 2012 to November 2014. From 2015 to 2016 he served as Parish Priest of St Martin de Porres, Wakefield.

Episcopate

On 24 November 2015 Wilson was appointed an Auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Westminster and Titular Bishop of Lindisfarne by Pope Francis.

He was ordained to the episcopate by Cardinal Vincent Nichols on the Feast of the Conversion of St Paul, 25 January 2016. He had pastoral care of the deaneries in the western area of the diocese. He was also Chair of the Education Commission and had oversight of ecumenical work and inter-religious dialogue at diocesan level. He was also responsible for Liturgy, Art and Architecture, as well as the Historic Churches Commission.

On 10 June 2019 Wilson was appointed Archbishop of Southwark by Pope Francis upon the retirement of Archbishop Peter Smith. His installation took place in St George's Cathedral, Southwark, on 25 July 2019.

On 8 May 2021, he was appointed KC*HS (Knight Commander of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, with Star) and installed as the Grand Prior of the Lieutenancy of England and Wales of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.

External links

• Catholic Church in England & Wales
• Catholic-Hierarchy