Declan Ronan Lang (born 15 April 1950) is an English

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. He is the ninth

bishop of Clifton The Bishop of Clifton is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Clifton in the Province of Birmingham, England. The see is in the suburb of Clifton in the city of Bristol where the bishop's seat is located at the Cathedral Church of S ...

Biography

Declan Lang was born in

Cowes Cowes () is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. The two towns are linked by the Cowes Fl ...

, on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Is ...

, to Irish parents. He attended Ryde School, Allen Hall, and

St. Edmund's College, Ware St Edmund's College is a coeducational independent day and boarding school in the British public school tradition, set in in Ware, Hertfordshire. Founded in 1568 as a seminary, then a boys' school, it is the oldest continuously operating and ...

. He also earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from

Royal Holloway, University of London Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public research university and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It has six schools, 21 academic depa ...

. Lang was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

to the priesthood by Bishop Derek Worlock on 7 June 1975. He has been particularly noted for the influence he had as a youth chaplain and subsequently on those now playing leading roles in the Catholic community such as the evangelist and charismatic Catholic Sr Maria Natella OP and the ministerial adviser and author Francis Davis; and also for his work as an adult educationalist and as an ecumenist. He then served as an assistant priest at the Cathedral and chaplain to St Edmund's comprehensive school in Portsmouth. Four years after ordination he was appointed secretary to Bishop Emery and chancellor. During this time he also worked on the Diocesan Youth Commission, which he later chaired. For a number of years he went as chaplain with the Portsmouth Group to Lourdes at Easter. In 1983 he was appointed to the Religious Education Council as Adult Religious Education Advisor, a position he held until 1990. While doing this work he was also Parish Priest of Our Lady, Queen of Apostles, Bishop's Waltham, for four years, and then Parish Priest at Sacred Heart, Bournemouth. As a result of his work in adult religious education he produced together with John O'Shea, Vicky Cosstick and Damian Lundy the book ''Parish Project''. This was to help parishes look at what they were currently doing, evaluate it and plan together its future direction. This scheme has been taken up by a number of parishes throughout the country. In September 1990 he was appointed Moderator of the

Curia Curia (Latin plural curiae) in ancient Rome referred to one of the original groupings of the citizenry, eventually numbering 30, and later every Roman citizen was presumed to belong to one. While they originally likely had wider powers, they came ...

and Administrator of the Cathedral. During this time he was also involved in organising a summer conference for the Diocese of Portsmouth and helping with conferences in

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

and Shrewsbury. In January 1996 he was appointed as one of the Vicars General in the Diocese moving from

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most d ...

to Abingdon. Whilst in there he chaired a Working Party jointly sponsored by the Bishop's Conference and the National Conference of Priests looking at clergy appraisal. The Working Party Report was accepted by the Bishop's Conference and since then he has spoken in a number of dioceses about the reasons for and the benefits arising from clergy appraisal. Lang was consecrated as

Bishop of Clifton The Bishop of Clifton is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Clifton in the Province of Birmingham, England. The see is in the suburb of Clifton in the city of Bristol where the bishop's seat is located at the Cathedral Church of S ...

on 28 March 2001 in

Clifton Cathedral The Cathedral Church of SS. Peter and Paul is the Roman Catholic cathedral of the city of Bristol (not to be confused with the Church of England Bristol Cathedral). Located in the Clifton area of the city, it is the seat and mother church of ...

by his predecessor, Bishop

Mervyn Alexander Meryvn Alban Alexander (29 June 1925 – 14 August 2010) was the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Clifton from 1974 to 2001. He was born on 29 June 1925 in Highbury, London, the eldest son of William and Grace Alexander. In 1926 the fam ...

. Bishop Lang chairs the committee for Theology Faith and Culture. He is the Co-Chair of the Anglican-Roman Catholic Committee (ARC) and also the Co-Chair for the Committee for Roman Catholic and United Reformed Church dialogue in England. Bishop Lang was elected to be the Moderator of the next Churches Together in England Forum to be held in 2009. He is a member of the Mixed Commission of Bishops and Major Religious Superiors and is a trustee of the Pontifical Missionary Societies. Outside the Bishops' Conference he is the President of the Catholic Association which organises a

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

Lourdes Lourdes (, also , ; oc, Lorda ) is a market town situated in the Pyrenees. It is part of the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. Prior to the mid-19th century, the town was best known for the Châ ...

on behalf of the Dioceses of Clifton, East Anglia, Northampton, Portsmouth and Southwark, and of

Stonyhurst College Stonyhurst College is a co-educational Roman Catholic independent school, adhering to the Jesuit tradition, on the Stonyhurst Estate, Lancashire, England. It occupies a Grade I listed building. The school has been fully co-educational sinc ...

. Within the diocese Bishop Lang instigated a review of diocesan structures and as a result created the Diocesan Department for Evangelisation and Adult Education and a new Department for Schools and Colleges. During this time the Diocesan Liturgical Commission has also been reformed. In 2002 Bishop Lang was appointed an Ecumenical Prebendary of Bristol Cathedral. He is the current chairman of Somerset Churches Together and previous chairman of Bristol Churches Together. As part of his work as the chairman of the Department of International Affairs in the

Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales The Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. Overview The Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales is the permanent assembly of Catholic Bishop ...

, Bishop Lang travelled to Lebanon at the request of the

Maronite Catholic Church The Maronite Church is an Eastern Catholic ''sui iuris'' particular church in full communion with the pope and the worldwide Catholic Church, with self-governance under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. The current head of the Maro ...

. Bishop Lang hopes that the visit will 'deepen the relationship' between the Bishops of England and Wales and the Catholic community in Lebanon. Bishop Lang said: "''I felt the best way to show the Bishops' solidarity with the people of Lebanon and, in particular, the Maronite Catholic community was to accept the invitation to travel to the country and learn about the challenges, hopes and expectations of the people firsthand.''"Bishop of Clifton visits Lebanon to support Christians
/ref>

Sources

Catholic Church of England and Wales

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lang, Declan Ronan 1950 births Living people Alumni of Royal Holloway, University of London People from Cowes 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in England People educated at St Edmund's College, Ware People educated at Ryde School with Upper Chine Roman Catholic bishops of Clifton English Roman Catholic bishops