John Bosco MacDonald (born 21 July 1963) is an English

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. He was appointed as the tenth

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 SS ...

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

on 14 March 2024.

Biography

John Bosco MacDonald, known as Bosco, was born in

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

on 21 July 1963 and was baptised at the parish church o
St Mary’s
in the city. He was educated at St Brendan's College in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

before completing his studies in formation for the priesthood at the English College, Valladolid, Spain. He was ordained to the clergy of the

Diocese of Clifton The Diocese of Clifton is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church centred at the Cathedral Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Clifton, England. The diocese covers the City and County of Bristol and the ceremonial counties of Gloucester ...

on 6 July 1991. The first appointment of his diocesan ministry was at the Cathedral parish as an assistant priest, before being made parish priest o
St John Fisher
in Wellington from 1995-1998. He then moved t
Holy Family

Patchway Patchway is a town and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England, situated north-north west of central Bristol. The town has become an overflow settlement for Bristol and is contiguous with Bristol's urban area, along with the nearby towns ...

. In November 1997, Bishop MacDonald was appointed the Diocesan Coordinator of Chaplains for Primary, Secondary and Sixth Form sectors, and from 1998–2023 was a member of the Retired Priests Committee. On New Year’s Day 2003, he was appointed Dean o
Bristol North West
and held the role for four years. His next parish appointment was to St Gregory the Great with St Thomas More in

Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...

. During this time, in March 2009, he was Installed as Canon of the Cathedral Chapter. In 2010, Bishop MacDonald was appointed Amicus Clero for the diocese. The term means ‘friend of the clergy’ and the incumbent offers a listening ear for any priest with pastoral or personal concerns. He was appointed Dean of

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 the ...

in September 2015, a position he held until

appointed him the Tenth Bishop of Clifton on 14 March 2024. He has held the following positions: Parochial Vicar at the Cathedral Church of Saints Peter and Paul in

(1991–1995); parish priest o
St John Fisher
in Wellington (1995–1998); diocesan coordinator of school chaplains (1997); parish priest o
Holy Family
in

(1998–2008); Vicar Forane (Dean) of the Bristol North area (2003–2007); parish priest of St Gregory the Great with St Thomas More in

(2009–2015); Dean and Parish Priest of the Cathedral Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Bristol since 2015 and Canon of the same Cathedral since 2009.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:MacDonald, Bosco 1963 births Living people 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in England Roman Catholic bishops of Clifton English Roman Catholic bishops