The Catholic Police Guild (CPG) of England & Wales was founded in 1914 as the Metropolitan and City Catholic Police Guild. This was an association for Catholic Police men and women, and approved by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster, in response to representations made by Catholics serving in the Metropolitan and City of London Police Forces. The Patron Saint of the Catholic Police Guild is Saint Michael, the Archangel. The CPG has a Constitution and Rules approved by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, and a National Executive Committee elected by members each year. The NEC invites a member to act as chairman and may also select a President, who serves a three-year term. In 1974 the Guild became a national association with membership open to Police Officers serving in the Police Forces in the rest of England and Wales. More recently membership has been opened up to Police Staff & Police Community Support Officers. The CPG also has a Friends category of membership for other civilian supporters. The Guild has had a significant resurgence over the last couple of years. It is particularly experiencing growth in the North-West of England.The Catholic Police Guild of England & Wales website - Welcome
/ref> The Guild undertakes bi-annual

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

s to various important holy places, including

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, the

Holy Land The term "Holy Land" is used to collectively denote areas of the Southern Levant that hold great significance in the Abrahamic religions, primarily because of their association with people and events featured in the Bible. It is traditionall ...

, Fátima, Portugal,

Santiago de Compostella Santiago de Compostela, simply Santiago, or Compostela, in the province of A Coruña, is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedra ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. In 1985 the Guild went on pilgrimage to Rome to celebrate its seventieth year of foundation, and were addressed by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

on Friday, 12 April 1985. CPG members often help with stewarding duties at

Westminster Cathedral Westminster Cathedral, officially the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood, is the largest Catholic Church in England and Wales, Roman Catholic church in England and Wales. The shrine is dedicated to the Blood of Jesus Ch ...

, and every October, Guild members carry the statue of Our Lady in procession from

to Brompton Oratory on behalf of the Rosary Crusade of Reparation. Both in 1982 with the visit of Pope John Paul II and in 2010 with the visit of Pope Benedict XVI, the Catholic Police Guild assisted with stewarding. In 1982, Michael Jeffers, a Chief Superintendent in the Metropolitan Police as well as the Chairman of the Guild, was made a Knight of St Gregory by Cardinal Basil Hume in recognition of his efforts leading the stewarding.

List of Chairpersons

Catholic Police Guild of Scotland

A Catholic Police Guild used to exist in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. In recent years the Guild in this country ceased to operate. However, negotiations are currently underway to revive the Catholic Police Guild in Scotland.

References

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External links

The Catholic Police Guild of England & Wales website
Law enforcement in England and Wales Catholic lay organisations 1914 establishments in the United Kingdom Organizations established in 1914 Catholic Church in the United Kingdom