David Every Konstant (16 June 1930 – 9 October 2016) was 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 ...

and the

Bishop Emeritus In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of holy orders and is responsible for teaching doctrine, governing Catholics in his jurisdiction, sanctifying the world and representing the c ...

of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Leeds The Diocese of Leeds () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church centred on Leeds Cathedral in the city of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It was founded on 20 December 1878, with the splitting of the Diocese of Beverley, which had ...

, England. Konstant had served as the eighth

Roman Catholic Bishop of Leeds The Bishop of Leeds is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Leeds in the Province of Liverpool, England. The Vicariate Apostolic of the Yorkshire District was elevated to diocese status as the Diocese of Beverley on 29 September 1850 ...

, being succeeded by

Arthur Roche Arthur Roche (born 6 March 1950) is a British cardinal of the Catholic Church who has served as prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments since 2021. He previously served as secretary of the congregation fr ...

and, before that, as an

auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

of the

Archdiocese of Westminster The Archdiocese of Westminster (Latin: ''Dioecesis Vestmonasteriensis'') is a Latin archdiocese of the Catholic Church in England. The diocese consists of most of London north of the River Thames and west of the River Lea, the borough of Speltho ...

, England's principal Catholic diocese and as

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of Betagbarar.

Early life and ministry

David Konstant was born in London to parents Antoine Konstant and Dulcie Marion Beresford Konstant (née Leggatt). He studied at

Christ's College, Cambridge Christ's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college includes the Master, the Fellows of the College, and about 450 undergraduate and 250 graduate students. The c ...

and graduated BA from the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, being later made a MA of

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

. In these years he also gained a PGCE from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

Institute of Education The UCL Institute of Education (IOE) is the faculty of education and society of University College London (UCL). It specialises in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and is one of UCL's 11 constituent faculties. Prior t ...

. Konstant went on to study for the priesthood at

St Edmund's College, Ware St Edmund's College is a coeducational private 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 operatinga claim ...

, leading to his ordination as a priest on 12 June 1954 by Cardinal

Bernard Griffin Bernard William Griffin (21 February 1899 – 19 August 1956) was an English cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Westminster from 1943 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1946 by Pope Pius X ...

. Konstant was destined by his superiors to work as a teacher in Catholic schools. In 1954, he was appointed to Cambridge Technical College & School of Arts, later to become part of

Anglia Ruskin University Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) is a public research university in the region of East Anglia, United Kingdom. Its origins date back to the Cambridge School of Art (CSA), founded by William John Beamont, a Fellow of Trinity College at the Unive ...

. A year later, in 1955, Konstant was appointed to

, and, in 1958, the

and its

, the college and university that he himself had frequented. In the 1960s he was appointed assistant headmaster at the Cardinal Vaughan Grammar School for Boys,

West Kensington West Kensington, formerly North End, is an area in the ancient parish of Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, England, 3.4 miles (5.5 km) west of Charing Cross. It covers most of the London postal area of W14, includ ...

, before becoming in 1966 a diocesan adviser on religious education. His final school posting was as acting head teacher at

St Michael's Secondary School St Michael's Secondary School was a mixed free school located in Camborne, Cornwall, England. It opened in 2012, had a Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, ...

Stevenage Stevenage ( ) is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevenage w ...

in 1967. His final appointment before

consecration Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

as a bishop was in 1970 as Director of the Westminster Religious Education Centre.

Episcopal career

On 28 March 1977 Konstant was appointed as an

of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster The Archdiocese of Westminster (Latin: ''Dioecesis Vestmonasteriensis'') is a Latin archdiocese of the Catholic Church in England. The diocese consists of most of London north of the River Thames and west of the River Lea, the borough of Speltho ...

and

of Betagbarar under the papacy of

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

. On 25 April 1977, he was consecrated bishop, the principal consecrator being Cardinal

Basil Hume George Basil Hume (born George Haliburton Hume; 2 March 1923 – 17 June 1999) was an English Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Westminster from 1976 until his death in 1999. A member of the Benedictines, he was made a cardinal i ...

, along with auxiliary bishops

Gerald Mahon Gerald is a masculine given name derived from the Germanic languages prefix ''ger-'' ("spear") and suffix ''-wald'' ("rule"). Gerald is a Norman French variant of the Germanic name. An Old English equivalent name was Garweald, the likely original ...

and

Victor Guazzelli Victor Guazzelli (19 March 1920 – 1 June 2004) was a Roman Catholic bishop. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster (1970–1996) and held the titular see of Lindisfarne Lindisfarne, also know ...

as co-consecrators.

Roman Catholic Bishop of Leeds

On 12 July 1985, Konstant was named as Bishop of the

and was installed as the eighth Bishop of Leeds on 25 September 1985 under the papacy of

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 ...

. Hi episcopal motto was ''Gaudium et spes''. In May 2001, Konstant suffered a stroke while leading a

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 ...

Lourdes Lourdes (, also , ; ) 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 its Château fort, a ...

in south-western France. Although he was able to recover and return to work, he asked that a

coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) ("co-assister" in Latin) is a bishop in the Latin Catholic, Anglican and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in administering the diocese. The coa ...

be appointed to help him in his ministry to the Diocese of Leeds. On 16 July 2002,

was appointed

, with right to succession. Konstant resigned as Bishop of Leeds, aged 73, on 7 April 2004, after 18½ years in the post, becoming

of Leeds.

succeeded him as the 9th Bishop of Leeds. During his tenure as an auxiliary bishop Westminster and then as Bishop of Leeds, Konstant held several other posts, mostly relating to education. These include: Chairman of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales Department for Catholic Education and Formation, Episcopal Advisor to the Catholic Teachers' Federation, Chairman of the

Oxford and Cambridge Catholic Education Board The Oxford and Cambridge Catholic Education Board (OCCEB) is the charitable body responsible for appointing the Catholic chaplains to the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. OCCEB was established by the Vatican in 1895 as the Universities Cathol ...

, Member of the International Editorial Committee for the

Catechism of the Catholic Church The ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' (; commonly called the ''Catechism'' or the ''CCC'') is a reference work that summarizes the Catholic Church's doctrine. It was Promulgation (Catholic canon law), promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 1992 ...

, Chairman of the

Catholic Education Service The Catholic Education Service (CES) is an agency of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW), whose object is the advancement of the Christian religion, primarily through education. History The CES has its roots in the ...

, Episcopal Adviser to the Catholic Institute for International Affairs, Member of the Standing Committee of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales and Chairman of the Department for International Affairs and Committee for International Justice and Peace, Bishops' Conference of England and Wales.

Post episcopal career

In 2004 Konstant was awarded the honorary degree of

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

Leeds Metropolitan University Leeds Beckett University (LBU), formerly known as Leeds Metropolitan University (LMU) and before that as Leeds Polytechnic, is a public university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has campuses in the city centre and Headingley. The univer ...

. In 2006, the

University of Bradford The University of Bradford is a public research university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. A plate glass university, it received its royal charter in 1966, making it the 40th university to be created in Britain, but ...

also awarded him an honorary doctorate of the University. He was given these awards in recognition of his contributions as Bishop of Leeds, as well as his work in education and interfaith relations in

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

. Konstant died on 9 October 2016. A solemn requiem mass was held on 18 October 2016 at

Leeds Cathedral Leeds Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Anne, also known as Saint Anne's Cathedral, is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Leeds, and is the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Leeds. It is in the city of Leeds, West Yo ...

, where he is buried.

Bishop Konstant Catholic Academy Trust

In November 2012, several Catholic primary and secondary schools in the

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 109,766 in the 2021 census, up from 99,251 in the 2011 census. The city is the administrative centre of the wider Metropolit ...

area, joined together to gain

Academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

status from the government, as a Catholic Multi Academy Trust. The Trust, the first in the Diocese of Leeds, took the name Bishop Konstant Catholic Multi Academy Trust. Twelve primary schools and three secondary schools are operated by the trust.Bishop Konstant Catholic Academy Trust
Retrieved 18 October 2016

Bibliography

Konstant was an author, releasing several books on the topics such as

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

, the

Rosary The Rosary (; , in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), formally known as the Psalter of Jesus and Mary (Latin: Psalterium Jesu et Mariae), also known as the Dominican Rosary (as distinct from other forms of rosary such as the ...

and

religious education In secular usage, religious education is the teaching of a particular religion (although in the United Kingdom the term ''religious instruction'' would refer to the teaching of a particular religion, with ''religious education'' referring to t ...

to name a few. Below is a list of books that he wholly wrote, edited or contributed to: * A Syllabus of Religious Instruction for Catholic Primary Schools – ''1967'' * A Syllabus of Religious Instruction for Catholic Secondary Schools – ''1968'' * Beginnings – ''1970 (with John Cumming)'' * A Liturgy Of Life – ''1975'' * A Liturgy Of Sorrow – ''1975'' * Forgiveness – ''1976 (with Dolores Dodgson)'' * A Penitent's Prayer Book – ''1976'' * Bidding Prayers For The Church's Year – ''1976'' * Religious Education for Catholic Secondary Schools: The First Three Years – ''1976'' * Jesus Christ: The Way, The Truth, The Life ''1981'' * Jesus Christ: The Way, The Truth, The Life: Praying the Rosary – ''1985'' * Jesus Christ: The Way, The Truth, The Life: Praying The Gospel – ''1996'' * The Faith of the Catholic Church: A Summary – ''2000'' * Jesus Christ: The Way, The Truth, The Life – ''2001 (revised and expanded edition)'' * The Mysteries of the Rosary – ''2006'' * Bread Broken: journey through the Cross – ''2008 (DVD published 2009)'' * Post Scripts: Some Pieces from Yorkshire – ''2009''

References

External links

Catholic HierarchyDiocese of Leeds
{{DEFAULTSORT:Konstant, David 1930 births 2016 deaths Roman Catholic clergy from London Alumni of Christ's College, Cambridge 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in England 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in England 20th-century Roman Catholic titular bishops Roman Catholic bishops of Leeds