Gordon Wheeler
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William Gordon Wheeler (5 May 1910 - 21 February 1998) 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 of Leeds. Before that, he served as
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 ...
of the
Diocese of Middlesbrough The Diocese of Middlesbrough () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church based in Middlesbrough, England and is part of the province of Liverpool. It was founded on 20 December 1878, with the splitting of the Diocese of Beverley which had cover ...
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 Theudalis.


Early life

Wheeler was born on 5 May 1910 in
Saddleworth Saddleworth is a civil parishes in England, civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It comprises several villages and Hamlet (place), hamlets as well as suburbs of Oldham on the Saddleworth Moor, west ...
in the
West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the riding was an administrative county named County of York, West Riding. The Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire, lieu ...
, England, to Frederick (1880–1971) and Marjorie Wheeler (1881–1938). From 1924 to 1929, he was educated at
Manchester Grammar School The Manchester Grammar School (MGS) is a highly Selective school, selective Private_schools_in_the_United_Kingdom, private day school for boys aged 7-18 in Manchester, England, which was founded in 1515 by Hugh Oldham (then Bishop of Exeter). ...
, then an all-boys free grammar school in
Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
. He studied history at
University College, Oxford University College, formally The Master and Fellows of the College of the Great Hall of the University commonly called University College in the University of Oxford and colloquially referred to as "Univ", is a Colleges of the University of Oxf ...
, graduating with a
Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
(BA) degree in 1932. He was strongly influenced by the
Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholicism, Catholic heritage (especially pre-English Reformation, Reformation roots) and identity of the Church of England and various churches within Anglicanism. Anglo-Ca ...
tradition of the church in
Worsley Worsley () is a village in the City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England, which in 2014 had a population of 10,090. It lies along Worsley Brook, west of Manchester. Within the boundaries of the Historic counties of England, historic county ...
which he attended during his time at the grammar school.


Career


Church of England

From 1932 to 1933, Wheeler trained for
holy orders In certain Christian denominations, holy orders are the ordination, ordained ministries of bishop, priest (presbyter), and deacon, and the sacrament or rite by which candidates are ordained to those orders. Churches recognizing these orders inclu ...
in the Church of England at
St Stephen's House, Oxford St Stephen's House is an external theological college with observer status at the University of Oxford, affiliated with the Church of England. From 2003 to 2023 it was a permanent private hall of the University of Oxford. The college typicall ...
. He was ordained as a deacon in December 1933 by George Bell, Bishop of Chichester, and as an
Anglican priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
in December 1934 by Edmund Pearce, Bishop of Bristol. He began his ministry as a curate at
St Bartholomew's Church, Brighton St Bartholomew's Church, dedicated to the apostle Saint Bartholomew, Bartholomew, is an Anglican church in Brighton, England. The Gothic Revival architecture, neo-gothic building is located on Ann Street, on a sloping site between Brighton rail ...
in 1933, and then at St Mary and All Saints, Chesterfield in 1934. He was an assistant chaplain at
Lancing College Lancing College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Private schools in the United Kingdom, private boarding school, boarding and day school) for pupils aged 13–18 in southern England, UK. The school is located in West S ...
, then an all-boys public boarding school in 1935. During this period, Wheeler became more and more convinced by the writings of Cardinal
John Henry Newman John Henry Newman (21 February 1801 – 11 August 1890) was an English Catholic theologian, academic, philosopher, historian, writer, and poet. He was previously an Anglican priest and after his conversion became a cardinal. He was an ...
, once also a priest of the
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
and a leader of the
Oxford Movement The Oxford Movement was a theological movement of high-church members of the Church of England which began in the 1830s and eventually developed into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose original devotees were mostly associated with the Un ...
before being received into the Roman Catholic Church. On 18 September 1936, he finally followed the same path as Newman and was received into the Catholic Church during a service at
Downside Abbey Downside Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in England and the senior community of the English Benedictine Congregation. Until 2019, the community had close links with Downside School, for the education of children aged 11 to 18. Both the abbey ...
. He then enrolled at
Beda College The Pontifical Beda College () is a Catholic seminary in Rome. It was founded as the ''Collegio Ecclesiastico'' at the Palazzo dei Convertendi in 1852 by Pope Pius IX and is intended for older men, often convert clergymen, wishing to prepare fo ...
in Rome to study for the
Catholic priesthood The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in common English usage ''priest'' refe ...
.


Catholic Church

On 31 March 1940, Wheeler was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest by Cardinal Hinsley, Archbishop of Westminster, during a service at Westminster Cathedral. He was firstly an assistant priest at St Edmund's Parish in
Lower Edmonton Edmonton is a town in north London, England within the London Borough of Enfield, a Districts of England, local government district of Greater London. The northern part of the town is known as Lower Edmonton or Edmonton Green, and the southern ...
from 1940 to 1944, then
chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...
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 ...
. He often made a point of noting to his clergy that he understood their difficulties from his having heard confessions every day of the 11 years he served at the cathedral. He became chaplain to Catholics at 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 ...
in 1950. He was appointed a privy chamberlain by Pope Pius XII in 1952, an honorary appointment. He returned to Westminster Cathedral in 1954, having been appointed administrator by Cardinal Bernard Griffin. He was promoted to
domestic prelate Domestic may refer to: In the home * Anything relating to the human home or family ** A domestic animal, one that has undergone domestication ** A domestic appliance, or home appliance ** A domestic partnership ** Domestic science, sometimes cal ...
by
Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...
in 1955. Wheeler was named by the
Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...
to the
episcopate A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...
as the
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 ...
of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough The Diocese of Middlesbrough () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church based in Middlesbrough, England and is part of the province of Liverpool. It was founded on 20 December 1878, with the splitting of the Diocese of Beverley which had cove ...
in 1964, immediately after which he participated in the last two sessions of the
Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...
. Wheeler was named
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 ...
in 1966 and was an enthusiastic supporter of the spirit of the council. One example is that, immediately after his return from Rome, he founded a new ecumenical centre at Wood Hall in
Wetherby Wetherby ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is close to West Yorkshire county's border with North Yorkshire and lies approximately from Leeds city centre, from ...
, Yorkshire. Later, despite his feelings about the historic structure of the diocese, he followed part of its instruction by supervising the division of his diocese in 1980, in keeping with the conciliar mandate that dioceses be of such a size as to be truly manageable under the supervision of one bishop. Wheeler remained a staunch conservative in matters of
liturgical Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and participation in the sacred through activities reflecting praise, thanksgiving, remembra ...
practice. He was the last bishop in England to use the ''
cappa magna A cope ( ("rain coat") or ("cape")) is a liturgical long mantle or cloak, open at the front and fastened at the breast with a band or clasp. It may be of any liturgical colour. A cope may be worn by any rank of the Catholic or Anglican clergy ...
'' and had a strong attachment to the
Tridentine Mass The Tridentine Mass, also known as the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite or ''usus antiquior'' (), Vetus Ordo or the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) or the Traditional Rite, is the liturgy in the Roman Missal of the Catholic Church codified in ...
. He submitted his resignation as bishop of the diocese at the mandatory age of 75 in 1985. He then entered an active retirement at the College of the Blessed Virgin Mary in
Headingley Headingley is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road. Headingley is the location of the Beckett Park campus of Leeds Beckett University and Headingley ...
under the care of the Little Sisters of the Poor.


Death and legacy

Wheeler died on 21 February 1998, aged 87, after a brief illness. At his request, he was buried near his predecessor and the bishop who had ordained him in the Catholic Church, Bishop
Henry John Poskitt Henry John Poskitt (6 September 1888 – 19 February 1950) was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the fourth Bishop of Leeds. Life and ministry Poskitt was born in the village of Birkin in the West Riding of Yorkshir ...
, also a convert from the Church of England, in the Church of St Edward the Confessor in
Clifford, West Yorkshire Clifford is a village and civil parish in West Yorkshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 Census was 1,662. The village is south of Wetherby. Many of the older buildings are built of magnesian limestone. Etymology The ...
. A noted author, Wheeler's memoir, ''In Truth and Love'', was published in 1990. In March 2013, Catholic primary and secondary schools in north west Leeds and Bradford joined together to gain academy status from the government, as a Catholic multi-academy trust. The trust, the second in the Diocese of Leeds, took the name " The Bishop Wheeler Catholic Academy Trust". At present, 6 schools form the parts of the trust, however 10 other Catholic schools could join in the future.


References


External links

* *
Profile on the Diocese of Leeds website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wheeler, William Gordon 1910 births 1998 deaths People from Saddleworth People educated at Manchester Grammar School Alumni of University College, Oxford 20th-century English Anglican priests Anglican priest converts to Roman Catholicism English College, Rome alumni 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in England Participants in the Second Vatican Council English Roman Catholic writers Burials in West Yorkshire Alumni of St Stephen's House, Oxford English Anglo-Catholics Anglo-Catholic clergy Roman Catholic bishops of Leeds