The Right Reverend The Right Reverend (abbreviated as The Rt Revd or The Rt Rev) is an honorific style (form of address), style given to certain (primarily Western Christian, Western) Christian ministers and members of clergy. It is a variant of the more common st ...

'' Owen Francis Swindlehurst (10 May 1928 – 28 August 1995) was Auxiliary Bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle The Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church, centred on St Mary's Cathedral, in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, in England. The diocese is one of the six suffragan sees in the ecclesiastical provi ...

and Titular Bishop of

Cuncacestre Cuncacestre ( Chester-le-Street) was a seat of the Anglo Saxon Bishop of Lindisfarne, and subsists as a Roman Catholic titular see. Start of the Diocese The church was established to house the body of Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, Bishop of Lind ...

under Bishops Hugh Lindsay and

Ambrose Griffiths Dom Ambrose Griffiths (4 December 1928 – 14 June 2011) was a Benedictine abbot before becoming a Roman Catholic bishop in the Catholic Church in England and Wales. Biography Born Michael Griffiths in Twickenham, Middlesex, and educated at A ...

from 1977 until his death. Born at

Newburn Newburn is a village and district of Newcastle upon Tyne, in Tyne and Wear, England. Situated on the North bank of the River Tyne, it is built rising up the valley from the river. It is situated approximately from the city centre, east of H ...

, he studied in Rome and was ordained to the priesthood on 11 July 1954, aged 26. On 10 June 1977, aged 49, he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle by

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 ...

, and nominated to the titular see of

(St Cuthbert's or

Chester-le-Street Chester-le-Street () is a market town in County Durham, England. It is located around north of Durham and is close to Newcastle. The town holds markets on Saturdays. In 2021, the town had a population of 23,555. The town's history is ancient; ...

). He was consecrated on 25 July 1977 at St Mary's Cathedral, Newcastle upon Tyne. Together with retiring Bishop Hugh Lindsay he acted as one of the principal co-consecrating bishops at the Episcopal Ordination of Abbot

, who became the twelfth

Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle The Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle in the Province of Liverpool, known also on occasion as the Northern Province. History With the gradual abolition of the legal restric ...

. Bishop Swindlehurst died on 28 August 1995, aged 67, and was buried at Our Blessed Lady Immaculate, Washington,

Tyne and Wear Tyne and Wear () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England. It borders Northumberland to the north and County Durham to the south, and the largest settlement is the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. The county is ...

. He had been a priest for 41 years and a bishop for 18 years.

External links

Catholic Hierarchy biodata
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swindlehurst, Owen 1928 births 1995 deaths 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in England 20th-century Roman Catholic titular bishops English College, Rome alumni