The Archdiocese of Saint Andrews & Edinburgh () is an

archdiocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

of the

Latin Church The Latin Church () is the largest autonomous () particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church is one of 24 Catholic particular churches and liturgical ...

of the

Catholic Church in Scotland The Catholic Church in Scotland, overseen by the Scottish Bishops' Conference, is part of the worldwide Catholic Church headed by the Pope. Christianity first arrived in Roman Britain and was strengthened by the conversion of the Picts thr ...

. It is the

metropolitan see Metropolitan may refer to: Areas and governance (secular and ecclesiastical) * Metropolitan archdiocese, the jurisdiction of a metropolitan archbishop ** Metropolitan bishop or archbishop, leader of an ecclesiastical "mother see" * Metropolitan ...

of the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh, consisting of the additional suffragan sees of

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

, Argyll and the Isles,

Dunkeld Dunkeld (, , from , "fort of the Caledonians") is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The location of a historic cathedral, it lies on the north bank of the River Tay, opposite Birnam. Dunkeld lies close to the geological Highland Boundar ...

, and

Galloway Galloway ( ; ; ) is a region in southwestern Scotland comprising the counties of Scotland, historic counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. It is administered as part of the council areas of Scotland, council area of Dumfries and Gallow ...

. The archdiocese is led by Archbishop

Leo Cushley Leo William Cushley (born 18 June 1961) is a Catholic Church in Scotland, Scottish Catholic prelate who has served as Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh since 2013. He previously served as head of the English language section of the Vatica ...

, and its cathedral is St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh.

History

After the

Scottish Reformation The Scottish Reformation was the process whereby Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland broke away from the Catholic Church, and established the Protestant Church of Scotland. It forms part of the wider European 16th-century Protestant Reformation. Fr ...

, the Roman Catholic Church abandoned the ancient dioceses and hierarchy. In 1653, the whole of Scotland became under the authority the

Prefecture Apostolic An apostolic prefect or prefect apostolic is a priest who heads what is known as an apostolic prefecture, a 'pre-diocesan' missionary jurisdiction where the Catholic Church is not yet sufficiently developed to have it made a diocese. Although it ...

of Scotland, which in 1694 was elevated to the

Vicariate Apostolic An apostolic vicariate is a territorial jurisdiction of the Catholic Church under a titular bishop centered in missionary regions and countries where dioceses or parishes have not yet been established. The status of apostolic vicariate is often ...

of Scotland. On 23 July 1727, Scotland was divided into two Vicariates Apostolic, the Lowland District and Highland District. The Lowland District comprised roughly the

Scottish Lowlands The Lowlands ( or , ; , ) is a cultural and historical region of Scotland. The region is characterised by its relatively flat or gently rolling terrain as opposed to the mountainous landscapes of the Scottish Highlands. This area includes ci ...

. On 13 February 1827, Scotland was divided again into three Vicariate Apostolics, the Eastern District (formerly the Lowland District), the Northern District (formerly the Highland District), and the Western District (created from territory of the other two districts). The Eastern District comprised the sixteen eastern historic

counties A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

Perthshire Perthshire (Scottish English, locally: ; ), officially the County of Perth, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore, Angus and Perth & Kinross, Strathmore ...

Angus Angus may refer to: *Angus, Scotland, a council area of Scotland, and formerly a province, sheriffdom, county and district of Scotland * Angus, Canada, a community in Essa, Ontario Animals * Angus cattle, various breeds of beef cattle Media * ...

Kincardineshire Kincardineshire or the County of Kincardine, also known as the Mearns (from the Scottish Gaelic meaning "the stewartry"), is a Shires of Scotland, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area on the ...

Stirlingshire Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling ( ) is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county of Scotland. Its county town is Stirling.Registers of Scotland. Publications, leaflets, Land Register Counties. It borders Perthshir ...

Clackmannanshire Clackmannanshire (; ; ), or the County of Clackmannan, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county, Council areas of Scotland, council area, registration counties, registration county and Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland ...

Kinross Kinross (, ) is a burgh in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, around south of Perth, Scotland, Perth and around northwest of Edinburgh. It is the traditional county town of the Counties of Scotland, historic county of Kinross-shire. History Kinro ...

Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...

West Lothian West Lothian (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, bordering (in a clockwise direction) the City of Edinburgh council area, Scottish Borders, South Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire and Falkirk (council area), Falkirk. The modern counci ...

, Mid Lothian,

East Lothian East Lothian (; ; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a Counties of Scotland, historic county, registration county and Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921. In ...

Peebleshire Peeblesshire (), the County of Peebles or Tweeddale is a historic county of Scotland. Its county town is Peebles, and it borders Midlothian to the north, Selkirkshire to the east, Dumfriesshire to the south, and Lanarkshire to the west. Histo ...

Selkirkshire Selkirkshire or the County of Selkirk is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration county of Scotland. It borders Peeblesshire to the west, Midlothian to the north, Roxburghshire to the east, and Dumfriesshire to the south. It de ...

Kirkcudbrightshire Kirkcudbrightshire ( ) or the County of Kirkcudbright or the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright is one of the Counties of Scotland, historic counties of Scotland, covering an area in the south-west of the country. Until 1975, Kirkcudbrightshire was an ...

Dumfrieshire Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries or Shire of Dumfries () is a historic county and registration county in southern Scotland. The Dumfries lieutenancy area covers a similar area to the historic county. In terms of historic counties it bor ...

Roxburghshire Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh () is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the northwest, and Berwickshire to the north. T ...

, and

Berwickshire Berwickshire (; ) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in south-eastern Scotland, on the English border. The county takes its name from Berwick-upon-Tweed, its original county town, which was part of Scotland at the ...

. Following the

restoration of the Scottish hierarchy The re-establishment of the hierarchy of the Catholic Church in Scotland took effect on 15 March 1878. This followed the restoration of the English hierarchy in 1850. The restoration was carried out on the instructions of Pope Leo XIII and was ...

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...

on 15 March 1878, part of the Eastern District was elevated to the status of an archdiocese with the title St Andrews & Edinburgh. In Lent 2015, Archbishop Cushley outlined his vision for the future of the archdiocese in a pastoral letter entitled "We Have Found the Messiah". The document stated aim was to "respond to the mission entrusted to him rchbishop Cushleyby Pope Francis: to bring the joy of the Gospel to contemporary society." Following the publication of the letter, Archbishop Cushley embarked upon 32 public meetings across the Archdiocese to discuss his vision which includes the possibility of creating larger parish units through either mergers or closures. The archdiocese controls the Mount Vernon Cemetery. In 2017 the former superintendent of the cemetery was convicted of mis-selling burial plots for 9 years, for example by re-selling used plots, defrauding the archdiocese and families.

Office holders

;Prefecture Apostolic of Scotland. * William Ballantine (appointed on 13 October 1653 – died on 2 September 1661) * Alexander Dunbar Winchester (appointed on 12 June 1662, resigned 1668, reappointed 1672, resigned again in July 1693) ;Vicariate Apostolic of Scotland. * Thomas Joseph Nicolson (appointed on 7 September 1694 – died on 12 October 1718) * James Gordon (succeeded on 12 October 1718 – appointed Vicar Apostolic of the Lowland District on 23 July 1727) ;Vicariate Apostolic of the Lowland District. * James Gordon (appointed on 23 July 1727 – died on 18 February 1746) * Alexander Smith (succeeded on 18 February 1746 – died on 21 August 1767) * James Grant (succeeded on 21 August 1767 – died on 3 December 1778) * George Hay (succeeded on 3 December 1778 – retired on 24 August 1805) * Alexander Cameron (succeeded on 24 August 1805 – retired on 20 August 1825) * Alexander Paterson (appointed on 20 August 1825 – appointed Vicar Apostolic of the Eastern District 13 February 1827) ;Vicariate Apostolic of the Eastern District. * Alexander Paterson (appointed on 13 February 1827 – died on 30 October 1831) * Andrew Carruthers (appointed on 28 September 1832 – died on 24 May 1852) * James Gillis (succeeded on 24 May 1852 – died on 24 February 1864) *

John Menzies Strain John Menzies Strain (8 December 1810 – 2 July 1883) was a Roman Catholic clergyman who served as the first Archbishop of the Metropolitan see of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, Scotland. Early life Born in Edinburgh on 8 December 1810, he was th ...

(appointed on 2 September 1864 – appointed Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh on 15 March 1878) ;Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh. *

(appointed on 15 March 1878 – died on 2 July 1883) *

William Smith William, Willie, Will, Bill, or Billy Smith may refer to: Academics * William Smith (Master of Clare College, Cambridge) (1556–1615), English academic * William Smith (antiquary) (c. 1653–1735), English antiquary and historian of University C ...

(appointed on 2 October and consecrated 28 October 1885 - died on 16 March 1892) * Angus MacDonald (translated from Argyll and The Isles on 15 July 1892 – died 29 April 1900) * James August Smith (translated from

on 30 August 1900 – died on 25 November 1928) *

Andrew Thomas McDonald Andrew Thomas McDonald, O.S.B., (12 February 1871 – 22 May 1950) was a Roman Catholic clergyman who served as the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, United Kingdom. Life Born in Fort William on 12 February 1871, he ...

, O.S.B. (appointed on 19 July and consecrated on 24 September 1929 – died on 22 May 1950) * (Cardinal) Gordon Gray (appointed on 20 June and consecrated on 21 September 1951 – retired on 30 May 1985) Died 19 July 1993 * (Cardinal)

Keith O'Brien Keith Michael Patrick O'Brien (17 March 1938 – 19 March 2018) was a senior-ranking Catholic Church, Catholic prelate in Scotland. He was the Archbishop of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh from 1985 to 2013. O'Brien was the leader of the Catholi ...

(appointed on 30 May and consecrated on 5 August 1985 – resigned on 25 February 2013). Died 19 March 2018 *

(appointed on 24 July and consecrated on 21 September 2013 – present)

Coadjutor Vicars Apostolic

* Alexander Cameron (1797–1805) * John Geddes (1779–1797), did not succeed to see * James Gillis (1837–1852) * James Gordon (1705–1718) * James Grant (1755–1767) * George Hay (1768–1778) * Thomas Joseph Nicholson (1694–1718) * Alexander Patterson (1816–1825) * Alexander Smith (1735–1746) * John Wallace (1720–1733), died without succeeding to see

Auxiliary bishops

Henry Grey Graham Henry Grey Graham (8 March 1874 – 5 December 1959) was a Scottish Catholic clergyman and author. Biography He was born at the manse in Maxton, Roxburghshire, his father being the local Church of Scotland minister. He attended the University of ...

(1917–1930) *James Monaghan (1970–1989) * Kevin Lawrence Rafferty (1990–1996) *

Stephen Robson Stephen Robson (born 1 April 1951) is the retired bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dunkeld. From 2012 to 2014 he was auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh. Early life Stephen Robson was born in Carlisle, in the ...

(2012–2013), appointed Bishop of Dunkeld

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

* George Henry Bennett, appointed Bishop of Aberdeen in 1918 * Vincent Paul Logan, appointed Bishop of Dunkeld in 1981 * Hugh MacDonald, appointed Vicar Apostolic of Highland District in 1731 *James Maguire, appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Dunkeld in 1939 * William Henry Mellon, appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Galloway in 1935 * Ian Murray, appointed Bishop of Argyll and The Isles in 1999 * George Rigg, appointed Bishop of Dunkeld in 1878 * James Augustine Smith, appointed Bishop of Dunkeld in 1890; later returned here as Archbishop * Francis Alexander Spalding Warden Thomson, appointed Bishop of Motherwell in 1964 * William Turner, appointed Bishop of Galloway in 1893

References

External links

*
GCatholic.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Andrews and Edinburgh Christianity in Edinburgh Roman Catholic dioceses in Scotland Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of St Andrews and Edinburgh