The Catholic Church in the UK
UK Organisation
Catholic Church in England and Wales
To get an overview of what’s happening in the church as a whole and particularly in the UK go to the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales website at https://www.cbcew.org.uk
Here you can sign up for a newsletter bringing you the latest news, events and resources from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.
There are links here to a variety of related websites and you can explore each of the 22 dioceses in England and Wales. You might find this useful if you’re travelling through England or Wales and would like to know where there are local churches and the times of masses.
Catholic Church in Scotland
For information on the Catholic Church in Scotland go to The Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, at http://www.bcos.org.uk/ based in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire.
It is an episcopal conference for archbishops and bishops of the Catholic Church in Scotland and the conference is primarily made up of the presiding bishops of Scotland’s eight dioceses as well as bishops who have retired.
As of 2018, the president of the conference is Bishop Hugh Gilbert of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Aberdeen.
Catholic Church in Ireland
For information on the Catholic Church in Ireland go to the Irish Bishops’ Conference at https://www.catholicbishops.ie/
The current membership of the Irish Bishops’ Conference comprises the bishops of the 26 dioceses of Ireland and one auxiliary Bishop.
The primate of All-Ireland is Archbishop Eamon Martin, Archbishop of Armagh, Apostolic Administrator of Dromore.
Clifton Diocese
To find out more about Clifton Diocese go to https://cliftondiocese.com where you’ll see that there are 107 parishes serving an estimated Catholic population of 190,000. You can sign up for a newsletter bringing you the latest news, events and resources from the diocese.
Within each diocese, the bishop can decide to join together several neighbouring parishes into a special group, known as a deanery. Each deanery is headed by a priest appointed by the bishop and referred to as the dean who is responsible for standards of religious observance and the general management of parishes.
There are 13 deaneries within Clifton Diocese and Christ the King Church is a member of the deanery of Bristol North West whose dean is Rev Eugene Campbell VF, Parish Priest of Holy Family Church, Patchway, Bristol.
Holy Cross Church is a member of the Stroud deanery whose dean is Rev Gary Brassington VF, Parish Priest of The Immaculate Conception Church, Stroud.
Catholic media in the UK
For more detailed coverage of news and views about the Catholic Church you can subscribe to various catholic media
The Tablet is a weekly review published in London with a subscriber base of around 18,700. It is thought to be the second-oldest surviving weekly journal in Britain.
You can subscribe to the printed/digital version or the digital version. 2022 prices are £30 per quarter for the printed/digital version and £21.50 quarter for the digital version.
For more information go to https://www.thetablet.co.uk/
The Catholic Herald is a monthly magazine published in London with a subscriber base of around 22,000.
To subscribe to the Catholic Herald print only version there is a special launch price of £50 for 12 months. To receive a print and digital plan for 14 months at the price of a 12 month plan at £65
For more information go to https://catholicherald.co.uk/
The Universe Catholic Weekly is now a digital only publication and costs £20 per quarter.
For more information go to https://universecatholicweekly.co.uk/
Universalis Publishing was started in 1995 with the aim of harnessing computer technology to help in enriching the spiritual life of Christians, specifically by making the liturgical and devotional resources of the Catholic Church available on the new electronic media.
The Liturgy of the Hours is now available on the web site and as apps, downloads and e-books, and so is the Mass: both the readings at Mass and the unique “Mass Today” page which combines the Order of Mass with the prayers and readings in one continuous stream.
Visitors to the Universalis web site include priests, laity, the young and the old. They come from all denominations: some have not heard of the Breviary before; some cannot afford the books; and some are blind and cannot use them.
You can access mass readings via the webpage for free – as we do from this website – but you may like to download the app onto your phone and follow the mass in church.
There is a one-off charge of £9.99 for access to all the Universalis features using the app. One purchase from Google Play or Amazon will cover all your compatible Android devices. One purchase from Apple App Store will cover your iOS devices (iPhone/iPad/iPod).
For more information go to www.universalis.com
Universalis Publishing Ltd, 81 Cambridge Mansions, London SW11 4RX, England